Mother's Little Helper

We Have a Winner!

... Comment #101, come on down!  You're the winner of my Blog Make-over Bon Bons! 

What?  You didn't leave your comment, let it post, then count out the number of comments to see what number you were?  You expect me to do that for you? 

Oh, alright.  I do everything around here, anyway, I might as well do that, too... (You don't think I've ever actually uttered that phrase before, do you?  hee)

Comment #101 came from... Monika!  Monika said:

Hi Carole,

It's like a blog spring clean on here. I like the colours too.

I also want to say that i admire you for doing your detox and sticking with it. When we show ourselves we can do something that isn't easy, then you can imagine how much more is possible.

And.... The blog candy - it's so cool and lovely that you are sharing some sets you haven't got to use, wow! You are doing things i need to do too. My Bi'day is July 1st, so i am going to start looking through my stuff and get generous too. Thank you for your positive inspiration.

Monika

Congratulations, Monika!  I'll be in touch!

Blog Bon-Bon Lookie-Loo and Master Cleanse Day 4

Okay, I've gathered up some goodies for the Blog Bon-Bon giveaway I'm having in honor of my swell new blog 'do.  I have to say, it almost pains me to do it -- these are some great, unused stamp sets that I acquired with every intention of getting inky.  Of course, more have come in the door since and more continue to do so, and because I've only got two hands and so much time to stamp... I need to find these lovely images a new home where they will fulfill their destiny and be played with. 

Could yours be the one?  There's only one way to find out: you have to leave a comment on this post by noon CST on Wednesday.  Later that afternoon, I'll randomly select a winner.  (EDITED TO ADD EMPHASIS!  You have to go to THIS POST (<-- click the link) to enter -- don't leave a comment on the current post because it will not be considered an entry for the blog candy!)

Ready to see the prize package?  I tallied it up, and it does indeed retail for more than $100!

Included is:

• Flourishes' Cake Decorating 101 (which I can't find on their site -- maybe it's retired? I'm going to estimate its value at around $20 since it's a large set with a lot of images)
• Stamps Camp's Children Are... (unmounted, uncut red rubber -- this really is a gorgeous set.  I bought two by accident.  I was enabled to buy this set from Becca Feeken's awesome Dirty Dozen gallery project a couple of months ago; I'm still planning to make a couple of similar baby gifts with this set CASEing her.  Hopefully before those babies are teenagers. Retail price: $15)
• Hanna Stamps' Route 66 (I'm already wanting to recall this, but I don't want to take another picture.  Claremore -- the town I live on -- is on Route 66, you see, and maybe one day... Retail price: $15.50)
• Verve's Cupcake Affair (I think this is such an elegant set, but I've already got a bunch of cupcake sets, and I'm trying to be generous to my readers. Retail price: $12)
• CHF's Shady Tree Studio's Closed Tulip ($6.49) and Iris Bloom ($6.49) (these are gorgeous, but I'm flower challenged, and I know you'll be able to do more with them than I am.)
• Gina K. Design's Kindred Spirits: Slumber Party ($6.95) and Little Guy at Play ($5.95) (so sweet, so precious!  Love that little guy with the blocks, but I'm certain my little guy will have his driver's license by the time I would get around to using it.)
• Studio Calico's Limited Edition Bundle Up set (can't find it on their site -- maybe it's retired, too?  Fun & funky -- great sentiment... rethinking, rethinking... nope.  Not taking another picture. Estimated retail value: $5.50)

and last but not least, I can't have a blog giveaway without giving my ALL-TIME FAVORITE SET IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD...

• MFT Presents Cuddle Up Carter!  (If you don't know why this is my favorite set, read this blog post.  Retail value: $9.00)

So, what do you think?  Not too shabby, huh?!  Then make sure you've entered!  Once and only once, though, please. :)

Master Cleanse Day Four:
I'm on Day Four now.  It's only noon, but so far, not bad.  I've not been hungry at all, but I would like to have something in my mouth to chew, and to taste something other than spicy lemon drink.  Truman had a Bueno Chilada Platter from Taco Bueno last night and ate only half of it.  As I was cleaning up the den (he ate at the bar area, watching TV), it was all I could do not to scarf up his leftovers.  But I quickly threw it in the trash to avoid the temptation.

If you go on a cleanse like this, you will be amazed at how much of your day is spent thinking about food and/or drink, and either eating or getting ready to eat.  I mean, it really leaves you with unexpected time on your hands.  Which could be a good thing if I was in the mood to be super productive, but ... eh.  So, instead, we did something yesterday we hardly ever do: Truman, Sean and I went to the movies and saw Star Trek.  It was awesome!  Loved every minute of it.  And if I had to choose between Spock and Kirk?  Well, what can I say?  I really like a guy with a great big... brain, so it'd have to be Spock. :)

Supposedly Days 2, 3, and 7 are the hardest on the Cleanse.  Therefore, I'm due for a few good days. Get this: Sean is trying to talk me into doing the Cleanse for the duration of the time he's on it (which would make my cleanse a total of 12 days).  I told him that whatever it is he's smoking?  Is not legal on the Cleanse or in our country.  But maybe I'll change my mind.  It would be easier to break the fast for both of us if we were to do it at the same time.  (It takes a total of 2.5 days after the cleanse to break the fast properly.)  I'll let you know in a few days what I decide.

