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image from here

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

image from here

2010 is going to be the best year yet
I just know it

:)

sketchy santas

 run, don't walk, to this hilarious website, filled with photos of creepy santas and terrified children.

it's christmas all year round with these fantastic photos, they keep cracking me up!

 

i'd be grossed out by that yellow beard too, kiddo

and seriously... WTF is up with this one? straight out of a horror movie!

 all photos from here, discovered via here

happy new year's eve eve!

deep in the heart...

image from here
(ignoring that last bit on the sign, it really is a great place ;)

just popping in to say hi

i'm still on vacation, having a wonderful time

i met some stars this morning (they're smaller, and prettier, than i expected)
this afternoon i went thrifting/antiquing with my mom-in-law (i'll share my finds when i get back next week)

and tonight i went to another movie in 3D (forget vampires and werewolves, i want to be an avatar)

happy monday/tuesday (i'm not sure what day it is anymore)

p.s. holy crap it's almost 2010!

eggnog + cookies = yum

from here

blogging will be a bit sparse from me over the holidays as i tend to get a bit too crazy/busy/stressed... but i wanted to share this yummy recipe for eggnog cookies before things start getting too crazy for me. check it out here!

we just had our annual "baking exchange" at work on monday and i wish i had the time to have made those. instead i made a ton of "winter bark" (not technically baking, but still festive and i'm sure equally yummy!)

so, if/however you are/were celebrating this month ~ happy hanukkah/winter solstice/festivus/christmas/kwanzaa/holidays!

friday un-faves

folks, i'm a bit annoyed.

mind if i rant for a moment or two? good.

i had ordered a few christmas presents from some Etsy sellers in the US, in november, thinking that would be more than enough time to get here (Canada). however, they still have not arrived. (i'd like to note here that i ordered something from a seller in Korea, later, and it has already arrived. also, i have shipped some of my own things to the US, again, later, and they have already arrived.) so, i emailed the sellers just to find out what date my orders were shipped so i could get a better idea as to when to expect them. one of the sellers said it was sent right away and was so sorry i had not received the package yet and they even offered to send me another one (wow! impressive!). another seller said it was sent right away and that they would try to investigate where it is (great!). the last seller replied back saying it had not even been shipped yet and that they would try to have it sent to me by christmas. and they weren't really even all that apologetic - basically just "thanks for your patience and understanding". um, actually, i don't understand. not only am i sad that i won't get it in time to give it as a gift for christmas, i am disappointed and frankly a bit pissed-off that they didn't even tell me about the delay until i had to ask. (apparently it is due to an error on their supplier's part, but still.) i guess i think that because Etsy sellers are usually just an individual who is trying to make a living selling the things they love to create (like myself) that they would have a bit more of a sense in customer service. as in, providing some. so as to get repeat customers. or at the very least, positive feedback. i guess (i wouldn't be so shocked if this had been from a big store, but that is one of the many reasons why i try to avoid them in the first place.) i definitely know that i won't be shopping with this particular seller ever again, for the "customer service" issue alone.
.end of rant.

on that note, here are a few other things that are not my favourite...

image from here

- monday mornings
- sitting on gum in a movie theatre
- people who endlessly sniffle but never blow their nose
- when you slip and fall and someone asks if you're okay in between poorly stifled giggles (though i admit i have probably been guilty of this myself)
- an eyelash falling into your eye
- neighbours who crank up the bass on their tv while watching a really loud action-packed movie, at midnight, on a weekday
- discovering that you had food stuck in your teeth all afternoon and no one told you
- when people post pretty pictures on their blog but don't provide a link to the source
- getting your hair caught in your seat belt, purse strap, earring, scarf, etc.
- making a spelling mistake on a christmas/birthday/any kind of card
- getting excited because you just remembered you have cookies in the pantry and it was a really bad day and you could really use a cookie right about now and then you discover that it was just an empty box and there are no cookies to be found
- when you find out important news from someone you care about from their facebook status
- monday mornings, again
.end of rant, for realz.

happy friday folks! woo-freakin-hoo! :)

tiny thing conversion factory

i don't have the words to explain how adorable these are...

cheeseburgers to tv's

trees to lions

(my personal favourite) pandas to gnomes

from Mochimochi Land's photostream

via the Craftzine blog

eek!

happy thursday :)

happy wednesday

just a little cuteness to get you over that mid-week hump...

adorable pictures found on rockstar diaries

baby it's cold outside

image from weheartit

woke up to lots of snow this morning - finally! we got a bit over the weekend but nothing to get excited about. but today everything is white. and cold. but somehow the cold doesn't seem so bad when everything is sparkly, white and pretty :)

we watched Elf last night - i still laugh so hard watching that movie, no matter how many times i've seen it. and it is full of lines that my mister and i always quote to each other... "i just like to smile. smiling's my favourite!" + "i'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins!" + "i love you! i love you! i looooove youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!", and hubby's personal favourite: "buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp...... did you hear that?"

it's definitely one of my favourite christmas movies, along with it's a wonderful life, national lampoon's christmas vacation (which we watched on the weekend), how the grinch stole christmas (both versions), all those classic stop-motion christmas movies from the 70's (i think), a christmas story, and of course a charlie brown christmas... well, i guess i pretty much like most christmas movies, with very few exceptions.

what's your favourite christmas movie(s)?

very un-christmasy

okay, so this is about as un-christmasy as you can get (unless you count blood-red as a christmas colour) but - does anyone watch Dexter?

 if so, DID YOU WATCH THE SEASON FINALE LAST NIGHT?!?!?!

