Okay, so there has been no “lion” around here recently. We’ve been running at full capacity since we got back from Spain.  A few months ago I was talking to one of my girlfriends about doing a yard sale for expats.  It’s so hard to unload some of the extra stuff we accumulate here because we cannot just throw a typical yard sale without risking a city wide riot!  So, we decided to join forces and I am now helping coordinate a HUGE yard sale.  Yikes!  One good thing is that we’ve been able to go through closets and such and pull together a nice pile of cast offs that will most certainly be someone else’s treasure!

In spite of all the busyness I actually managed to sneak in a few minutes at the craft table yesterday and thought I would share with you all!  I’ve got all kinds of new goodies and I’ve been dying to play with them!  Now I just need everything to last me for another 8 months until we are back in the States.  Yeah, right.  Like I’m going to be able to hold out a whole eight months!  We’ll see!

Anyways!  I’m off to do some housework!

Card Recipe:2sketches4you, Cinema Saturday Challenge

Lion card: Lion & thank you stamp by Cosmo Cricket, Background stamp by PTI, Orange DP by Cosmo Cricket, all other supplies by SU!

Bird card: Same as above, Bird by SU! and green DP by Heidi Swapp

I finally ditched the laundry in favor of a few minutes spent at my craft table.  Have you all noticed that creativity is, well… practiced?  Take a few days off from using your creative side and it just seems to suffer.  Perhaps creativity is a bit like our muscles… try going without it for a while and the next time you use them you’re going to be hurting.  Hopefully my creativity doesn’t look too “flabby?”  It sure as heck looks a lot better than my abs!  LOL!  After a week in Spain eating all my favorite foods plus the treats my sister brought… I need to go do some crunches.  Lots and lots of them!  Well, I’m off to flex some muscle, but it remains to be seen whether it will be my creative muscles or those that REALLY need it!

Card recipe:  Card Sketch for 2sketches4you, Blue Bayou cardstock  and leaf stamp by SU!,  Blue Polka Dot DP by Heidi Swapp, Other DP by Making Memories, Circle and Friends stamps by PTI, Butterfly stamp by Autumn Leaves,  button by Basic Grey, ribbon by May Arts

He’s a restless wanderer going to and fro, but it’s a happy life he has indeed.  Hand carved by a little old man clad in the traditional jilaba in the Medina Kadima, he is a treasure for sure!  The cousin of the sometimes naughty Jiml, he likes to be called Sahara (for his favorite place on Earth, of course!)  Desperate to see the world, he is hoping you will take him home…

Blog candy details:  I have will have two prize packages: one from Morocco and one from Spain.  The Morocco package will include this little hand carved camel, sequins (which are used on the traditional caftans but are fabulous card embellishments), and a few extra special surprises!  The Spain prize package will include something special and unique that I find while in Spain.  It’s a total surprise!

Please leave a comment by April 9th telling me what you like about my blog and if there is something you would like more of.  I’m always grateful for your feedback!  I will choose two random winners and send your prizes to you after I get back!

Okay, so we were up late putting together the video for my {housewarming} project (be sure to come back tomorrow to see the finished project!) and I guess getting a little silly.  I had seen that the movie for Cinema Saturday Challenge was “Goldfinger” (they are giving away blog candy this week, too!)  Well, the only thing I could remember from this movie was watching it with Jack a few years ago.  He went around the house for two days calling himself, “Bond, Jack Bond.”  If you know my husband this doesn’t surprise you even a bit!  So, I made him this silly card as a thank you for all his help with the videos!  His favorite part was the gun I drew in.  That’s my guy!

I have been working feverishly on this project so I haven’t made a card in about a week.  It was so fun putting this card together for Kristina’s color challenge.  I loved the inspiration… simple, clean lines, and very elegant.  One thing that also struck me was the lack of ribbon.

As I was  gluing the circles on, I began wondering if there is a special adhesive that you all use for “tiny parts.”  My Mom gave me a Quickie Glue pen by Sakura about a year and a half ago and I {LOVE} it!  It’s the perfect adhesive for adding glitter to small details… and adding “tiny parts” to your projects as well!

Well, I’m off to try to squeeze in a couple more minutes of crafting time before Motherhood beckons!

Only 10 days until I see my sister and nephew.  If only there were words to describe the feelings of utter elation that are surging through me at this very moment…

We’re meeting in Marbella, the city in Spain where we welcomed Landon into the world!  They are flying from the States while we drive and ferry over.  The idea had been “brewing” for a while, well since last year actually, when we started talking about celebrating our 10th anniversary.  Rather than “escaping” the kids we were hoping for a really fun family vacation.  When a friend offered her time share in Spain for free it was easy to say “YES!!”  With one week free the wheels got turning in my head… What if my sister came to meet us there?  What if she brought my nephew, Lawson, with her?  Wouldn’t that be the absolute BEST?!  After a few phone calls we decided that it was an awesome idea and planned the whole thing around Lawson’s spring break.  SO, in just ten days I get to hug my sister and nephew for the first time in over two years.  Tears spring up every single time I think about seeing them.  I just CANNOT wait!!

Stepping outside our comfort zones can be terrifying and daunting.  What if it doesn’t turn out well?  What if no one likes my work?  What if I don’t like it either?  How do you handle change and new things in your life?  For me, I take a deep breath and dive in.  Because I believe that becoming stagnant is infinitely worse than anything a risk could afford.

It might take me a few tries and it might take a little time to get it all figured out, but isn’t that half the fun?  Watching a new thing be born in creativity is thrilling.  It’s like Spring- everything is new and fresh and even the littlest things are coming to life!

Try out these new colors and challenges at: Kwernerdesign and 365 Cards. Supplies: Cardstock& rubons- American Crafts; Stamps- PaperTrey Ink

It was total color inspiration as I looked down and once again found myself wearing Kristina’s colors for this week’s challenge!  This was a very quick card… made while the little man watched a few minutes of his Baby Einstein video… er, I mean while he was studying foreign languages, listening to classical music, and generally having his mind stimulated and his IQ increased…

card: cloud by Kristina, Elephant by Cosmo Cricket, sentiment by AC, all other supplies by SU!

I was checking out the archives over at Delicious Days (a blog appropriately titled, if I do say so myself!) and found this recipe for Nutella banana muffins.  Yum!  It just sounds good, doesn’t it?  Anything+ Nutella sounds good to me!  I noticed that the muffins in her picture look more chocolatey… maybe I should have added more Nutella to the dough??  I also iced mine with a little Nutella on top (because you can never have too much of it’s yummy goodness!)  So overcome was Jack with the fragrant aroma that he began snapping pics pre-icing.  (I think it was really so he could eat one as soon as they cooled!)

She came loaded down with goodies… Grandma that is.  She has showered us all with gifts- everything from toy cars and plastic ponies to my personal favorite- stamp supplies!

And the best part is that she has loved on the kids (with extra special hugs for the newest little member) during the day.  The evenings are filled with lots of late night catching up… and there is a lot of it because it’s been a year since her last visit.    We are just going to pretend that she is never going to go home and the next ten days will NOT fly by…

Cards: First card for Moxie Fab Challenge: supplies by Stampin’ Up & October Afternoon.  Second Card for Moxie Fab Challenge and 365 Cards: supplies by SU! and KI Memories