True Confessions!

My feet look like this! I bought some cute new sandals and thought "oh, gee maybe I will WEAR them to work". I have had good luck so far this summer but apparently my feet challenged my sandals to a smackdown and the sandals won! The sad thing is that blood was drawn halfway to the train this morning. I only made it 6 blocks before I had to break out the emergency band-aids and padded tape I ALWAYS carry in the summer. Do any of you suburban readers carry nude colored padded tape in YOUR purses? I bet not. At least my toenails are manicured and properly adorned with a ring! OUCH!

Those who know me well know that there was a time in the dark year (that year between college graduation and my first "real" job where I was slightly depressed because I knew that if I didn't find THE perfect first job that my life would end! Except for Thursday night salsa dancing which made me happy but this side note is becoming way to long) when I damaged my toes with some too small shoes and the nails fell off my big toes! Those who don't know me that well are now glad they don't at this point! Well since that incident I have been REALLY good about buying sensible shoes and being very gentle to my feet, especially with all the NYC walking (hence the padded tape in the purse). Well trust me, these sandals were very sensible. I just obviously need to break them in! So this weekend I vow to wear the new sandals around the house with socks on until I break them and show them who's boss. Unlike some men in their 50-60s I know, I won't leave the house with the sock/sandal combo on but I am going to break those darn sandals in and the next time there is sandal to foot combat the feet will win! That and I can't take them back now that I bled in them so I don't have any other options.

Happy 4th of July weekend!

Thank goodness it's FRIDAY!!!

But wait, it is Thursday. Until about halfway to work I was under the impression that it was indeed Friday so you can imagine my let down. Then I came to work and the first person I saw I yelled at. I am so mean! I apologized to her and explained that it was because I thought it was Friday but it was really Thursday and it drove me into a momentary rage. I think she bought it.

I don't have fun photos or any news to share. I got home last night and since we were having leftovers for dinner I settled in and watched So You Think You Can Dance. This was the 1st full episode I have seen but I like it already. The contestants are all so young (so young that 30 seems ancient to them I am sure) but they really put a lot into their performances and do a great job. That and the show moves fast so it is pretty entertaining. I think there is a part of me that wishes I was a dancer so watching the performances made me nostalgic for the Thursday nights when Katie and I used to hit the Salsa club at China Harbor. Those were the days! Back when I had rhythm!

I probably should have been doing something else but it was so hot in the house. The humidity was ONLY at 70% but it sure felt like 100%. I think it is almost time to move the little TV into the bedroom with the air conditioner and settle in for the summer.

On a happy note I am taking Monday off from work (so is Greg) so I have a 4 day weekend to look forward to and then next Thursday my Mom is flying in for visit and we are going to have a blast. Of course we may be in the bedroom watching that little TV but it will be super fun!

Have a great fake Friday!

You get what you pay for!

You get what you pay for and well, I don't pay anything to use this site! I had wanted to upload a bunch of photos yesterday but blogger decided halfway through to ruin my plan. I was still having problems this morning but now it seems to be working. So here are some more party photos:

Me and the awesome cake that Ivy made for the party. I finished eating the last left-over piece for breakfast yesterday (note to self: no more cake for breakfast! You know what they say about a 30 year old metabolism!).

The little thunder stealer! Just kidding. This is baby William who came to the party with his mom (my co-worker and friend Karen) and won everyone's hearts in about 2 minutes. It was actually great having him there because I had invited people from several "parts" of my life and was concerned that they may not have a lot in common but EVERYONE could agree that the baby was delicious and that has chubby thighs should be munched on as an appetizer. Way to go William. If his mom could part with him long enough to send him to Iraq I think his cuteness could end all wars!Here is an example of the button I made for the party (the smaller one above was a gift that I wore at the same time). They were a big hit. The thank you cards I whipped up last weekend (instead of scrapping). They were all in this theme although there were some differences in color and embellishment. Same color scheme as the invite and buttons.

Now if it would just stop raining I would really be able to enjoy my 30s!

A Big Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for making my 30th Birthday so wonderful. Thanks for all the great phone calls, emails, cards, gifts, and to those who came out for the party. It was a really wonderful day. I especially want to thank Greg, the best husband in the world, who took care of so many of the details so that I could just hang out and enjoy the day.

It did rain for a good portion of the day but PRAISE THE LORD it stopped drizzling just as the play was beginning and then stayed dry the rest of the night (though overcast). We had garbage bags and towels ready just in case but didn't need them at all. I had also worried that the dinner was going to be too short and people would feel rushed but it was just perfect and we had a really nice time visiting with everyone. The buttons were a hit too!

