tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-342493662024-02-19T10:49:28.043-05:00A few moments...Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-2980990680653127112010-01-23T16:34:00.008-05:002010-01-23T20:26:00.762-05:00Multi-fold cardI attempted two cards this week for Pat's Challenge over at<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.southernbreezes.typepad.com">Southern Breezes</a>. One I started Saturday night - I was so excited!!! I quickly fizzled, though. I got the card folded and it was just weird. It did lay right - and I was exhausted at about 2AM so I gave up. I promised myself I would go back and embellish it this week, but I didn't.<br /><br />Today I was determined to make another one so I found the cutest step card over at <a href="http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/dawns_stampin_studio/2009/10/step-card-video-.html">Dawn's Stamping Up Blog</a>. I love card designs but I always blank on what to PUT on them. I could probably make 50 cards a day and let someone else embellish them; I'd get more done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrkVIFCKVQUBgQ5degAdI2lEzjLz0i9NCeXAdp2qxb6O55iqJukcB9NSl2RerHR4lWJswFZm9LxLz6pGltZYqyPKQe6zrY2r97APx7a5lrE1z67ErSyax0NiGqrvhFZbSWrb0/s1600-h/DSC01502.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrkVIFCKVQUBgQ5degAdI2lEzjLz0i9NCeXAdp2qxb6O55iqJukcB9NSl2RerHR4lWJswFZm9LxLz6pGltZYqyPKQe6zrY2r97APx7a5lrE1z67ErSyax0NiGqrvhFZbSWrb0/s320/DSC01502.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430108837925689234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQAyPQqvTvcWU9SMXLFt-IfVzTCxr4-NQgnZYyFlYE6QYP_rSl9ph00IvPmyZyaR0dFwm8hQ82sg3FXeZfT1GZ_zPr34vCNNUkJOxUeJNjMuoJr1RLWwLHtNCAZKOrc3dsyIb/s1600-h/DSC01493.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQAyPQqvTvcWU9SMXLFt-IfVzTCxr4-NQgnZYyFlYE6QYP_rSl9ph00IvPmyZyaR0dFwm8hQ82sg3FXeZfT1GZ_zPr34vCNNUkJOxUeJNjMuoJr1RLWwLHtNCAZKOrc3dsyIb/s320/DSC01493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430108842491923170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Anyway - it is black and pink - and all from my scrap stash. Surprise, surprise on the inclusion of black. More importantly - it is done - if you consider my finished product done. Another note - my camera is taking horrible pictures - very dark or extremely over"flashed" so please know the pink is actually a really cute, warm pink for Valentine's Day.<br /><br />ColleenColleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-33553796475716716222010-01-16T13:19:00.006-05:002010-01-16T15:31:27.130-05:00A new year - literally!It has been a year since I even checked this page - but today I am here in Lake Harmony, PA at Split Rock Resort with some of my favorite scrapping friends. We are all a little run down - sinus medicine is shared freely between friends and strangers and we are all laughing. Scrapbooking is a great way to reminisce, have some time with good friends and clean out some of your stash.<br /><br />Pat Thorpe posted a challenge at her blog, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.southernbreezes.typepad.com">Southern Breezes</a>, and I was determined to do it this week. Her challenge was to do a white on white card - with one accent color. I took it a little to the extreme so it may not even count, but really I have always wanted to do this card that Gina K inspired me with many months ago. It isn't quite white on white, more white on black, but I am a huge fan of black so really, it doesn't matter.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdAt6w-C07giEK3SicGCR3-jA0VzAUdHmQds72-udIRHqheAfOLYd90Gs2HI5DEDqC2cM2aNIsVvh13idNcCvazkehH9IJln7g7jCvn0lLjr5JM2fC-uAobD4fitmE6_zqPZC/s1600-h/IMG_0319.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdAt6w-C07giEK3SicGCR3-jA0VzAUdHmQds72-udIRHqheAfOLYd90Gs2HI5DEDqC2cM2aNIsVvh13idNcCvazkehH9IJln7g7jCvn0lLjr5JM2fC-uAobD4fitmE6_zqPZC/s320/IMG_0319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427437420340638386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I embossed Close to my Heart Black White Core cardstock with a Cuttlebug "Leafy Branch" folder. Then I sanded the design and added Prima flowers I sprayed with Glimmer Mist "Iridescent Gold." I adhered the flowers with Glossy accents and added a shiny rhinestone from Hero Arts.<br /><br />Inside the sentiment reads...<br /><br />"Thanks for thinking of me" from Inka dinka Doo. I got this from my Mom as part of a Christmas gift so I wanted to use it!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-68623074096839754852009-01-19T15:28:00.002-05:002009-01-19T15:30:17.344-05:00Bella Blvd - beautiful!http://bellablvd.typepad.com/bella_blvd/2009/01/lots-to-say-and-show-today.html<br /><br />I should blog more often, but really I just enjoy spending time looking at everyone else's. Take a peek at the great new papers available from Bella Blvd!!!<br /><br />Have a crafty day!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-20877036588568741422008-10-27T21:36:00.003-04:002008-10-27T21:38:51.843-04:00I miss Edward, Jake and Bella...I finished the "Twilight" series last night and I already miss my nightly escape with my vampire friends and their werewolf neighbors. I won't say more because I don't want to ruin it for you if you are reading the series, but I will say I was happy with the way it turned out. Nice, tidy and "bow" worthy.