Playing with my Bug

I love playing with my cricut and the last couple days I've been creating some cards with 3D flowers. This is so much fun and my little bug makes it so easy since I can cut multiples of flowers in different sizes and shapes in just moments. I love this color combo of the purple and black with the touches of white. So pretty.


On the purple Thank you card I applied the 3D flower over a stamped image.



On this card I used a stem I had cut from my bug as a stencil and used lumiarte paints to fill in the stencil, then went over the leaves adding details with a silver pen. Once that was done I layered my flowers together, crinkling and folding the petals to add dimension then applying the flowers on the stem. A little ribbon, some silver dots and there you have it.




I love this little bleeding heart "Thinking of you" card. The colors are so great and the size is different than I usually do. It is 9.25 x 4, which was a really fun size to work with. I like to add a little touch to the envelopes to give just a hint of what is inside.


Had to do a card that celebrated my word for 2008. I think it would be perfect for any occasion!



In other matters, today I went to my LSS and got the Basic Grey Magnetic Cutting Board. I've been thinking about getting it because I've been using my old CM cutting mat for years and it is really getting "distressed" and I really was wanting something that was made for 12 x 12 pages. (I hate working on something and have it run off the edge of my mat. Just one of my pet peeves, so I decided to do something about it.) I'm not sure how useful the magnetic part of my new mat will be, but I love working on such a large surface and the black is very nice also. Another thing I discovered about it is that I can attach a LO to the mat with the magnetics and it works very well for photographing my LO.


While at the LSS I met a new friend who may join us at the LSS to crop next Saturday. New friends are good, they are a "happy" thing.



It's a happy day and I've got a new toy to play with (my magnetic mat).

Today's Happy Moment

This morning as I was cleaning up the kitchen I lowered my cold hands into the hot, soapy bowl of water I had sitting in the sink. This made me so happy! An hour later I can still feel the warmth on my hands. Such joy can be found in the littlest things.

Now I'm packing up to go scrap with my DIL at our LSS. Seven hours of happiness! Followed by meeting DH at Olive Garden for dinner, then home to spend the evening together, just the two of us, for the first time in the new year.

Happiness and bliss is mine today!

One Word for 2008

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world. Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. --Tom Bodett

I have choosen my one word for this year

HAPPY

In doing a tiny bit of searching on the web I have discovered the following tidbits that support my choice of HAPPY for 2008.

In his book Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman, one of the founders of Positive psychology, describes happiness as consisting of 'positive emotions' and 'positive activities'.
He further categorizes emotions related to the past, present and future. Positive emotions relating to the past include satisfaction, contentment, pride and serenity. Positive emotions relating to the future include optimism, hope and trust. Positive emotions about the present are divided into two categories: pleasure and gratifications.

The good life comes from using 'signature strengths' to obtain abundant gratification in, for example, enjoying work and creative activities.

happiness (uncountable)
joy, the emotion of being happy.
Good luck; good fortune; prosperity.

An agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended enjoyment; the state of being happy; contentment; joyful satisfaction; felicity; blessedness.

Some beauties yet no precepts can declare, For there's a happiness, as well as care. — Alexander Pope.

[edit] Synonyms
Happiness, felicity, blessedness, bliss.

Happiness is generic, and is applied to almost every kind of enjoyment except that of the animal appetites.
Felicity is a more formal word, and is used more sparingly in the same general sense, but with elevated associations.
Blessedness is applied to the most refined enjoyment arising from the purest social, benevolent, and religious affections.
Bliss denotes still more exalted delight, and is applied more appropriately to the joy anticipated in heaven.

O happiness! our being’s end and aim! — Alexander Pope

[edit] Translations
Croatian: sreća f.
Dutch: geluk n.
Esperanto: feliĉo
Finnish: ilo, onni
French: bonheur m.
German: Fröhlichkeit f., Glück n.
Greek: ευτυχία (eftikhía)
Hungarian: boldogság, vidámság
Italian: gioia f.
Norwegian: glede m., lykke m.
Old English: ēad n.
Polish: szczęście n.
Portuguese: felicidade f., alegria f.
Russian: счастье (sčást’je) n.
Scottish Gaelic: àigh m., sonas m., subhachas m., toileachas m.
Spanish: felicidad f., alegría f.
Swedish: glädje, lycka
Turkish: saadet f.

True happiness must be found within yourself, no one else can make you happy. By bringing a little happiness into the lives of others, I can find happiness within myself.

Look for the little things, those happy little things that are around you everyday, but may go unnoticed.

Happy New Year Eve

Pep and Carla are here with the kids for New Year Eve. Got a roast in the crock pot and freshly made brownies waiting on the counter. Keeping dinner simple, but, hopefully, it will be good.

Started altering a little cigarette case that I picked up at a garage sale a couple years ago. When I saw it I thought it might make a cute little mini album. I'm going to use it for Ali's challenge to make a little album of my happy things.

• Mixer
• Angel from Carla
• Paper (especially basic grey) might just use some of this throughout the album
• shopping
• books
• early morning coffee & computer
• grandkids
• camera
• Miah & Lissa

Will have to be observent the next couple days and see if I can add to my "happy" list.

Soup

I've been so cold lately, seems I can never get really warm and today's forecast was for a chance of snow, which means more cold. Don't know why just the chance of snow will make me want to make soup. Is it because I remember my mother making a huge pot of chili on the day the Columbus Day storm was forecast? She knew that the little town we lived in would lose power in almost any kind of storm and cooking for us six kids and dad would be impossible. So early in the morning, before the storm hit, she started a huge pot of chili and let it simmer all day. When the power went out we still had a hot meal to eat since the pot of chili was so huge it took hours before it cooled completely.

Even though we seldom lose power, there is something so comforting about having a big pot of soup or stew on the stove, scenting the house with its spices, on a cold day. Today it is beef vegetable soup with lots of garlic, rosemary and bay leaf that is making the house smell so good. About 30 minutes before dinner I will throw in a couple handfuls of barley and we will have one of our favorite cold weather comfort foods ready to eat. Some homemade biscuits with honey and a green salad will complete our perfect dinner.

Sometimes you've got to love cold weather.