Put a Little "Spring" in your Step!

February 26, 2009 in Crafts, Creativity, Quilting, Well-Being

At this time of year, those intermittent sunny days are a welcome reminder that spring has to come eventually. On days when the sun doesn't shine, here are some ways to put a little "Spring" into your step.

1. Wear some flashy jewelry. The other day I wore chandelier earrings to work—even though my ears drooped, my spirits lifted.

2. Make cupcakes and share with co-workers. Before last week, the last time I made cupcakes my son was in grade school. Besides having goodies to share at the office, I had a fun trip down memory lane.

3. Buy yourself flowers. Mandie brought in a beautiful bouquet of Gerbera daisies and tulips for our monthly luncheon today. I vowed to buy myself some flowers on the way home. 

4. Visit a greenhouse or conservatory. We have a beautiful free conservatory at one of our parks here in Spokane. What a great way to get your fill of blooming greenery and oxygen-rich air.

5. Rearrange accessories in your house. I love to move vases, pictures, pillows, and other accessories around. I've had my post-Christmas décor for six weeks now—time for a change!

6. Make a dangler to hang outdoors. This fast little project gives me the chance to combine beading, painting, and some scrapbooking on a project that I can complete in an hour or two. I love to make danglers for friends in their favorite colors and themes.

7. Watch a lively and warm movie! A couple of fun ones are Under the Tuscan Sun or Mama Mia with all its great music and sunny Greek scenery. This is definitely not the time to watch Dr. Zhivago!

8. Feed the birds. You may not get immediate payoff, but in a few days, when the birds are enjoying your generosity, you'll get a great dose of chirping!

9. Work on a spring quilt. Combining all those pretty colors and spending time sewing is a sure-fire way to lift the spirits.

10. On the warmest part of Saturday, get outside and go for a walk. Invite a friend to join you and discuss all your ideas for sunny vacations. Send me ways that you put a little "spring" in your step and I'll pass them along.

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Buttons, Bows & Boobs!

February 23, 2009 in Crafts, Creativity, Quilting, Well-Being

Look what we discovered - Members of Quilters of South Carolina have created one-of-a-kind bras for Breast Cancer Awareness. The exhibit consists of 49 original works of art which are unique, entertaining, humorous, and beautiful to make the public aware of breast cancer, to memorialize those lost to the disease, and to honor survivors those lost to the disease, and to honor . What an impressive and light-hearted way to bring attention to raising awareness! Click on this link to see all the bras.

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Meet Monica - Crusader!

February 20, 2009 in Friendship, Staff

Monica is as close as we have to a newbie with two years in residence as a Graphic Designer. She is responsible for our book design and works on making every page of our quilt books pretty to look at and easy to understand. Other areas that she excels at are fabric layouts and product designing. She's such a great part of the team because she is so focused and dedicated to the task at hand, and most importantly she has a great laugh! Monica admires her co workers talents and really enjoys homemade treats - especially Jackie's Fudgy Upside-Down Cake!

 Monica's passion has become a Non-profit organization that she formed with a group of dear friends to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. She was inspired by her own Mother's battle with breast cancer who by the way (after treatment) is now a Survivor of the disease. Her and her comrades have designed a variety of cool t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and more as a method to raise funds.  She spends many evenings and weekends at local events showcasing their wares and raising awareness. You can view or purchase these on their website www.huglovesave.com

When she is not out saving the world from disease, she is spending time with hubby Chris. When she came to work at Mumm's she was newlywed and they are still very enamored of each other - Isn't that sweet! They are deep into some serious home renovations. We all know that if they are still having fun during a remodel - it must be love! Monica is also a very adoring auntie of her big sis's little ones Jacob and London (which is pretty obvious by these photos). Her family lives on the other side of the state and misses them like crazy between visits.

To wind down in the evenings, she is kept company by her somewhat flawed, but still loved kitty, Lexi and her handful of a pup, Ozzy (part beagle and basset hound) while she tunes into the latest "Mc-Drama" on Grey's Anatomy. She’s “old school” when it comes to her all time favorite movies, E.T. and Footloose. Bunko Night (which she organized, naturally) is her excuse for a fun evening of uproarious hilarity with the girls.

Even though she loves camping, when she wins the lottery, she will return to Jamaica where her and hubby honeymooned (or anyplace where it's warm!) hire a team of carpenters to magically finish up her home remodel or even better buy a dreamhome on the lake. If I know Monica, she'll also make an enormous contribution to finding a cure for Breast Cancer!

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Too Cute!

