OK, I've taken this from CraftyJack's blog (who saw it on Marcia's Blog CiaB's Crafty Times). Let's see how I'm doing! :) Feel free to copy and post and link back here! All those things I've done in my life are BOLD. 48 down! Although I must admit there are a few I never hope to try.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (if school band counts)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (does it count if your dad picks you up and you knew he would the only one driving that way?)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (I have to include this one even though it was a pencil sketch)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie independent movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (recommend not trying this one - blah!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (does nose count?)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Reduce, reuse, recycle

This Christmas I used gift tags from a Costco set. They were quite nice and it seemed a shame to throw them away after one use. So, in the spirit of being "green", I decided to reuse some of the tags & their components for next year's Christmas cards.





I have a shoebox filled with recovered items including ribbons, cord, images (like the snowman and tree images in these examples). I should be able to make most of my cards for the coming Christmas using these materials.

Placing text in a circle

I've tried to figure this out for years (OK, maybe months) but I've finally found out how to journal in a circle! Most amazing of all is this can be done in Word!

1. Open a blank document in Microsoft Word.

2. On the drop-down menu at the top left of the screen, select View - Toolbars - WordArt. The WordArt toolbar will now appear on your screen.

3. Click on Insert WordArt (the first button on the left - the big A). A box will come up asking you to select a WordArt style. Pick the third option which shows WordArt in a simple arch. Click OK.

4. Now you should have a box that contains an area for you to type in your text as well as a spot to select a font and a font size.

4a. Pick the font you like, I used CK Script.

4b. Don't worry about font because it will be adjusted automatically so that your words form a perfect circle.

4c. Type in your text and click OK.

5. The text box on your screen will now show your words in an arch shape. From now on I will call this your WordArt. Now we're going to change the arch shape to a circle. Click on your WordArt to select it. You should see little black boxes appear at the corners of it, indicating that it is selected.

6. Select WordArt Shape (the middle of the WordArt toolbar, immediately to the right of the paintcan icon). You will see a selection of different shapes. Select the circle in the second row.

7. Your text should now appear in a circle, but the circle will be flattened. Next we will make the circle perfectly round.

8. Make sure your WordArt is still selected, with the little black boxes on the corners of it. Select Format WordArt (the paint can button). This dialog box has several tabs. Select the Size tab. Enter the height for your circle, e.g., 3" whatever size you want it to be. Enter the same number for the width for your circle, so it will be perfectly round. The size of the font will adjust automatically to fit.

If your phrase is short, you might want to repeat it a couple of times like I did in my example above. Click on Edit Text button on the WordArt toolbar to change your text.

I wanted my phrase to fit inside a scalloped circle that I already had. To do this I printed my circle onto a plain piece of paper then attached my scallop over top using removable tape. I put the paper back into my printer and printed again.

Ornament Drop

I received the following from Creating Keepsakes:

'Tis the season to be jolly, and nothing says "jolly" quite like the act of giving a handmade gift. As scrapbookers, this approach to gift-giving comes with the territory. It's what we do. But we usually do it for the ones we know and love. How's this for a twist? Let's give our handmade goodies to complete strangers. That's what the Creating Keepsakes Ornament Drop is all about. It's a glistening idea that takes a holiday approach to random acts of kindness.

Here's how it works: Make an ornament (it can be out of paper, but it certainly doesn't have to be), pair it with this tag, and leave it in a public place for some lucky person to find. While you're at it, take a picture of your gift in waiting and post it on our Ornament Drop website http://ckornamentdrop.ning.com/ for others to see. With drops being made as far away as Australia (so far), this is one ornamental idea that's taking the world by storm. Won't you help us bring the creative fun to your town? Together we can spread the holiday joy, one ornament at a time!

I'm going to drop an ornament or two today while I run errands! How fun!!!

Make-it-yourself Prima-type Flowers

I had the opportunity to try the ideas from Valita's blog to make some prima-type flowers. I played around for awhile and ended up with the following flower. I think it worked out pretty well!


Supplies:

Cuttlebug
Embossing tool
Embossing pad
Handmade cardstock
Cuttlebug cutting dies - Flowers and/or Asterisks*
*(you could also use flower punches)


Directions:

1. Cut out your flower shape on the Cuttlebug. Use the standard sandwich of A+B+die+paper+B.




2. Score lines down the center of each petal section then fold up in order to give a good crease.



3. Lay your flower on an embossing pad or piece of foam. Move the embossing tool (larger ball end) in a circular motion all around the edges of the petals. You will see the petal edges start to curl inwards.



4. When you are happy with the amount of curling, turn the flower over and press firmly in the center to make the flower “pop up”.

Variations:


If using a thicker cardstock like Bazzil, crumple the paper well, then smooth flat, prior to cutting out your shape (see picture to right).

If using a thicker cardstock you can also try peeling the paper apart into two layers.


Thanks to Valita of “Valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com” for the initial idea. Check out her website for tonnes of great ideas!

Making your own Prima-type Flowers

I was cruising the internet (hiding from the kids) and came across this great idea for making your own prima-type flowers. http://valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com/2008/02/make-your-own-prima-flowers.html So cool and it seems so easy. I'm going to go try it out as soon as I can!

I'm in love with Core'dinations cardstock

I have spent some time using the Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock with my Cuttlebug and I am sooooo thrilled with the results. After embossing the image on the cardstock, I use my sanding block and voila! I love how the interior of the paper is a lighter shade which really highlights the embossed image.

This first card isn't quite finished - I have to decide on a sentiment. But I love how the image coordinates with the prima flower. I used a paper scrap to create the "ribbon" behind the image.



These are among my favorite Christmas cards. Very simple design but still impactful. I used the Cuttlebug Winter Houses folder for the main image. The "HoHoHo" text was embossed (on the Cuttlebug) using a metal tag. I used the Holly folder to create the accent (after embossing the holly, I cut out a single cluster and gently sanded) and a few spare beads stolen from the kids' stash.