I do want to highlight one gift I received. I am not talking about my new ipod either (thanks Greg and Cruikshanks). My mom made me a special "card" for my 30th birthday that I just loved and want to share since this is mostly a craft blog and this "card" is pretty crafty.

This is a card but also a mini-album. It is the very popular paper sack book (craft club idea!). Each page had tons of embellishments and little sayings and such but then there were these cards tucked in with photos that I just love!

I especially love the look on my dad's face and that crazy mustache! Oh the 70s! I love this "card" and I can't stop flipping through it at home. Thank you mom for it and all the work to make it. I love you guys!

Well with party fever and now spending all waking hours uploading songs to said ipod, I am a little behind on my scrapbooking for the week. I did manage to make 19 thank you cards so that should count for something I think. With all the rain, gardening is out so there is nothing to report there either. Last night we went and restocked the pantry with groceries and hopefully things will quiet down now.

Almost 30!

Today is my last day of being 29 and tomorrow is the big day. My 29th year has been a good one! The party has been planned and should be lots of fun. The buttons I designed arrived in the mail and they are CUTE. My friend Ivy is making a vegan chocolate cake for us to eat (I have had this cake before and it is YUM!) I may try and find some hats tonight at the party store if I have time. Unfortunately they are predicting rain tomorrow so Shakespeare in the Park may be cancelled but I am not worried about it. If that happens we will just hang out in the restaurant longer.

I haven't done much else this week besides work. It has been incredibly hot and humid and that makes it difficult to be productive in the evening. When I get home the house is well over 90 degrees and all I want to do is sit and veg in front of the tv until it cools down. I did manage to work on a layout this morning so hopefully I can finish it this week and stay on track with my goal.

The garden is growing well but needs some serious weeding. Another thing I am unmotivated to do in the evening is water but even so the plants seem to be thriving in the heat. I may try and do a little work out there on Sunday before church.

Sorry this isn't a more exciting post. Back to work for me! Have a great weekend everyone!

More Mini Layouts

Ok, here they are. The rest of the layouts from last week. I decided not to count these toward my goal and instead am going to make a note on the number of mini-book layouts completed. I still think I can meet my goal without them so they will be icing on the cake! Just a few more to go and I am done. They just happen to be big stops on the trip with tons of photos.

Father's Day!

Father's Day has already come and gone but I wanted to post the cards I made this year for our Dads.

It was nice to be able to see Greg's Dad on Father's Day and to celebrate with him. I only got to say hi to my dad on the phone. Here is the super cool card I sent my dad. It looks like an ordinary card until you pull the tab on the right....

And suprise! A gift card pops out the other side! I saw this idea in a magazine and have been dying to use it. My dad is starting to run again (to keep up with my mom!) so I got him a gift card to the sports store. So fun! Here is the card I made Greg's dad. Do you recognize those green letters! HA!

We took Dave out for Father's Day brunch so there is no secret gift card here. I have an awsome dad and I hope he enjoyed his Father's Day!! Love you Dad!!

Scrapbook Update - Mini Layouts Continue

Greg's parents were here for a few days over the weekend to celebrate Dave's 60th Birthday. Boy were we busy. We put a lot of miles on the car getting to and from New Jersey (where they were staying) and we even visited some new places. I did manage to get some more layouts done for the mini book. Here are 4 today and I will post 4 more later on. I am almost done with the book which is good because my June kit came and I am itching to dive into it!

Birthday Planning!

Well the party has been planned and the evite went out today. A little last minute but at least it is done. This is the image I posted on the evite and am also going to use it to make some buttons for my guests to wear. I found this photo last night in a box of old stuff that needs to be scrapped. I just love the shocked look on my face! (Mom-do you remember this?) For any blog readers who are going to be in the area for my birthday and would like to join in here are the party details. Just email me and I will add you to the evite (for your RSVP).

**************

Look who’s turning 30!
It’s my 30th birthday and I would love you to join me for a birthday extravaganza. It is actually a two part affair and you can join for one or both parts!

