C-man turns 1!

I am going only a little crazy getting ready for Shop 'Til You Drop on Sep 10. I've been cutting and folding and coloring and painting and...whose idea was this anyway?

So with all this to do, what did I do this weekend? Threw a party, of course. Cause who wouldn't want to throw a party for this guy? C-man turned one!

And my Silhouette machine went nuts in the process. We had a baseball theme with hamburgers and hot dogs in the concessions area. (Check out that spiffy banner.) 

And then here were bags of peanuts and bubbles for party favors with fancy-dancy Silhouette cut bag toppers. 

C-man's aunt Stephanie made the cutest banner for the front of the high chair.

Stephanie works for the Texas Rangers, and she got an authenticated ball from an Astros/Rangers game to serve as a guest book.

There were the baseball cupcakes for the crowd.

And, of course, there was one moment of pure panic. Seconds before the smash cake made its debut, the "1 candle" fell and broke into two pieces.  

It took two grandmas, a grandpa and some special work with a Bic lighter to put it back together and get it to C-man in time for the song. I think the parents were none the wiser until they read this story. Surprise!!

C-man didn't seem to mind. In fact, I'm not sure he even noticed a candle. Two-fisted cake eating--that's what I'm talking about.

Now it's time to get back to folding and cutting and drawing and coloring and...all-around getting ready. Sep 10 will be here soon! Get ready! 

On the 24th Day of Christmas My Phanie Gave to Me

It's the middle of December. Where did the time go? 

I've been buying, and wrapping, and baking, and cutting, and folding and...

I'M NOT READY!

Thank goodness that I finished some things before the season got into full swing.

Case in point. This advent calendar I made for QuarterPounder.

And yes, I made more flat boxes! I am a pro at them now. These just don't have roofs on them.

But they do have sparkly snowflakes and and fuzzy presents--and book pages, of course.

Oh, and the numbers are covered in GLITTER! 

QuarterPounder wasn't really sure what he thought of the whole thing.

But he seemed to think the finger puppets inside were pretty grand.

And the bib and the Rudolph book were a hit, too!

Side note: Here is my goal for next year.

Learn how to take a picture of a rectangle that isn't skewed. This one kinda makes me dizzy when I look at it for very long.

Speaking of dizzy. I gotta go. The pecan pie in the oven is dinging and Amazon just left another package at the door.

I'M NOT READY!

But if you've got extra time on your hands, check out all the cool ways to decorate a Silhouette Advent Calendar on this Pinterest page!

Double Your Fun

Just because I haven't been posting much, doesn't mean I haven't been folding. Didn't these pink beauties turn out so sweet?

When life brings you twins, don't fret. I can make you a duet of books!

The Trouble With Men

So it's been a while since I've been on here. I blame men. Two of them specifically.

Exhibit A: this guy

Captain America changed the kind of plane he flies recently. That means he's a lot higher up in seniority and has a much better schedule. He's home now more than ever. (Is that even possible?? And that is not a rhetorical question.)

It's great having him around the house more, but the flip-side is I haven't had as much time to write as I used to.

Exhibit B: this guy

Meet little QuarterPounder. Isn't he the sweetest thing ever? Hard to believe that the last time I wrote on here, we were just finding out if he was a boy or a girl. He showed up at the end of August, and now he weighs about 11 1/2 pounds, eleven of which I'm pretty sure are in his cheeks.

.....

.....

.....

Sorry, I had to stare at that picture for a little longer. <Sigh.>

Anyway, I've been working for several weeks on something special for his room and I finally sent Captain America on enough trips that I got it finished. Taaaaa-daaaa!

His mom and dad decided that they didn't want any particular theme in his room but they wanted it to be filled with lots of books and they wanted the colors to be navy and gray.

Do you know how hard it is to think up something for a baby boy that doesn't involve sports or animals? But as I was looking through a catalog one day I saw a picture of an alarm clock and thought "That's it! I'll make something with a clock and incorporate books somehow, too." 

The first thing I had to do was come up with a saying. Something that incorporated clocks and books. My mom was always one of those who would let you stay up just a little longer if you were reading a book, so I just went with that idea.

Then I started with the paint. TRUE CONFESSION: I'm not a painter! Geez Louise, it was the most nerve-wracking thing ever!

I sketched something on the canvas and then experimented with mixing colors to show shadows and highlights. By the time it was over I felt like a real artiste. TRUE CONFESSION: That was a joke. It was nerve-wracking until the end, but at least it looked sort of like an alarm clock.

For the clock face, I decided to go with a book page mosaic, just like I did with the hearts and the guitar. Remember?

Then I painted the numerals and the hands and finished by Mod Podging on the text. (Is Mod Podging really a verb?) 

I signed it with my new grandma name, Granny Phanie. 

But the best part? After his mom and dad hung it on the nursery wall, I got to go to read to QuarterPounder and see if he liked it.

....

....

....

Sorry, I had to stare at that picture a little longer. <Sigh.> I mean seriously, those cheeks!

Twinkle, Twinkle

The other day we had a few people over to the house for brunch. And by a few, I mean 50. If you're gonna make breakfast, you might as well make enough for a crowd, right?

There was a very popular Bloody Mary bar...

And yogurt and bacon and cookies...

 

...And did I mention Bloody Marys?

And then we had a baby shower and a gender reveal! That's right! My baby's having a baby! And it's going to be a...

