Hubby's BDay - Medieval Times

It's been quite a whirlwind of activity around here this last week. As I mentioned before the family has been visiting and last night we went to a mall near BWI airport to take the GrandGirls to the Bass Pro Shop to do activities and see the fish in the big tank etc...actually that is the story we told DH.

Now you have to understand, he "HATES" going to malls, but he was a sport and came along. I thought the girls would take a lot longer to paint the birdhouses but it only took about 35-40 minutes which meant we still had another 1.5 hours to hang out before heading to our true final destination...Medieval Times! For those who have never been, it's a 2 hour dinner with show with the good vs. evil theme. All food is eaten with your hands while you watch the knights joust and do battle...but I digress.

So there we are trying to stretch the time out and DIL and I are hopping to one store while DH sits in a chair in the middle of the mall and then his boys have to go to Best Buy and then I remember I need something at Bed Bath and Beyond, etc...the whole time DH is starting to squirm and ask what time are we leaving...I told him 4 pm. At one point he looks over to me ans says that he swears he heard my Sister's voice but didn't see her...I looked around and didn't see her either (thank goodness because she and her family were meeting us at the castle along with the rest of the family for DH surprise party). Now he had been sitting staring into a shoe store for awhile and I knew he needed a new casual pair so we actually were able to do a little shopping for him as well.

FINALLY 4pm comes and we start to walk around and he sees the castle but says "what's that big stone wall thing" and me being quick on my toes says "its an arcade"...it wasn't until we were actually up at the doors and he sees people inside at tables and the horns blowing that he sees the WHOLE family lined up waiting to wish him a Happy Birthday! He was SURPRISED!!!

We went inside, I got him a drink, we mingled and talked and then we were the first group led inside and seated...all 20 of us! He really enjoyed it and we ALL had a good time. They even called out his name when they listed the celebrations that were occuring and the King wished him well on his "VERY BIG" Birthday LOL! I have posted a video snippet of the show for you below.

You may have noticed the picture at the top of this post. It is the latest file which I have just posted to the quarterly membership file No. 14. It's a cute Name Holder Place Card for those who go to crops. Even if you don't go you can always use the cute accents on any layout for that special touch. Special Thanks to Elizabeth (scramper75) for cutting it out in order to share with all of you!

Well that's about it for now...more updates later!

Eddita :)

Not a Lazy Sunday!

Today is going to be a nice day and while I normally enjoy relaxing on Sundays, I have a big project in my basement LOL! Hubby purchased me a wonderful rolling shelving system so that I can "organize" my crafting area and find what I am looking for. He said it would make my life much easier but I really think he just doesn't like looking at the mess LOL! I agree but boy oh boy it's going to be a busy day!

The problem is that it's not just my crafty stuff in the area but boxes of "stuff" that I haven't looked at in years. I actually started on it last night and ended up with 1 big ol stuffed bag of trash (tell me why I had old joanne's flyers and junk I don't need saved?!) as well as boxes of good condition items to go to Goodwill on Monday. I would love to finish all by the end of the day, but this is going to be an ongoing project. My goal would be to get everything I don't need or use gone, and eventually have a nice crafting area set up. But FIRST I have to put the hard work in (yea!!!)

I also wanted to share with you a cute card that Jan (otherwise known as jlwclanfam) created with my Awards Ribbons File, currently available only in my QMC).

I think she really did a great job! This is what she says about this cute card:

"if you look closely, the back part of the ribbon is dark blue foil, then gold, then frosted blue, then the #1 is on gold vellum!! And I made the Father's day banner from Heritage Labels from Jen Adkins"

I really love the foil paper, but then again you all know I love anything glittery and shiny looking! LOL.

Thank you very much Jan for sharing this with me so I could share with everyone else!

Finally, just a quick note to let you all know that I have uploaded a new file to my QMC called "Funky Fish in Bowl".

This file would look cute on a layout or on the front of a 5"x7" card. The recipient is sure to smile. Here's just a few ideas if you are looking for cute phrases:

Tanks for your help!

You are so finny!

Without you I'm just swimming in circles

The castle's not quite the same without you here

Just want to fish you a Happy Birthday!

argh...just stop me now!