Part I: Nothing says Happy Birthday like Shakespeare’s savage thriller exploring the difference between a leader and a tyrant, Macbeth! I know what you’re thinking about the process of getting tickets, but my birthday happens to fall on the Bronx Borough Ticket Giveaway Day. I have gotten Shakespeare in the Part tickets for the last 3 years using this method and historically it is really easy (meaning no line at all). Check the website for all the info http://www.publictheater.org/ and click on Shakespeare in the park.
Here is the short version:
1-3 pm Saturday - Meet me in the Bronx to pick up a voucher for that night’s show. They are available at “The Point” arts center in Hunts Point (I can help with directions for those interested but it is right off the 6 train). They only allow two vouchers per person and I would get there early just in case. If there are people who are interested but can’t get to the Bronx we may be able to pool extra vouchers from those who are going.

5:00 pm Saturday - Meet me at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. You MUST exchange your voucher for a real ticket. Again only two vouchers can be turned in by any 1 person.


Part II: Join me for dinner Saturday night from 5:30 pm -7:30 pm on the Upper East Side at Mary Ann’s Restaurant (1503 2nd Ave, @ 78th St) for margaritas and yummy tex-mex food.

After dinner those who were able to get Shakespeare tickets will all walk over to the theater together and we will say a sad goodbye to those who are unable to continue.

I know this whole ordeal seems crazy but it can work, IT WILL WORK with your help. If we can get some people to commit to making the trek up to the Bronx and all meeting on time at the theater to pick up tickets we will all have nice block of seats together. Otherwise it will be everyone fending for themselves.

I would love to see you for some or all of the evening!

Please RSVP ASAP so we can get the wheels turning on our grand scheme!

Love,
Alexis

Scrapbook Update Part III

Here the last layouts from the batch I did last weekend. Additional supplies here include:
Brands
More fuzzy rub-on stars
Photo corners (just can't get enough)
Rhinstone stars from April kit
Sequin flowers
Chipboard letters (this time I made a G into a C)
As you can see most of these layouts are very simple which is why I am feeling very conflicted about how to account for these with my goal of one layout per week. If I count them all I will certainly meet my goal for the year but that seems like cheating because they are so much simpler than a full sized layout. Maybe I will make a subcatagory on my goal card for them. Not sure yet!

Scrapbook Update Part II

I o I





Ok, here are 4 more layouts. These include the following additional supplies:
A leftover paper flower from May Kit
Another chipboard letter ( I am determined to use them all!)
Brads
Photo corners
More rub-on velvet stars

These have been really fun to do. I just love doing mini theme albums. I have been scrapping these in order so I have been able to put them right into the mini album as I finish and photograph them. Yum!

Scrapbook Update Part I

The rain stopped for a little while this weekend but the garden didn't get a chance to fully dry so we didn't do any weeding. They are predicting a chance of rain everyday for the next 4 days but I am hoping for a little sun. Our little plants are so water logged and desperate for a little photosynthesis! Greg got out the hose on Sunday and sprayed down and cleaned our deck. I can't believe how great it looks now. We also did some house cleaning and made a run to the grocery store to stock up on meal stuff. It always feels so good to have a clean house and stocked pantry!

Friday turned out to be a great day for scrapbooking. I made serious headway on the road trip album. I will post the layouts over the next few days. I would really like to get this album done before my next scrapbook kit comes in the mail and it is scheduled to ship on the 15th so I have a solid week to work. But wait, my in-laws are coming on Thursday so that will probably slow me down. I will do my best.

The stats for this album are pretty simple. The paper is KI Memories, the Journey collection and includes matching die cuts which I am trying to use up. It is an older line but the colors are so great for this project. I don't have a ton of this paper so I may throw in some of another line that is similar but more blue/green heavy. I am using my new Quickutz alphabet for many of the layouts and am trying to use up some of the embellishments from the kits (to make way for new stuff) and so far so good. I am also using a single font for the whole book to tie the journaling all together. The star rub-ons are actually velvet and really fun to use. I figure this book is about the USA so stars fit right in! I have also sprinkled in photo corners, ribbon, metal letters, and brads in these 3 layouts.

Katie: If you click these photos they will enlarge! Your dream come true!

More tomorrow!

Bad Blogger

Well Blogger has been causing me all kinds of problems this week by not letting me upload my photos. Then Friday I was able to upload this photo and got a warning that Blogger had a scheduled outage in 3 minutes so I had to quick save and wait to post again! Argh!

Well I actually took Friday off as a mental health vacation day and had intended to clean the house to get ready for the visit from my in-laws on Thursday but.......

