Finally!

I have finally had some time to do my crafting! I haven't been updating the blog with the photos, but I have spent a few nights the past week or so in my craft room playing around! I also found a new television show on TV that is about scrapbooking and has been giving me some great ideas (especially when I have it playing in the background while I'm playing around!)

My hubby has also been supporting my "habit", but more about that in a few!

Before I get to the crafting update, here is some updates about my personal life!

First, I have a stepdaughter that's a HIGH SCHOOLER! How scary is that!?! K started 9th grade on Monday and I think we were more nervous about how it would go than she was! So far, she loves it! She's amazed at how the teachers and administration is treating them like "adults"... the biggest shocker: That they don't have to ask to go to the bathroom at lunch time! :-) Oh I miss high school!

Secondly, we had a big birthday in our house this past week! Our puppy... well, not a puppy anymore, turned 4 (28 in human years, right?) Our Yorkie named Princess (nicknamed Princess Pie, P-Dub, SugarSugar, or many other unmentionable names!) celebrated her birthday on Tuesday.

No, I didn't really make her wear a hat. It's a "sticker" that I put on the photo on Picnik! But it looks real, doesn't it?

We are getting ready to head north to PA again next week for my mother's wedding. It'll be a very stressful and time-crunched trip, but I am still looking forward to seeing my family! I miss them so much! And I've FINALLY gotten my dress and shoes for the wedding. I hope they work!

So here's what else has been going on!

My hubby, as I said, has been supporting my habit by BUYING ME MORE CARTRIDGES! Recently, for a project that we volunteered me for, I had to purchase (yes, HAD to!) A Child's Year.

I can't write more about the project.. just in case... but as soon as it's complete, there will be LOTS of details!

Then, we heard that Michaels had a sale on their carts, so HUBBY suggested we go check them out! He had two carts in hand for me, but I talked him into only one. That was so backwards from what I THOUGHT was going to happen, but true story!

So we ended up purchasing what I think is my new favorite cartridge, Create-A-Critter!!! SO MUCH FUN!

Also last weekend, hubby WANTED to take me to Hobby Lobby and Joann's! I'm not quite sure what's gotten into him, but I'll take it while it's here!

Of course, then I had to play with these new toys! So here's what I've come up with!

This was a card that I made for hubby and I to give to our new high schooler with some words of encouragement for high school written on the inside! Made with the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge.

A friendship card made with the Stretch Your Imagination cart as well.

Card made with the Winter Frolic cartridge.

Card made with the Winter Frolic cartridge.

The card for my Mom's wedding. Made using the Cuttlebug and Stretch Your Imagination cart.

First Anniversary card made for my mother-in-law using Stretch Your Imagination cart.

Just a really neat image cut using the Happy Hauntings cart. It's a haunted house that I cut and pasted onto a sheet of 8.5x11" paper and then the "Enter if you Dare" image cut and glittered and glued. Don't know what I'm going to use it for, but I had to try it out!

I've also done quite a few scrapbook layouts, but will share those later!

I'm a spoiled wife!

I cannot express how blessed I am to have the husband and family that I do and how much he tends to spoil me!

My DH has been working very hard at his job lately and I have been trying to be as supportive as I can of his long hours and sour mood. I have also been in a funk lately for the lack of finding a job. This weekend, for the first time in a very long time, my husband and I were able to spend some quality time together. During some of that QT, we ended up at Joann Fabric. Well.... Joann's was having a great deal on Cricut cartridges this week. I had been admiring some of the carts and been sharing the creations of some of the bloggers and message board people that I follow. He knew how much I have been wanting some of the carts and to my utter surprise, I came home with 3 new cartridges! Seems like, "Wow... how much money can one person blow on cartridges in one spot?" Well, this week (until the 14th actually), all Cricut carts were on sale from $89.99 to $33.99. So, all 3 cost us $101.97 when they normally would have been $269.97! We also picked up some neat cardstock and a paper puncher that I didn't have. In total, we saved $170+ from what the regular prices were. Not bad for an unexpected trip!

The new carts that I picked up yesterday are:

Designer's Calendar

Winter Frolic

Happy Hauntings

Technically, DH was going to buy me four, but this Joann's was out of Mini Monsters. Oh well! So now, there are only three more carts on my wishlist (for now)! I'm hoping that for my upcoming birthday or Christmas, I'll get Mini Monsters, Simply Charmed, and/or From My Kitchen.

Earlier in the week, I had stopped by the store and picked up two other cartridges:

Paper Doll Dress Up

"Just Because" Cards

I can't wait to dig into them this week and see what I come up with! Because of this unplanned splurge, it's going to be a hang-low and keep it cool in the house kinda week! :-) But that's okay with me! Projects will be posted this week!