I can't believe I haven't eaten solid food since Wednesday night... C-R-A-Z-Y!

I'll see you tomorrow for another JiFFy Girls Challenge and thoughts on Day 5!

Friends, Romans, Stampers: Lend Me Your Eyes...

... for I have some wondrous things to share with you.

And, in no particular order, here they are:

1.  Holey Moley -- It's Monday, Cat People! So be sure to head on over to The Grand Imperial Poobah of Cool (Alma)'s blog and view the Holey Moley Monday slideshow featuring last week's submissions for TCP Tuesday.  And tomorrow?  I'm your Hipster Hostess With the Mostess and I'll have an Inspiration Challenge that is sure to make you want to get inky.  Same Cat time, same Cat channel...

2.  The Verve Visual Product Parade begins today!  Woo-hoo!   Blurf the Verve Blog each day between now and the end o' the month to see how the Verve Design Divas have interpreted this month's challenge.  I know you've ordered at least one and most likely all of the latest Verve release (because judging from your judicious use of time and reading material, you clearly have fabulous taste), so why not take the challenge yourself?  Here are the deets:
Everyone who submits a challenge entry will be entered into a random drawing to win $15 in Verve Bucks.  What do you have to lose?!

3.  Last but not least, I received my free copy of the June/July issue of the Stamper's Sampler on Friday.  "Huh?" you ask?  "Why did she get a free copy?!"  Well, let me tell you:  several months ago, I submitted a couple of cards for their Tempting Turquoise challenge and BOTH of them were selected for publication!  My first!  So to celebrate, I thought I'd offer a terrific Blog Bon Bon.  How would you like to win one of the brand new Going Places sets by My Favorite Things?  You know, the spectacular travel themed maxi (as opposed to mini) set used to make these fabulous cards. 

What's the catch?  Just tell me where in the whole wide world you'd love to visit but have not yet been.  I have several, but right now, I'm really interested in seeing Amsterdam and all of Holland.  Love tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, Delft, Vermeer, and well, Amsterdam sounds fascinating. (Yeah, and clearly I  was easily influenced by 'Where In the World Is Matt Lauer' last month.)  So leave me a comment on this post by midnight Thursday (CST) and I'll announce the lucky winner on Friday! 

Blog Bon-Bons!

For the last couple of minutes I've been trying to come up with a unique-and-catchy name for blog candy that resonates with "Mother's Little Helper."  As everyone knows, we stay-at-home-moms just sit around all day, eating bon-bons and watching our stories... thus, I give you Blog Bon-Bons!

Feast your eyes upon this tasty treat -- it's a little something I made with My Favorite Things new Happy Occasions set:
It's a desk-top calendar, designed with the card-maker in mind.  See, on the side that faces you, you'll have the calendar, and on the opposite side, there's a panel to write down the names and dates for the birthday boys and girls you want to send cards to that month.  I originally intended to make this with my Bind-It-All (which I have yet to use), but by the time I got all of the calendar pages made with their necessary ribbon and dimensionals, it was too thick for binding.  Instead, I punched holes through everything with the Crop-a-Dile and hooked it all onto jump rings.  I made one for me, one for Boss Lady Kim (some of my MFTDT colleagues have harshly accused me of being a suck-up, a term to which I take great offense.  I prefer to be called 'Teacher's Pet'...), and one for a lucky, lucky blog reader!  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment to this post sharing one of your stamping/creative resolutions for 2008.  On Saturday, I'll use a random number generator to select a number and announce the winning comment.

When I posted photos of the calendar at last night’s MFT New Release Cocktail party, several people inquired as to where I got the actual calendar paper.  There are several places on the web that you can download calendars for free, however this particular calendar is offered by A Muse for a donation of $3.00, with 100% of the proceeds going to scleroderma research.   

Here are the rest of the calendar images:

 
All of the images are from the Happy Occasions set, with the exception of August and September (the bikini is from MFT's Hit the Beach, and the books and apple are from Back To School).  The frame on the 'glory page' is from Setting the stage.  I think Happy Occasions is such a versatile set, and here's something I learned only AFTER I cut out thirty-six scalloped frames by hand: the frame was created to coordinate with the Marvy Uchida Mega Scallop Square punch.  Which I have.  D'oh!

In addition to this lovely little doo-hickey, today's Blog Bon-Bons will include some cute Valentine themed ribbon and, of course, an exclusive, highly collectible, much sought after “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” magnet!  Can’t wait to hear about some of your creative goals for the year!

And one more thing: don't forget the Paper Pretties Search for Snowflake is still going on!  Christie and the Prettie Girls (no relation to Josie and the Pussycats) are giving away great stuff daily, and the 25% off sale continues at the Paper Pretties Boutique (coupon code is nwss25).  Today's clues can be found on Charmaine's and Jana's blogs.  And you still have a chance to win the grand prize by answering all of this weeks clues (M-W clues can be found on Julie's, Joanne's, and Jillian's blogs; no, I don't think they're triplets). The winner of the grand prize will be determined on Friday night during the Paper Pretties Party (7 p.m. CENTRAL time in the Pretties' Party Forum).  And the main event during the party -- the reveal, we shall call it -- is guaranteed to KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF (or make your feet itch, if you aren't wearing socks...)!!!  Be there, or kick yourself eternally for missing what is sure to be a history-making wing ding!