I ended up spending the whole day scrapping. I figured out that I can run DVDs on my computer next to my scrapbook table and that opened up a whole new world of movies to watch while I work. This picture shows a little bit of what I have been working on. I started the cross country trip album and got about 10-12 pages done. This picture shows the title page and the state dividers that I made during the week. I will post the other layouts next week.

I am not sure how to account for these pages toward my goal. Each page is only 8x8 and they are much easier to generate because they all follow a theme. I will have to think about it.

As you can see I also got my Quickutz handle and put it to good use making the title. I have to say I have not been loving it as much as I hoped. The letters rarely cut out completely so I am usually finishing them off with scissors. I have been fiddling with the dies and have gotten better at using the system but it still isn't as problem free as I would like. I am glad I didn't pay $200 to get started. It could also be that my handle is used and a new one would work better at first.
Anyway, this weekend I WILL be cleaning the house. It has been raining for the last 3 days so the garden is flooded again but if it dries up we will get out and do some weeding. Have a great weekend!

Scrapbook Activity

Blogger has been having problems since yesterday and won't load my photos so I will try and post them later this week. Here is the text in its entirety and one photo I was able to load.

1. I completed the final layout for the 2003-2004 album. See, these photos were too cute not to use. Sorry this is a little blurry. Take a look at the detail shot below.
Here are the stats:
**This patterned paper came from the April kit.
**Photo corners.
**I found a way to use all those sequins I have been given in the last 2 kits. I picked out only the green, silver, and white sequins (circles and flowers) from the April and May kits and glued them down randomly along the seam.
**2 blue stars from the April kit.
**A few brown snaps I had on hand to pick up more of the brown in the paper.
**More chipboard letters from the May kit. Most good letters were gone so I turned a Q into an O, and a B into an E for the word love. It worked pretty well but don’t look too close!
**The journaling was just words that described the occasion (10 year anniversary of our 1st date).
**As I mentioned before this layout was inspired by some Jennifer McGuire layouts she has had in CK recently. I am very pleased with this one.

2. Greg and I sat down over the weekend and sorted the photos from our 2003 cross country road trip and then we made up a timeline. Boy do we remember things differently! But it was fun remembering what we could about that trip. It was a crazy one!

3. I got all the layouts for 2003-2004 date stamped and put into the album. I now have 3 years of memories finished (plus the wedding album and various trip albums).

4. The photos from 2004-2005 came in the mail on Saturday so now I just have to cross reference them with what is on the home computer to make sure nothing is missing before I begin scrapping.

5. I took a trip to Target on Saturday to get some stuff and came home with this little bulletin board to put above my scrap area.

I had been taping instructions, color charts, and inspiration-type stuff to the wall. So now I have an official place to stick the things I rip out of magazines and also to hang new products I get and want to include in my pages (like the pearl brads on there now for wedding pages coming up).
I also picked up this little wire mesh rolling cart. It slides under the side of my table and has room for my box of photos in progress and hopefully my trash can and idea books and things. Considering how small my table is I am hoping that this little cart will be a spot for me to keep things at my finger tips while clearing up some space on my table top. So far I love it and it doesn't take up any more room than I was using before.

That is all for now. This morning I began working on the trip album. I picked out the papers and started working on the title pages and state dividers. I think I want to use my new Quickutz alphabet for this book so I hope my eBay handle comes soon!

Weekend Plans

Happy Friday! Here is a photo depicting a common sight in our house over the last year. Greg studying. Well....

No more homework, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!

Greg finished his class last week but he found out this week that he got an A- in said class. Good job honey! He isn't taking any courses over the summer but will continue his thesis research over the next couple months. This marks the end of a successful first year of graduate school for Greg. This last semester had its trials but overall things have been going well. Hopefully just one more year of part time study and he will be done.

On the garden front:
I have been trying to weed a little each night in hopes of staying on top of it. The transplants seems to be holding their own. We may have lost a couple little lettuce plants but everything else looks good. We have had a quick rain storm almost every night this week (with thunder and lightning) so I have only had to water the garden one time. That makes my job super easy. We will probably get out there this weekend and do some more minor things. We still have some herbs to plant so we need to figure out where to put them.

On the scrapbooking front:
I began another layout this morning using those 2 leftover photos. I think it will be a layout about our 10-year anniversary of our first date which occurred in 2004. I am sort of doing it in Jennifer McGuire style (if you get CK magazine and know who that is). She did some pregnancy pages that have inspired this layout.

