November - A Month of Gratitude

There is so much to be thankful for in my life.
I'm spending the month of November trying to reflect on all the good.
Eventually I will put this all in a gratitude journal. It will be a mix of photos, journaling and ephemera. 

Thursday, November 1: I am grateful for blue skies, pretty clouds and clear, crisp autumn weather. Especially after all the rain and wind of Hurricane Sandy earlier in the week. 

Hurricane Sandy.....and the Tiny Prints Winner!

Hoping that all the East Coasters are safe, dry and warm tonight. The rain and the winds have been pretty intense today. 

Here is a comparison of the big beautiful maple tree in our backyard. Two weeks ago it was full of beautiful leaves. Today, not so much. 

....and the winner of the $50 Tiny Prints gift certificate is....

Congratulations Michelle! You will get your promo code directly from Tiny Prints. 

Tiny Prints Review - and a $50 Giveaway!

I can't believe Christmas is only two months away. Have you started thinking about Christmas yet?

Last year, we sent out Christmas Cards from Tiny Prints. As a scrapbooker and card maker, I love the quality of the signature matte paper and the clean and elegant design templates. The banners and the stacked typography are so hot in paper crafting right now. The rounded corners are my favorite detail on this card. 

photo credit: Darlene Denommee

We also sent Tiny Prints cards for our first married Christmas. I saved one and display it in a pretty frame with all the holiday decorations.

photo credit: Lea Lawson of Elle Photography

For 2012, Tiny Prints created a wonderful collection of cards in a variety of styles from modern to vintage to traditional. You will find many great cards  for Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years and more. They even have cards that showcase your pets!

Check out the Special Offers at Tiny Prints for some discounts on Christmas and holiday cards, and photo gifts..

Now for the giveaway! 
How would you like $50 off your order at Tiny Prints? 
(shipping not included, cannot be used with other offers or promos)
Just leave me a comment and I'll draw a winner on Saturday, October 27, 2012.


This post is part of a sponsored Tiny Prints Holiday campaign. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: You Have No Idea

I've always liked Vanessa Williams so when I received a copy of this book for the BlogHer book review, I dove right in and started reading.

I was impressed that she started talking about the Miss America/nude photo scandal right at the beginning of the book and didn't really pull any punches. She admits what she did, why she was naive (and a little rebellious) and what she regrets. 


But let's face it, she probably wouldn't have had such an extensive career post-pageant without this notoriety. She has tons of talent and this scandal helped make her a household name. It was interesting how she very much emphasized that she wasn't a pageant princess. She was a drama student with lots of training who entered the pageants for scholarships.


Williams is very open and honest in her book perhaps to a fault. Really, I don't need to know where your children were conceived and how you rushed into two marriages because you were pregnant. 


I did love the counterpart of advice from her no-nonsense mother starting the chapters. I wish there was more of Helen's side of the story told throughout the book. It really seems to me if Vanessa listened to her mother a little more she might have had a happier personal life. 


I think it's great that Vanessa tries to keep her blended family happy from two coasts. It's gotta be awkward at times to have two ex-husbands at the dinner table for Christmas. But is the only thing she cooks lasagna? She mentions that lasagna a lot. 


I wish there was more insight about her music career, her work singing Disney themes, her time on Broadway. It felt like the book skimmed through those twenty years to make quick mention of her most recent projects: Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. 


Join in on the discussion at BlogHer Book Club.


This is a paid review of You Have No Idea by  Vanessa Williams and Helen Williams for the Blog Her Book Club. All opinions expressed are mine.

Happy Birthday, Brother!

Masculine cards can be challenging. My baby brother had a birthday last week. My husband took charge of the shopping AND the wrapping of his gifts. I just had to make a card. 

The zipper envelope is a Kerri Bradford cutting file from the Signed. Sealed. Delivered. set. It is such a cool and versatile design. Love it! I added a little stamping to the zipper part to jazz it up.

The star icon on the front of the envelope is also part of the same cutting file set. There are an assortment of icons which makes it easy to customize the envelope. I cut a second star icon and layered it over the envelope for a little dimension.

I designed a folded card in Silhouette Studio to hold the gift card and fit inside the envelope.
The front was stamped with the A Muse Studio grunged sunrays and embossed in clear.
I stamped the Papertrey Ink sentiment in A Muse french roast ink on a scrap of (very, very) old My Mind's Eye patterned paper. 

This is what the inside of the gift card holder looked like. 

A rugged masculine card for a rugged masculine guy.