... And the Winner Is!

I have to tell you, I have so enjoyed reading through everyone's favorite holiday customs! And there are definitely a couple I plan to adopt. One of the most common ones I came across also reminded me of something from my youth that I guess I had forgotten. My mom used to make my sister and I new matching flannel nightgowns (my mom was at one time a terrific sewer. She made all of my dresses up until the time I was in college -- and even a couple of formals, then -- and I never recall feeling the slightest bit self-conscious about that fact. I used to love to go to the fabric store with her and look through the pattern books, then pick out the fabric I liked best. I haven't been in the best frame of mind regarding my mom lately, so remembering this as I type is so therapeutic!) that we would receive and wear on Christmas Eve. The last such Christmas occurred when I was 10 because my sister got married that next August (she is 10 years older than me). Anyway, I want to resurrect this tradition that many of you follow, to give my boys new p.j.s on Christmas Eve so they will be matching in the photos come Christmas morning. There are many other sweet and heartwarming traditions people listed, and if you have a chance, take the time to browse through them. Hopefully you'll find something to inspire you to make a new tradition for your own family!

Using a random number generator, the number 18 was selected, and counting down the list of entries, I came to this one by The Why Girl:

We have many traditions, from always playing the same CD while we decorate, to ALWAYS leaving cookies for Santa (even tho kids are teenagers now), to always trying new recipes every year. (I despise a staid Christmas menu; that's for Thanksgiving.) But my absolute favorite tradition is watching "It's a wonderful life" by myself and crying my eyes out. Every year I watch it on the couch by myself while I beg the family to come watch it with me, and they make fun of me and leave the room, and I watch and I cry and I watch and I cry.

I love "It's a Wonderful Life," don't you?!

Congratulations to The Why Girl! Email me your address to claim your goodies!

I'll be having another blog candy in a couple of weeks to celebrate my and Carter's homecoming from Michigan. Stay tuned... : )

Grateful for... Blog Candy!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Thanksgiving seems like a perfect time to share a little love with my stampin' friends. And if you're like me, once the official Christmas shopping season starts, you feel a wee bit guilty buying treats for yourself when you should be finding gifts for others. So here's a little something to express my thanks to you for coming to visit my little corner of the blogosphere. The winner will receive:

1. Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons, PhD. Could there be a better book to give away on Thanksgiving?! I had actually already bought this book when the publisher sent me one for free, so I have an extra copy to share. It's terrific, and I think the cover is really fetching, too.

2. The adorable "But I Need It..." set from Hanna Stamps -- Hanna's always in the holiday shopping spirit!

3. An Elzybell ATC I made for Taylor Vanbruggen's swap

4. A roll of Offray 5/8" zebra print ribbon (on account of the fact that we're the Claremore Zebras)

and last but not least,

5. An EXCLUSIVE, highly collectible, much-sought after "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" refrigerator magnet!

Of course, all of this goodness comes with a string attached. Leave a comment sharing one holiday tradition that you hold dear. For example, every time we decorate the family Christmas tree, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" must be playing simultaneously. I love the Muppets, and this is such a sweet, funny retelling of the classic Dickens tale. If you haven't watched it before, I highly recommend it, and it's also great because it's something the whole family can enjoy.

So, to summarize: to enter for blog candy, leave a comment to this post sharing a holiday tradition that you hold dear. I'll select the winner by random number generator at 9 p.m. CST one week from today, on Tuesday, November 29th. Good luck, and I can't wait to read about your favorite customs!

Speaking of the whole family, I loved this image from Gina K. Designs from the moment I set eyes on it. I like collecting images and tchotchkes of families of four, like mine, particularly when it looks like there are two boys. So this image is particularly sweet and sentimental to me. It's from Gina K's recently released Got Snow set, which is just charming and the images remind me of Snow Village figurines. (Ugh! I dread getting out that Village! But I love it once it's all lit up... I digress.) Anyway, this one was made for today's Ways to Use It Challenge to make a card with stitching. I machine zig-zagged around the main image. I goofed up in the upper right hand corner, but I played around with the layout so that I could cover it with the sentiment panel. Shhh... don't tell!

Supplies used -- Stamps: Got Snow by Gina K. Designs; Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite Black; Paper: Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Regal Rose, patterned paper by Rusty Pickle, Georgia Pacific White; Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, ribbon, stickles, sewing machine, 3-D Dots.

Subscription problems fixed!
By the way, I FINALLY figured out what was wrong with my subscription service, and the problem has been remedied. Several people have emailed me that they've had trouble subscribing, but that should be a thing of the past (be sure to email me again if it's not, though!). So, if you're interested, enter your addy in the box to your left, and you'll get notice in your in box every time I update. Thanks for your patience!