I also got out a box of photos from our cross country car trip when we bought our current car from my Dad in Seattle and drove it out to NYC. I am going to put the trip into its own album and last night I got out the photos and memorabilia from the trip to sort into piles and started reminiscing about the trip. I forgot visiting the world's smallest chapel in Minnesota, or the world's largest Jolly Green Giant statue in Minnesota, actually I forgot ever visiting Minnesota. So now I am excited to work on that mini-book before beginning 2004-2005. This weekend Greg and I are going to figure out the timeline and see what memories we can remember from the trip since I didn't find a journal so apparently I didn't keep track of the details. It was a great trip full of suprises so look for layouts in the coming weeks. It should go quickly since it will be a theme book and all the paper and embellishments will be the same.

Have a great weekend!

Scrapbook Update-Layout 32

That's right, I am just 20 layouts away from my 2006 goal and we are just about half way through the year. It blows me away to think that I have stuck to this goal so successfully and for so long. Now if I could just keep other kinds of goals like exercise and not eating dessert for breakfast! So I finished this layout this morning before work (I was a little late coming in!). It is the long awaited Christmas layout and final entry into the 2003-2004 album. This layout features our first attempt at a home photo shoot in hopes of taking a great picture for our yearly Christmas card:

Here are the stats:

• The May kit strikes again! All the papers in the May kit were double sided and one sheet had flowers on the front and this lovely red polka dot on the back which I thought would go nicely with a Christmas theme. I didn't have much left so it is just a thin strip at the top and a little thicker strip at the bottom.
• It is hard to see in the photo but under the letters PHO is a light green rub-on. It is the last rub-on that came with the kit.
• Photo corners of course!
• More of the chipboard letters from the kit for the title. I ended up really liking these and the green color was very appealing to me. I am now left with letters that really don't spell anything. I will have to think of something brilliant to do with the left-overs.
• The last spotted bookplate from the kit for the date.
• The layout design was from the BH sketch book.

Here are some close-ups for you:

Well, the May kit ended up being a real hit with me. I used about 90% of it I think which is good because the June kit is shipping out in about 10 or so days. I think a sneak peek will be posted today and I can't wait to see it. I think one of the reasons that I like this club so much (so far) is it has exposed me to products I probably wouldn't ever buy. I don't have a scrapbook store to shop at so I end up buying everything online and tend to stick to a few companies that I know I like. When you have a store to browse through and touch the stuff it is easier to find new things to try. On-line that aspect is missing. In the kits I have gotten SEI and Scenic Route papers which I really enjoyed but probably would never have ordered myself (I tend to buy KI only). And the same is true of a lot of the embellishments too. I may never have tried chipboard without the kits to spur me on (I hear there is more in the June kit too!).

But most importantly the reason the kits have worked so well is I have forced myself to keep them out and use them right away instead of incorporating them in my stash or holding them aside because they are so "perfect".

I ordered photo prints for the 2004-2005 album so I can start it soon. I did have a couple photos left over that didn't make it onto this layout but I really want to use them so I am thinking of doing another layout with just those 2 photos. Maybe an anniversary one or more of a "feelings" type page and less of an "events" type page. I don't normally go for that but it is never too late to give it a try!

Scrapbook Update

I didn't accomplish as much as I hoped over the weekend when it came to scrapbooking, but I did manage to do my one required weekly layout:


This was a quick and easy layout about a hike we took in 2004. I used my May kit once again. Supplies included: Cardstock base, one piece of patterned paper cut to have scalloped edges, fabric flowers with button centers, ribbon, chipboard letters, polka-dot bookplates held on by coordinating brads. I have to say this kit has been very inspirational. I didn't get around to completing that last Christmas layout like I had planned but I did find a sketch to use and pulled some papers so it should be easy to do this week.

Our Green Thumb!

Greg and I had a wonderful (and productive) holiday weekend. NYC finally saw a break from the constant rain and gloom (or as some of you may know it, Seattle weather) and we had highs in the mid-80s and some humidity to boot. We spent a good part of Sunday and Monday out in the garden. We managed to get the raised bed to fit into the garden WITHOUT having to cut it down. It required a bit of digging around the fence and even chipping away at a little bit of the concrete pathway but we got it in. Another trip to Home Depot (2 trips actually) and 520 lbs of compost/soil later and the bed was ready to plant. We transplanted all of our plants and laid down some garden fabric (the black stuff you see isn't plastic) and mulch for weed control. We got done just in time for a 20 minute rain storm to blow through and water everything for us! The only negative garden event was that our next-door neighbors decided to drain their gross above ground pool and a lot of water drained into our garden which is a low point in the area. The pool flooded all our paths on the right side of the garden behind the shed. Luckily I had decided to focus mainly on the left side this year and all that is on the right side are some of Greg's gourds. We were really pleased to get the plants in the ground, a bunch more things seeded, and a lot of the beds cleaned up. Now we just have to focus on weeding and watering!