Well time to take the pups out and get back downstairs to the mess! Hope you all have a most wonderful day!

Eddita :)

Matchbook Pocket Gift Card Holder (Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation!)

If you have trouble finding the perfect present, perhaps you have found yourself doing what I do, buying a gift card to the recipients’ favorite store instead!

Instead of just putting it in an envelope, this file is the perfect presentation for your gift!

It doesn't take too long to put together and with just a little glue and the addition of a couple of brads you will have the perfect holder.

Just in case you need a couple of helpful embellishments for the front, I have included a flower (for Mother’s Day or Any Occasion), a cute tie (for Father’s Day or any other Guy day) and a cute Graduation Cap with Tassel (for your Super Star Student, which you can match to the school colors!).

It closes simply by folding the top over and slipping into the front cover, just like a matchbook! There is a little area on the front of the pocket, as well as a little tabbed card that fits inside the pocket allowing plenty of room for you to write your own special message.

Speaking of the pocket, if you take a look at the picture you might be able to see that it is gusseted in order to fit one of those cute little square candy bars…you know the ones I mean!

Now how do you get it, well for right now it's only available in my Quarterly Membership Club as part of the 20+ files for only $ 10. I will be adding to the store later on but believe me, if you like to save money, the QMC is the way to go! Just click on the image in the top left corner of the page and sign up!

Take care!
Eddita :)

Nope, Na-Ahhh, Not at All !!!

Patience really seems a bit over-rated to me....I HATE looking at Christmas presents under the tree and not be able to open or rattle them around, I don't like that my DH refuses to play 100 questions (truthfully) after he tells me he got me something, I never can wait and always pull brownies out of the pan before they are truly ready and I will admit it here and now...I sometimes can't wait to bake the chocolate chip cookies so I just go ahead and eat the dough raw!

::::Sounds of huge Gasps can now be heard in the background!:::::

So you may ask, what started all of this? Simple....I caved....I gave in....I did it....I uploaded a file to my Quarterly Membership Club which doesn't officially start for 3 more days!

Of course it doesn't help that I have no strength or fortitude and give in very easily to peer pressure (and can I tell you....the gals who have already signed up are pretty good at needling and breaking my resolve to wait!)

As they all expounded the virtues of NOT being patient, I thought about a lot of different images that convey the word and actually had one sketched, but somehow didn't think it was too appropriate...plus I couldn't imagine how anyone would use the file...Picture this, a man crawling through a desert while a vulture watches from a cactus, I mean it really doesn't say "Happy Birthday"...unless maybe its for an "over the hill" card??? Hmmmm....may have to rethink that one bahahahaha!

In any case, as I was staring at G-Pup it came to me! Cats are some of the most patient creatures I have seen. Dogs not so much....well mine at least. They see something they want and they start immediately jumping around and barking....Guinness...he will wait...and watch...and wait....for a lllloooonnnngggg time before pouncing!

So there you are...if you have joined the membership get on over to the forum and download the file....if you haven't joined, what are you waiting for? Just go to the pic in the top left column and click on it....it will take you right to the store.

You know...as I'm finishing this up I just realized....since this REALLY isn't the first file for the membership and merely a "PLUS" one, I AM Patient....oh yea...I am!

Night everyone

Eddita :)

Tornado Siren, Sneak Peek and New Quick & Dirty

This is going to be a long read, so make sure you're comfy and relaxed and enjoy :)

Every time we go to Sam's club they always have fresh great looking bags of mussells. My daughter commented how delicious they are and how she learned to make them in culinary and I told her I had never had them. I know my Mom loves them so we decided we would visit her and take along the makings. I thought about buying them in advance, but I wanted fresh......

So, after my daughter finished making her fondant (for the new cake she has been commissioned) we headed out to Sam's...guess what...No Mussells!

I said that's ok...we can drive down the hightway and get off at one of the exits where I know there is a big grocery store which is perfect because we also need crusty bread....well guess what....they were working on renovations and there was NO Seafood Dept which means NO MUSSELLS!!!