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-39398805298877123282008-10-12T14:22:00.000-04:002008-10-12T14:22:39.620-04:00Cheeeeeewwwwwww.....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Lnq3fYHjTho3LN__1FzSq88ePDW4ykNU9IZa6PXEfRWVuCToBKf4szs3VDLgcMm5nqHEFPHiG4eB00_GEdzT71RlmS_O620RjqZ53iiGW47S30OYZeiphclBNfJ82rq_brv7/s1600-h/DSC04295.JPG"><img style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Lnq3fYHjTho3LN__1FzSq88ePDW4ykNU9IZa6PXEfRWVuCToBKf4szs3VDLgcMm5nqHEFPHiG4eB00_GEdzT71RlmS_O620RjqZ53iiGW47S30OYZeiphclBNfJ82rq_brv7/s400/DSC04295.JPG" border="0" /></a> It has been decided! Jared will go trick or treating this year as Chewbacca! Here is the preliminary picture from the Halloween store. Now we need to find brown leggings with feet to keep him warm and toasty! Maybe I will even find brown gloves...I can't wait!!<div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-72931929393690637302008-07-18T15:15:00.002-04:002008-07-18T15:19:42.495-04:00I confess...I am a hoarder. It is not something I am <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">proud</span> of, but it is something I own. I can't bear to part with cards I received on my tenth birthday from my Nana or the necklace I got from my Aunt when I turned 16. Today it became clear how bad it is, though.<br /><br />I just shredded a bunch of paperwork and not the kind of personal paperwork people SHOULD save. I shredded about 25 expired coupons I had saved "just in case" I needed extra diapers, baby food, or a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">onesie</span>. COME ON! get over it. I am sure I bought those things in the past 9 months - but I did not use the coupons! WHY (oh why!!!) do I save them? It is a compulsion to save and use.<br /><br />I am off to toss. I NEED to clean some things out of here <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">TODAY</span>.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-54130657865057056962008-07-12T06:54:00.002-04:002008-07-18T15:15:38.894-04:00I have issues (aka My New Friend, The Bissell Steam Mop)There are few things I hate more than mopping the tile floor in my house. It is not the sense of clean I get when it is done but the fact that I have to drag the bucket of water throughout the kitchen and foyer. Now that I have a 9 month old crawling around (and under) me even the things I enjoy have become more difficult to accomplish. So, you can imagine how often mopping gets done in this house lately.<br /><br /><br /><br />SAVE THE DAY!!! Today my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bissell</span> Steam Mop arrived! In 5 minutes I had put Jared in his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">exersaucer</span>, inserted <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">the</span> two screws to assemble and filled that puppy with water! I had just swept the floor this morning so according to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bissell</span> I already had the go ahead to mop - so I did!<br /><br /><br /><br />Awesome. I did the entire tile floor which is basically the inside third of my home (kitchen, foyer, hall, bathroom and laundry room) in about 30 minutes! Jared played and watched and if I got too far out of view I just moved him so he could see the mop. He wasn't annoyed not seeing ME - he loved the MOP!!! I love the MOP!!!<br /><br /><br /><br />If you want to get this mop, check out <a href="http://home-solutions.hsn.com/bissell-steam-mop-hard-floor-cleaner_p-4109586_xp.aspx?web_id=4109586&ocm=sekw"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">HSN</span></a> and you can see it in action!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-87803329149162453922008-07-08T22:48:00.003-04:002008-07-08T22:53:09.794-04:00Sneak a peak...I like to sneak a peak at my brother's blog. I won't post the link here or you might subscribe to it and then my sneaking would be over. I go in and read it from time to time to find out all about his dirty little life. He has this insane crush on a girl (he is 35!!!) and can't seem to ask her out. From the sounds of his posts and the replies it has been going on for something over a year. He writes cryptic things about her and never says her name.<br /><br />I watch and wait for his tune to change. It is amazing he posts he innermost feelings for millions to read and yet when we chat he says nothing of this mystery woman he pines for.<br /><br />His posters call him "bohemian" - I never viewed him that way; liberal, yes. Now maybe I can start to see him in another light.<br /><br />Colleen has invaded Michael's "My" Space.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-46918221444463893292008-07-07T22:21:00.003-04:002008-07-07T22:23:27.982-04:00Liar...Liar...Pants on fireOK. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Facebook</span> wasted 1/2 an hour - then I posted about procrastinating.