I hope you all had wonderful Memorial Days!

Misc Musings

I am VERY happy to report that I completed jury duty on Friday! Yippie! The last 2 days were especially hard because we were sequestered during the day meaning they took away our phones and forced us to stay in a little jury room when we weren't in the court room. After closing arguments we began our deliberation. Right off the bat we had 9 guiltys and 3 unsures. There was one crazy guy on the jury who kept wanted to hear huge segments of testimony read back, the other 2 just wanted time to study the photos (we had photos of the crime being committed). On day 2 of deliberation everyone was in agreement and we found the defendant guilty of 1st degree robbery (robbery with a firearm) and we were sent home. We were not present for sentencing so I don't know what happen to the guy. I am glad to be done with jury duty and just in time for the 3 day weekend. I feel like I have gotten my life back but that is kind of ironic since the defendant is going to prison.

Thursday was a really long hard day in court so I decided not to go to work that evening and instead came home to rest. But when I got home there were so many things that needed to be done I couldn't sit down and veg out. Last weekend be bought lumber to make a raised garden bed and had even had the boards cut to length at the store so I decided I was going to put it together while Greg was at school. I got out the drill and went to work. I knew I could build it if I put my mind to it (my mom was a great example of that). After I finished building it in the driveway I went into the garden and dug out the bed to make a place for it. Then I went crazy and pulled the ivy off the fences and weeded a bit. When Greg got home he offered to help carry the box into the garden. It was 4' wide, 11' long, and 10" tall. It was too heavy for me to carry alone. Well when we got it into the garden, this is what we found.....
Yep, it is about 5 inches too long! I guess the old adage "measure twice, cut once" isn't just a cute saying. Greg says that when I had him help me measure the bed he didn't realize at the time that we would buy wood that day (in his defense I did kind of spring that on him AT the hardware store) and that he didn't realize he should be really careful about reading the tape. He says he may have rounded down. All is not lost. We will trim it down and fix it this weekend but I just thought it was funny. I guess I haven't earned a pink toolbelt yet!

We have no special plans for the holiday weekend. We hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Surprise!

Look what came in the mail last night! Let me back up….. A few weeks ago I came across the blog of Karen Russell, a well known scrapbooker and designer in the industry. She was doing a fund raiser for Women for Women International, an organization that provides woman in conflict and post conflict areas with loans to begin their own business, skills and job training, and business support. For example a woman who lost her husband and livelyhood in a civil war could apply for a loan to start a business selling mangos to support her family. WforW would provide the loan and skills to start her "micro-enterprize". Anyway if you donated to the organization you essentially bought a raffle ticket from her. She had 96 famous scrapbookers who were going to scrapbook pages for lucky winners and tons of companies willing to give prize packages (actually over 200 winners in all so the odds were really good). I was REALLY hoping to win a layout by Becky Higgins so I donated/entered. Well, when the winners were announced (She raised over $12,500 on her blog by the way!) I was disappointed not to have won a layout by BH but when I scrolled down to the prize package winners I saw my name in that list. Initially I was excited once again until I realized that my package was going to come from Quickutz. I don’t own a Quickutz tool (a personal die cutter) and all Quickutz is notoriously expensive.

Well last night I got this box in the mail and Greg and I couldn’t figure out what it could be and then I remembered MY PRIZE. When I opened it was found a complete “Abigail” alphabet set and a black tote bag. I really like the alphabet set. It is a nice classic font that could be used on all kinds of layouts. I was disappointed they didn’t send the hand tool since you can’t use the dies without the hand tool which cost $55-$105 depending on the style. Greg suggested I get rid of the prize if it meant I was going to have to spend money to use it. The companies that were donating prize packages were asked to supply a prize package valued at $50. When I got online last night I found out that my prize package was worth over $200. That was very generous of them. The alphabet set alone retails for $170! So I turned to eBay and found a hand tool on an auction that was ending in 10 min and I bid on it and WON which allowed me to save a few bucks. So I am keeping the prize and am actually kind of excited about it. Look for these letters in my future layouts!