See my frantic little guy in my QMC ad? That's how I am feeling. Then I remember there is another big grocery store in a shopping center behind where we were and this time NO Grocery Store! Well there was one but ALL Indian food ALL the time....We were getting ready to get back on the highway when my daughter spied a Safeway and so we got in there and Finally....Mussells....she asked the doof (I mean young guy behind the counter) when they came in and he (the doof) told us that morning...it was hard to tell but we said we would take 2 bags. We finally got out of there and headed to my mom's. Got there...Amber started cleaning them only to find almost 1/2 were dead or had broken shells so were unusable....argh! Did I say doof??? I meant liar liar pants on fire!

Well, when all was said and done , she prepared what was left perfectly. I really enjoyed them and now wonder why I never have picked them when we go eat seafood...note to self...mussells are yummy! In any case, we enjoyed the wonderful food and helped organize a little around the house and then after visiting came home. With me I brought 2 boxes of family photos...I'm going to have to go through them (along with the others I have) and then DH is going to set up a table and I'm going to start scanning....but that will be for another day!

This is where the Tornado Siren comes in....

::::and now a word from our sponsors:::::

Just click on the membership club image on the top left column or on this link and it will take you right where you can purchase over 20 files for a mere $ 10 that is TEN dollars! That's right...you read right...all file types all the time...AI, .GSD, .WPC, .KNK and .SVG! Don't miss out or Delay!

:::::we now return you to your regularly posted blog::::::

So the ride home is pretty uneventful...I'm traveling about 65 and the roads and not backed up. I call my hubby and tell him we are on our way. He warns us to be careful because things have been dicey at home. Now understand, where we live it's pretty safe from harm as we have some small mountains surrounding us that keep most of the bad things away...it's not like we live in the Midwest where areas can be flat and susceptible.

I hang up and tell my daughter what he said and commented that it was odd as we were still about 30 minutes out and while overcast skies, I could see hints of blue in the sky and no rain....well, that should teach me to open my mouth...no sooner had the words left my lips that all of a sudden the skies started to go from overcast to medium gray, to dark gray, to almost black gray (reminded me of the various colormate paper hues!) and the winds started buffeting and the rain starts to pour! There is nothing I hate more than to drive in the dark IN the rain but there I was. When I say rain it's not a "Singing in the Rain" kind of rain...we are talking sheets. My daughter and I sat straight up, I turned on my flashers, downshifted and hit my brakes a couple of times so that the guy behind us would back off. We're cruising at a steady 10-15 mph and passing tons of cars that had pulled off on the shoulder. We were in it for 15-20 minutes when it finally let up. That's about the time I remembered to start breathing again. A little while later we pull in the driveway and are greated with hugs. I told hubby how worried I had been and he told me that had been the whole day here...and not only that, that the Tornado Sirens had been going off.

I said the what? and he reitereated the Tornado Sirens. I told him I didn't know we had any and he said that neither had he! They went on for a good 10 minutes and they were loud enough that he said you would think they were going on in the house! The dogs were freaked out, he was checking the weather and saw the boxes appear on the map. He tried to round them up to go to the basement and couldn't find the G-Pup who had bailed and was hiding somewhere. Then all of a sudden he said, the sirens stopped. Phew disaster averted though I keep hearing fire truck and ambulance sirens all around right now.

I guess if I had a choice I would much rather hear "sorry lady...no mussells" than Tornado Sirens!

OK....now for the Sneak Peak....

the other day Sue (aka baracudasue) sent a request on the forum for playground equipment. I just had to write her and give her not just a hint but a little more of one of the files that will be included in my QMC starting in May titled "Playground Fun".

She sent me not only a pic of the file she cut out but also shared her layout with me....are you ready???

I'm sure she will post her layout to the forum where you can get a better look, but I think she did a wonderful job! I love how she made the swings look like they were moving in mid air, and while it may be hard to see, she put glitter on the slide which made it sparkle in that way that tells you that you are about to burn the skin right off your legs LOL! Thank you Sue!!!

Now where I am...oh yea, that's right a New Quick and Dirty!

