It's the Thought that Counts...

These are the flowers I bought myself for Valentine's Day (otherwise known as Remind-The-Singles-That-They're-Still-Single Day...as if we had forgotten):

As I was standing in line at Jewel after having picked out this bouquet, I noticed the hordes of men indiscriminately grabbing whatever neon-tinted wildflower bouquet was on sale for $6 directly in front of the register and running out the door.  I heard one guy casually explaining away his sad and battered looking bouquet with an "It's the thought that counts..."  And I thought...EXACTLY...and you didn't bother to think about it AT ALL! 

I'm not saying I'm looking for a $50 bouquet of roses...I spent less than half of that on these, and these are probably nicer than any flowers I've gotten from any of the guys I've dated (a disappointment for another blog post entirely).  I'm saying, if you're going to pick up the $6 neon-crap-thrown-together-for-cheap bouquet, just cuz you're too lazy to take a two minute walk to the other side of the store to find a decent one...or because you're too cheap...just freakin' SKIP IT.  Make your girl dinner...or buy a $2 card, and actually bother to WRITE something heartfelt in it...or clean the kitchen spotless before she gets home and give her a backrub for pete's sake! 

Talk about making someone feel like an afterthought..."Here, these are for you...I got them for less than I spent on my pack of cigarettes...but only cuz they were already there at the counter...love ya!" Yeah...it's the thought that counts...I totally agree.  But for the love of god, please remember that means you actually have to THINK about it.  *sigh*  Men...Valentine's Day...blech...I'm off to have my Ferrero Rocher chocolate and make myself a moderately labor intensive dinner.  And then maybe having a nightcap with The Captain...we'll see.  G'night!

Top O' the Mornin' to Ya...

Well, I went in to work today for our employee crop this afternoon/evening, and man did I get a lot done!  All my St. Patrick's day cards...finito!  AND got everything picked out for Easter cards to do with Mom.  Woot!  :)  My commitment to seasonal cards this year is going pretty well.  And after Easter, holidays slow down again for a while...nothing till 4th of July...and then Halloween.  As it turns out, it's not so impossible to do if I actually take the time to sit down and DO them.  I'm thinking about doing some stationary boxes to use as gifts...birthday, anniversary, etc. cards to have year round.  Not sure yet..still mulling it over.  In other news today, I almost convinced myself to open the windows in my apartment cuz it was so nice outside.  Luckily, last time I had that bright idea (followed by a miserable three day long allergy attack), I stuck a bottle of Zyrtec on the window ledge behind the blinds...to remind myself next time that it wasn't such a fantastic idea.  So...no windows open...and also, no miserable allergy attack.  lol :)  Anyway, here's what I got done today:

Top O' the Mornin' - Stampendous Stamps, Reminisce Paper, Watercolor Pencils, American Crafts Ribbon

Front

Inside

Lucky - Stampendous Stamps, Copic Markers, Stickles, American Crafts Tulle, Reminisce Borders, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Front

Inside

And that's all for tonight :)

A Little Bit Country...

Ahhh...another product of my stamping spree earlier this week...a Hero Arts Cling set that I've been ogling for weeks.  Who doesn't need a cute cowgirl stamp, just for fun?  ESPECIALLY if it says howdy!  :)  This is near and dear to my heart for no particular reason...just a happy little card without any specific purpose...just to brighten someone's day.  Here's the results:

Front

Inside

The inside is a tiny bit disjointed from the front, but I still like it.  I used:  Hero Cling set, BoBunny paper, watercolor pencils, and a Hero clear set.  That's all for tonight...not a bad evening of crafting :)

An Exercise in Simplicity...

Possibly the hardest thing for me to do when making cards or scrapbook pages or anything is to leave any significant amount of empty space...particularly if it's WHITE empty space.  It nags at me...it begs for ribbon or bling or buttons...anything to fill it up with more pretty.  At the same time, some of the favorite cards I've seen from other people are the most simple ones.  Not too fussy...to the point...but still cute.  So, tonight, I decided I'd work on being a little less fussy...here's the result:

Front

Inside

I used Penny Black stamps, American Crafts Ribbon, and Watercolor Pencils.  I sort of love it...a lot.  Maybe I'll work on being less fussy more often.  Or maybe not :)

Life is a Circus...

Well, I went stamp-crazy this past week, and bought several that I probably shouldn't have.  So, obviously, I needed to use them right away to prove to myself just how much I needed them, and how perfect they were for cards that I simply must make and send.  :)  I'm good at rationalizing, dammit!  So, first up...Graphic 45.  I consider myself pretty self-controlled to have only bought one set of these...there were many others with fairies and Beatrix Potter-y bunnies and dress forms and keys and all sorts of vintage-y things that I adore.  So, as far as I'm concerned...walking away with only one set was a win :)  Here are the results...

Front:

Inside

I love the elephant :)  He's adorable.  I used, cardstock, Graphic 45 stamps and paper, Corner Chomper (stub/deco), and watercolor pencils. 

A Slight Revision...

Before I do anything else, I need to revise my must-see movie list to include the following:

51)  Dogma (1999)
52)  Good Will Hunting (1997)