February 16, 2009 in Crafts, Creativity, Scrapbooking

Dang, this is clever! Use a blank DVD case, decorate it with Scrapbook papers and enclose a Movie Rental Gift Card. What a great way to turn a simple gift idea into a work of art. Papers and embellishments from Baa Baa Nursery Kit.

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Block of the Month Gallery

February 12, 2009 in Quilting

I really appreciate the chance to see your Block of the Month Quilts! Even though we’re all using the same pattern, it's the fabrics you put together that create a unique and custom look. Bonnie used a fun Paisley as her inspiration fabric to build her color story and Diana from Italy (who also showed us her pretty face) made good use of her stash of Mumm fabrics. But the prize goes to Vickie (of Australia) for not only finishing her piecing, but getting it all quilted too. She made me just a little jealous of her summer time weather by hanging her quilt out on the line. Thanks to Carla & Leona for sharing too.

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The One-Armed Scrapper

February 8, 2009 in Crafts, Creativity, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, Scrapbooking, Staff

Kris recently had an incident on the ice and ended up with a broken arm, but do you think that can stop her from doing her scrapbooking? Not a chance! Especially with these awesome new products at her fingertips. There are two new Nursery Kits that are packed full of a darling assortment of coordinating papers and embellishments and even includes a brag book. This is a perfect Baby Shower gift for the Mom-to-be, especially if you include a "coupon" offering to spend a couple hours helping her put together her Baby's first scrapbook. And what a great way to get Grandma involved too.

Check out these new stinkin'-cute Nursery-themed Paper Crafting kits now available at JoAnn Stores or on their website.

Choose between Baa Baa Black Sheep and This Little Piggy themes

Includes:

• *24 12''x12'' Papers
• *10 cardstock shapes & 11 chipboard punch-outs
• *2 chipboard frames, 36 chipboard buttons, 2 vellum sheets & 8 border strips
• *3 sticker sheets & 5 ribbon strips
• *1 memory brag book

Also NEW: 12” x 12” Nursery Rhyme Paper Stack which contains 48 sheets of glittered paper.

The good news is that all these new products coordinate perfectly with the existing Debbie  Mumm® nursery paper crafting products available at Jo-Ann Stores.

Any of the scrapbook products can be used to make these "sweet as pie" nursery accessories and 1-2-3 frame, baby shower party invitations and decorations, baby announcements, congratulations cards, and so much more!

Go ahead - Make something Adorable!

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Hollywood Week on A.I.

February 5, 2009 in Television

Now that American Idol is back I’ve noticed my winter blues are starting to subside. Over here in Spokane, we have been following intently because one of the stars of the audition shows is a local girl. Quirky, but cute Rose Flack lives in Rathdrum, ID about 30 miles from Spokane. Even Simon was taken by her and uncharacteristically said “There’s something about you that I absolutely love.” After watching the “Group” show (what drama!) last night though, it seemed her chances were doomed by being grouped with “Bikini Girl.” Now she’s a piece of work. It’s not hard to imagine that anyone would crack under those conditions and Rose certainly suffered and was ultimately cut. Well, it was fun while it lasted. 

One of the stand-outs for me is Danny Gokey (whose young wife recently passed away) because he is SO good, is cute (like a younger Robert Downey, Jr!), sweet and sincere, has overcome personal tragedy and his best friend Jamar is at his side. Jamar is great too. The pretty boy rocker with straight black hair certainly caught my attention too. Everyone at the office is excited to watch it all play out. Are you watching?? Any favorites?

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Sweet & Pink Popcorn Crunch Recipe

February 1, 2009 in Food and Drink, Recipes

• 24 cups popped popcorn (unsalted, no butter)
• 3 cups white chocolate wafers, melted
• 2/3 cup finely crushed candy cane (use up your leftovers from the Christmas holiday)

1. Pop 24 cups of popcorn (1/2 cup of unpopped popcorn yields approximately 10 cups of popped popcorn.)
2. Put candy canes into a food processor and finely crush. Or put candy canes into a zip lock bag and crush with a meat tenderizer or small hammer.
3. Melt dipping wafers following the package instructions.
4. Put popcorn into a large  bowl.
5. Add melted dipping wafers to popcorn and stir to coat.
6. Add crushed candy canes and gently mix.
7. Spread popcorn mixture onto wax-paper lined cookie sheets.
8. Place cookie sheets in frig for approximately 30 minutes or until coating hardens. Remove from frig/freezer and break into medium-sized pieces.
9. Store in airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

Make 24 cups of popcorn.

Valentine e-cards!
We have two new "lovely" Valentine's e-cards. No time to mail cards to everyone you're feeling fondness for? This is a super easy way to spread the love!

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