<br /><br />Then I opted to go to bed<br /><br />Then I edited my blog and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">changed</span> the color. <br /><br />It used to be black. I love black but it did not feel right to post my pics. <br /><br />Notice I still have not even posted a picture - why does this matter right now?<br /><br />I will see how I feel about this light color. I may change it back.<br /><br />OK - not only do I procrastinate, I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">vacillate</span>.<br /><br />My head might explode. Going to bed NOWColleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-20290635161087403462008-07-07T22:10:00.001-04:002008-07-07T22:25:11.046-04:00Procrastinator extraordinaire!I promised myself I was going to complete <a href="http://www.onelittlespark.typepad.com/">Heather's</a> "spark" tonight.<br /><br />Jared went to bed pretty easily by 8:45. I did some "Mom" stuff and was upstairs and ready to make the card by 9:40.<br /><br />For some reason (I can't remember why) I logged onto <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>. Dummy.<br /><br />My friend, Tara, was not kidding when she welcomed me to the land of wasted time.<br /><br />It is now 10:10 and I am deciding if I shoudl complete the card or go to bed.<br /><br />I am going to...<br />go to bed.<br /><br />If Jared naps tomorrow I will make the card. My sleep is just so much more important right now - isn't it?Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-67064258779882884442008-07-03T22:42:00.000-04:002008-07-03T22:46:03.982-04:00CreativeI wouldn't <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">actually</span> call myself creative - lots of people try to - but I really just like to mimic what I see. To that end I have been playing around with blog challenges lately. They are fun and they give me an outlet to do something crafty without having to think too hard about it.<br /><br />I haven't been displaying any of my work, but I guess I should start sooner or later. My Mom or my brother might want to look at what I came up with and critique it. Really - why make it if it will never be seen or shared?<br /><br />So this week I will start a new venture. I will blog once a week and display the work I have done. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">No one</span> even knows the blog exists so who will ever check it? Who knows. Who cares? I just need to make a commitment and do it.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-81007112814671462872008-03-31T22:30:00.000-04:002008-03-31T22:33:11.133-04:00What a long time it has beenI laughed out loud when I logged on tonight. Last year I posted on January 10 - and that was it. Ironic because on January 11 I found out I was pregnant! So since I last posted, I have expanded my world to include more love than I ever imagined was possible. Jared Joseph entered the world on September 22, 2007 and that has made everything worthwhile.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-51784887312676279172007-01-10T20:45:00.000-05:002007-01-10T21:06:16.430-05:00I am in love...Recently I renewed my interest in online chatting. I don't know how or why it re-entered my life, but now that it is back I can't remember why I ever stopped logging on to my messenger every time I signed onto the computer. Maybe I was trying to keep quiet and out of trouble, maybe it was the ugly naked photos that random men would send to me, or maybe I actually thought I was going to get some work done. I don't know what thought crossed my mind, but I am so grateful it has left me now.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I logged onto Yahoo IM. I was going to a chat party for fellow scrappers. We exchange items - kind of the free-cycle of the craft world. While I was signed on I got three messages from people I hadn't heard from in almost 5 years. Granted they hadn't heard from me either but - point be made - <em>we were back in touch.</em> We don't call or write - rarely so we even email, but if we see the other's icon lit up - all bets are off. We might chat for 2 minutes or two hours.<br /><br />My husband has even found a use for chatting. He plays online war games with people from all over the world. At first they chatted by text (he learned quickly where all the keys were!) and now they actually voice chat. It is funny to hear him yelling at people to "duck" or "get cover" as if they are really in the same room with him. Sometimes I wonder what the people from other countries sound like. Do they speak English or has he figured out translations for the common terms? I care, but not enough to really remember to ask.