Happy dance! Happy dance!

My fabulous daughter-in-law, Ashley, has wonderful friends and sisters who served as hostesses. They came in a couple of hours before the shower began to cook and decorate.

The theme was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and it started with these cute invites.

So we decorated with stars everywhere.

But wait what's that on top of the book shelf? Right next to the baby pictures of the new mom and dad and the sonogram?

Yes, that thing!

Why it's a folded book by Reading With Scissors, of course! What shower would be complete with one? (Duh!)

But, Stephanie, you ask, what's with the 28?

Well, dear reader, Ashley is also a reader, and when it came to taking those cute baby bump pictures that everyone's doing these days, she didn't want to do the standard "Baby is the size of a cauliflower" pictures. She wanted to do something with books. (I told you she was fabulous.)

So a few weeks ago, I decoupaged this cool Chapter sign and we've been using RDCBs to mark the weeks. We started at 20 weeks and she's been taking a picture every month since. Here's the first one we did:

...and the next

And now we are at week 28!

Wait...Week 28? That means the baby will be here before we know it! Happy dance! Happy dance!

When Life Gives You Ground Delays, Giggle!

So the other day I made a mad dash through the Phoenix airport to catch a plane. My first flight had landed just a few minutes before, and the late landing and a connecting flight in the next terminal meant this was not going to be an easy task.

I rounded the corner just as they called my group to get on and out of breath, I handed my boarding pass to the gate agent and took my seat.

The airplane gods were being good to me that day, or at least that's what I thought. I had an exit seat with a lot of room. Well, a lot of room relatively speaking. The flight attendants quickly went through their spiel, and with my seatbelt securely fastened across my lap and my backpack situated underneath the seat in front of me, I felt the plane lurch backward...and then stop.

"Uh..." said a voice from the cockpit, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've just received word that there are major thunderstorms in Texas and they've called a ground delay in Houston, so we're going to have to sit here for an hour. Please feel free to get out your phones and computers."

Phones and computers, are you kidding me? I thought as I reached into my backpack and grabbed an RDCB. This is the perfect time to fold a book! So I did.

I had gotten just this far...

...when the voice from the cockpit returned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we just got word from the dispatcher that we're free to go. Please restow all your personal belongings. We'll be on our way shortly."

A collective sigh of relief came from the passengers as the flight attendants made sure we were buckled in and tray tables were stowed. The plane began backing up again, pivoted, and began its way to the runway...and then...

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry, but even though the dispatcher told us it was OK to go apparently he hadn't checked with Houston and there is still a ground delay. We're going to have to wait another hour. The flight attendants are going to go through the cabin with a beverage service."

The collective sigh of less than a minute before now turned into a collective groan, but not from me. I reached down and grabbed my RDCB and started folding away. I made it as far as... 

...before the pilot came back on one last time to tell us that the ground delay had been lifted and we had been cleared for take off. By the time the flight was over, the book was finished...

just in time to give it to this lovely mom-to-be for her baby's nursery.

Because let's face it--whether you're sitting on a plane for a two-hour delay or sitting up at two o'clock in the morning waiting for a baby to burp, sometimes the best thing you can do is just giggle.

I Have Several Excellent Excuses

I've been trying to write. Honestly, I have, but I just don't seem to have the time lately.

I blame Captain America. 

First, it was Valentine's and he bought me flowers so I kept my nose buried in roses all day.

Then he invited me to meet him for a 24-hour layover in the Big Apple. Fun and cold!

Then it was my birthday and he bought me this really cool microphone for my motorcycle helmet. So we had to go riding, right?

And then he took me for a Sunday swing around the neighborhood--at 3,000 feet.

And if it wasn't Captain America, it was Rudy and Richard Parker. In those immortal lines from the Stylistics, first they break up...

...then they make up...

...That's all they do. It's exhausting.

And if live animals weren't enough, I was also dealing with not-so live ones. As I've mentioned before, life at my house would not be normal without an uninvited--dead--critter showing up on a regular basis. This one was on my front porch the other day.

I'm guessing bunny.

But in my spare time I have been making stuff, too. I'm frantically trying to get ready for my first craft show on March 20. I'm folding, folding, folding so I have enough stuff to fill my table.

And then last week I had three (count 'em, 3!!) custom orders from Etsy. One of them was for a drama teacher, so of course I had to go to the bookstore and find some Shakespeare.

Me in a bookstore. That took some time.

And then there was last week. You've all met my crafty friend, Debbie. Well, her brand-new granddaughter was christened this weekend. Debbie made her this beautiful gown and bonnet.

Check out that exquisite lace and beading on the bonnet!

Debbie had lots of company coming in from all over to see the baby, and of course her house was decorated to the nines.

Remember that wreath I made her for Christmas?

Well, the furry animals and glittery balls didn't really go with the christening decor. Debbie needed something a little more white, so...

I made her a new center.

I put silver crosses on little-bitty shoes, surrounded them with flowers and pearls, and added a sparkly M for the baby's name. Then I topped it off with a Bible verse, 3 John 1:4.

I think it looked very pretty on Debbie's wall. 

Something like this might look really cute on a new mom's hospital room door (maybe with a little added pink or blue), and then make an easy transition to a nursery. I'm not sure how to ship it, so probably couldn't sell it on Etsy, but if any of you near me know someone who would like one, give me a shout. Let's talk.

Quick, before Captain America steals me away again...