Not sure if you noticed, but in the left column you will see a picture of a file with the word "Love". If you click on the image it will take you to my latest YouTube video. It's a quick way to add shadows to your vinyl wall lettering. It's been such a long time since I created one that it took me a lot of trials and errors before getting it right. For those who like to have a file with a tutorial, right below is the sample I used for the video in all of the formats...maybe some of you will be able to use it....simple enough to enlarge, just make sure you do it all at the same time! Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Ok...it's almost 9pm, my fingers are about to fall off, I'm making big yawny noises and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin.

Until next time!

Eddita :)

Do you know how hard it was to not say anything??

Now however it's official and actually up in the store! Just click on the membership club image on the top left column or on this link and it will take you right where you need to go to purchase!

So now you can understand why it's been awhile since I actually uploaded a file to the store LOL! It really takes a lot of time to create 20 PLUS files but in the end I hope you are going to enjoy them and be able to use them.

Now I understand that not every file will be for everyone, but really, at less than 50 cents a file I'm sure you will be happy in the end LOL!

All my files will include ALL the cutting formats: .GSD, .AI, .KNK, .WPC and .SVG and there is also going to be a little bit of everything including cutting files, 3D objects, cards, vinyl and a sprinkling of digi stamp.

Now for a completely random thought...I really dislike when Easter is in the beginning of the month....I guess it's because I look forward to holidays and when too early it just throws me off. It makes the month seem really long. That's it...just my random thought LOL!

Looks like there may be a slim chance of sunshine before the rain sets in. Not sure what our plans are but I'm not really feeling yardwork! I really should dig and clean out the garden bed (and mind you it's NOT that hard to do I'm just being really lazy!) I think maybe its the odd temps that have been going on and knowing that rain's coming in soon doesn't make me want to just run outside...well that and the fact that my allergies have been killing me!

I've watched a few netflix movies lately but NONE that I could say "wow that was good let me recommend to you". Truth is that lately it seems that everything I watch that I think has potential basically just fizzles. I checked one out called "I Hate Valentines Day" because it was done by the gal who did "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and it starred her (Nia Vardalos) and brought back someone I enjoy watching (John Corbett). She also wrote and directed it....It was DREADFUL!!! Normally I can come up with something nice to say, but in this instance, all I can think is there went 98 minutes I will never get back. From the writing, acting and directing...just horrible. Ok....here is something nice...the concept was cute, there you go...that's all there is LOL!

When my firends and I talk movies and it comes to really bad ones they think I'm crazy to watch the whole thing through, as does my DH though he says he stays because he enjoys having me curled up with him on the couch. It comes down to this, if someone has taken the time to write something and actually gotten someone to buy into it and put money in it and then create the screenplay, hire the actors, film it etc and I pick it out, then I should watch it all the way through...good or bad. I feel the same way with books...I keep plodding through no matter how long it takes...I guess it's the small part in me that is rooting them on and hoping it's going to get better....sometimes it does but that is very rare these days LOL!

Also, it seems there is nothing new out there! I just saw a commercial the other day for a movie called "Death at a Funeral". Now unless you are one that enjoys foreign films you would read the synapsis and think...sounds funny. The truth is though this is a remake of a 2007 UK film by the same title, they just used American actors...why?!!! The original is funny! The preview for this newest bit of Hollywood, not so much.

This is the same for a number of other movies I really enjoyed that were butchered when remade here (because again Hollywood doesn't have any original ideas)

The first is "Shall We Dance". This is a very cute Japanese Film (with subtitles) from 1995. There was so much emotion and humor in this, it really made you fall in love with the characters and get a glimpse of life and the yearn for happiness. The remake years later with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere was horrible and flat.

Another I can think of is a wonderful German Film (again with subtitles) from 2001 called Mostly Martha or Bella Martha. This is a fantastic film and you FEEL how much this woman lives for cooking and are swept up in it as she becomes the ward of her neice and enjoy watching her life turn upside down. This is the original movie that the movie No Reservations with Catherine-Zeta-Jones was based on...again sub-par.

OK, that's my rant for the day...holidays that start early in the month (though that was really more just a random thought) and how bad a particular movie was and while I didn't think I had any movies to suggest to you, I found that in fact I have 3 very good ones!

Ok everyone, have a wonderful day!
Eddita