<br /><br />The best part of this is that I have an instant line into my best friend's house. She moved to Florida last year and I miss her terribly. We didn't get to see each other much up here, either - but knowing how far away she is just about breaks my heart. So, this summer I took a trip. I got to see her and play with her kids and go to football practice. We are not really "phone friends" but we are fantastic on IM! We touch base for a few minutes each night and I can visualize everything that is happening around her. I see the dining room where she is typing and I can almost feel it when the dog runs by and bumps the table. <br /><br />So, I am in love with my chat window. It has not replaced seeing my friends and family (no matter how near or far they are) but at least now they are "right there." When their smiley is lit up I KNOW they are sitting at the computer and seconds away from a funny story or friendly cry. I don't have to worry how loud the dog barks - or if the kids at their house are running and screaming. The only feedback I get is from the one I want to hear from right at that moment. Whether it is my Dad, my friends or even my husband IM'ing me to see if we need milk on the way home from work. I will never turn off my chat again. <span style="font-family:webdings;">YY</span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-1168225446317478242007-01-07T22:03:00.000-05:002007-01-07T22:04:06.326-05:00Frappr<div><embed quality="high" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://www.frappr.com/ajax/yvmap.swf" flashvars="host=http://www.frappr.com/&origin=blogger&lo=1&mvid=137439175612" salign="l" align="middle" scale="noscale" width="500" height="300" ></embed><div><a href="http://visitor.frappr.com/?sig=visitor_map&src_mvid=137439175612&origin=blogger" target=_blank><img src="http://frappr.com/i/gyo.gif" border=0/></a><a href="http://www.frappr.com/?a=constellation_map&mapid=137439173844&src=flash_map&sig=visitor_map&src_mvid=137439175612&origin=blogger&ct=seemore" target=_blank><img src="http://frappr.com/i/s.gif" border=0/></a><a href="http://www.frappr.com/?a=constellation_map&mapid=137439173844&src=flash_map&sig=visitor_map&src_mvid=137439175612&origin=blogger&ct=pendingpins" target=_blank><img src="http://frappr.com/dyn_map/137439173844/origin:blogger/p.gif" border=0/></a><a href="http://www.frappr.com/?a=feedback&type=vm" target=_blank><img src="http://frappr.com/i/h.gif" border=0/></a></div></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-1161050714683675502006-10-16T21:41:00.000-04:002006-11-10T11:53:39.850-05:00Fatherhood.orgI find the most inane things interesting. Once in a while you will find me sitting at the computer, dazed but not distracted. I am intently focused on some completely trivial thing that requires immediate and un-diverted attention.<br /><br />Last week it was the <a href="http://fatherhood.org">fatherhood.org</a> website.<br /><br />If you haven't been there - GO. Go now. Please, I implore you. I could spend an hour touring that site. It is not that <em>I</em> want to be a good father (I am a girl, by the way), but I want OTHERS to be better Dads. I am a teacher and I see the pain kids go through everyday. I know that half the parents I need to speak to won't call me back because they dislike the school and all the memories that go along with it.<br /><br />I love the tagline for the advertising pitch: "The smallest moments can have the biggest impact on a child's life. It takes a MAN to be a DAD."<br /><br />They have the cutest ads, but they make the point. I believe they say:<br /><br />Sometimes you may feel (or look) stupid, but it will be the moment your child cherishes forever.<br /><br /><a href="http://fatherhood.org/psa/dance.wmv">"Dance"</a> is my favorite. After you watch it, you know that little girl will remember the day she danced with her Daddy 10 years down the road when she goes to her prom, 20 years down the road when they dance together at her wedding and countless years later when she remembers him after his passing.<br /><br />So please, GO. Dads, dance with your daughters, play ball with yor sons - call a teacher just to see how things are going. We don't bite - as a matter of fact, we like involved parents. It is always so much easier to get involved early in the year when we still don't know them very well yet. There isn't much negative we can say in mid-October except maybe, "he could do more homework" or "she might do better if she didn't chat as much."<br /><br />You can handle that, right?<br />Sure, you can.<br />You're a Dad...you're a man.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34249366.post-1158031108272048982006-09-11T23:07:00.000-04:002006-10-16T21:39:42.156-04:00Reflections<span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">I was reading my friend, <a href="http://youarehere.redbook.ivillage.com/time/">Tara's </a>blog post today when I realized that I don't keep in touch with as many people from my past as I would like to. Since today was such a special but emotionally trying day, I thought long and hard about the people who were lost when we were attacked 5 years ago - and realized that I have <strong>absolutely no excuse</strong> not to keep in touch with people <em>who are still here</em>.<br /><br />So I am making a change. I am going to reach out to people who were once the fabric of my existence but, as with most relationships, have become friends "from my past." I don't expect these people to become part of my day to day life, but I am curious how time and experience has changed them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Colleen</span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10572333276321083172noreply@blogger.com0