is it REALLY August?!

you've got to be kidding me- i haven't posted since JUNE? sheesh. sorry friends i can't even keep up with the weeks flying by, let alone my poor little blog. to say life has been busy is a gross understatement- i'll try to recap the highlights.

first up- company. we had a total of 12-15 relatives and friends here in town from the last week of June until just last weekend (like the 27th or something)- no joke. We had lots going on everyday- the house was like grand central station, everyone coming & going, the kids running and screaming about. Mimi was thrilled to have her cousin Nicholas (5) here. There was lots of swimming, lots of kids, tons of shopping, and for me, tons of cooking & lots of BBQ-ing (i've gotten pretty good at a med-rare steak and grilled chicken-i've always wanted to improve my grilling skills) we all got thru it with the help of my trusty new Margaritaville frozen drink machine and lots of wine, beer (and pink lemonade & non-alcohol drinks for the kiddos!) we had the pleasure of having Old Baba here as our houseguest for a week- she'll be 89 in a few days. she taught me to make a new kind of homemade noodle and i just so enjoyed her company. we hung out at the Springs Preserve, The Venetian/Grand Canal shoppes, we walked the strip & we also saw some great live theater- The Lion King, here in Vegas, and a fabulous road trip to San Diego, CA to see the Fiddler on the Roof (Starring the original Tevye from the movie & Broadway productions- Topol- he's amazing!!) While in San Diego, the hubs and his younger brother rented some boards & surfed for hours a day. we ended up extending our stay in CA for 3 extra days for more surf time for the boys- it is the one hobby that we've found where the hubs truly unplugs and de-stresses. i wish we could afford to get him there more often- but we are planning to go back in Sept. for Mimi's annual birthday celebration. there was just lots of craziness daily and my house in total chaos, but we all had a great time together.

Next up: classes. i was given the gift of a Suzi Blu Les Petit Dolls beginner workshop this summer from my husband. i have watched her videos and read her blog for a while now. i just love her. her art, her videos, her style & personality, everything- she rocks. she has wonderful soul. her teaching and dedication to her students is unbelievable. this workshop has so surpassed my every expectation- i am still blown away. she is an amazing teacher and i am changed by the experience of this class. it is magical, and it is just so fun! i haven't finished my paintings yet, but i am lovin' this process. i can't wait to work on them more and i look forward to taking more of her workshops.

i also took another online class at Get It Scrapped a card making class with Tania Willis. Tania's provided some amazing templates, inspo galore & just tons of info! super fun stuff. i've made quite a few cards and am so happy i signed up- the classmates have been awesome in this one too. i love that!

i have the honor of being Scrappy Time's member of the month for August! i'm super excited! i'll be posting Question of the Day and Scrap Question of the Day in the forum each Friday this month- so please sign up (it's free) and hang out with us! They have an awesome color combo scrap contest up this month too so be sure to check it out!

ok i can't stay up any more- it's 1am already- see how it's just flying by? i really will try to post more often!
nite all! xoxo
{{GIANT HUGS}}
-g
^o^
very early stages of my first petit doll:


some cards i made in the card class:


hambly overlays, velvet ribbon, heidi swapp butterfly (die cut from paper) & LOVE sticker.


i traced an owl chipboard shape onto Sassafras paper, buttons, heart punch, Sass stickers & owl border strip, making memories tiny alpha stickers.


card template by Tania Willis. Luxe papers, making memories clip, misc. chipboard embellies, small round mirror, buttons, scallop punch, Sassafras owl stamp, ink