i won't say anything about it so not to spoil it for any who haven't seen it yet - but wow, i can't stop thinking about it. my husband and i couldn't stop talking about it last night after we watched it, and then it was the first topic of conversation this morning too. so good.

for those of you who don't watch the show - it's basically a witty/dry/dark humour and kind of creepy show, and the main character, Dexter, is just your friendly neighbourhood serial killer, so you want to dislike him... but, since he only kills the bad guys, you just can't help but like him. it's really well written. the show is also based on a series of novels that i want to read one day.

anyways, happy monday! did everyone have a good weekend?

i was able to get most of the stuff done that i wanted. i just need to clean clean clean now - my living and dining rooms are a mess of cards, envelopes, wrapping paper, ribbon and jewellery-making supplies!

friday fave.

just one 'friday fave' today - i love it so much i thought it deserved it's own post.

my jaw dropped to the floor when i saw it on the front page of Etsy last night. i honestly don't even know how to describe how amazing this is, so i'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...

Anatomical Heart Locket  by  Heron Adornment

like seriously love it. so much.

and, it totally reminds me of my favourite teacher & favourite class in high school - ms. romeyn, grade 11 biology (pretty much the only thing i liked about high school) - although i do remember feeling slightly squeamish when we dissected a pig's heart - it was still so fascinating!

anyways, happy HAPPY friday folks. tonight is my work christmas party and i still have no idea what i'm going to wear. (although of course i've had my jewellery and makeup picked out for a couple weeks already), tomorrow i'm going to finish my christmas cards (for realz!) as well as some christmas gift making and wrapping, and sunday i'm going to an afternoon of wine, bread and cheese with some girlfriends - yippie!

what are you up to this weekend?

drumroll please...

the winner of the custom personalized necklace is...

congratulations!!! email me your choice of letter/number, necklace length and birthstone colour (dearsuzanne@gmail.com) and i'll get the necklace to you asap!

everyone else - better luck next time! no worries because i'm planning another giveaway in the near future :)

she's crafty! (and when i say she, i mean me)

i've got a few little projects on the go right now - i love crafts, especially at christmas! for starters, i had these plain chipboard-ish acorn ornament/containers that i picked up from michaels last year during their big after-christmas sale (i think they're martha stewart crafts brand), so i decided to spuce them up a bit with some glitter and about a hundred layers of mod podge...

which then gave me the idea to turn these...

into these...

 again with more glitter, and glue, and a tiny paint brush! i'm not sure what to do with them now, maybe turn them into tree ornaments, or use them for gift wrapping. but for now they are just sitting pretty on my bookshelf :)

i also decided to finally do something with some pretty fabric i picked up earlier this year...

...more zippy pouches! these ones won't have patches, but are lined with a pretty grey fabric. (i taught myself to make a lining! yay!) they haven't quite made their way into my shop yet, but hopefully this weekend.

i also still have quite a few christmas cards to work on...

 and last but not least, my xmas art journal!

i used one of the holiday journal kits that i made, and then added a couple extra cute christmas-y pages that i got at a local scrapbooking store - since i will be using it not only for the holidays but also as my vacation journal when i go to texas in a couple weeks. (yeehaw!)

i have been trying to add the tags, labels (i love my little dymo!), journalling and photos (fuji instax mini! YAY!), as things happen, rather than waiting until later, but you know how it goes - things get in the way, other priorities pop up, etc, etc, etc. so far i have just completed a few pages...

 mmmm, eggnog latte

trying to find gifts at christmas craft shows

my mister putting up the lights on our balcony

my kitty's favourite spot while i was putting up the tree was sitting right on top of the ornaments box

 my white tree and favourite tree topper - a white owl given to me by a lovely co-worker last year as a little suprise gift :) it's not actually a tree topper, but he sits up there so nicely i couldn't resist!

i want to add some extra bits to my journal pages too, like embroidery and other things... but am trying to find some sparkly embroidery thread first :)

happy wednesday folks! don't forget to enter the giveaway - it ends tonight!

the most amazing invention EVER! (and a recipe)

whenever i bake brownies, the only parts i try to eat are the edges (the corners being the absolute best). i just love the extra crispiness of the edges combined with the chewy middle. yummmm. so i was SUPER EXCITED when i heard about a brownie pan that is ALL EDGES! (there is also a similar version for lasagna) 

genius i tell you!

on a simliar note, when i found this recipe the other day i knew i had to try them when i saw the description read "These cookies taste like the corner of the brownie pan, but in controlled portions!" (controlled portions for brownies? nonsense!)

911 Chocolate Emergency Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

6 oz bittersweet chocolate (can use dark chocolate), broke into large pieces

1 stick unsalted butter, softened and divided

1 1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt chocolates and 1/2 stick butter (in increments so as not to burn the chocolate, in microwave). Cool briefly.

2. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Beat 1/2 stick butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until the consistancy of wet sand.

4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix.

5. Mix in chocolate mixture, beating only until combined.

6. Stir in flour mixture, only until combined.

7. Chill for 1 hour.

8. Dip out with an ice cream scoop (I use a 4 teaspoon cookie dipper) onto a greased cookie sheet.

9. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Do not over bake.

10. Cool 2 minutes on pan before moving to cooling racks.

Number of Servings: 48? (or 4 in my case ;)

i think i might make these for my work's baking exchange that's coming up... if i don't eat them all first.

happy tuesday!

p.s. have you entered the giveaway yet?! only one more day left!

a letter to mr. claus

dear santa,
hey, how's it going? i bet you're pretty busy right now! i hope you're able to take some time for yourself to relax a bit with the mrs. please say hi to her for me as well.
as you know, i've been extra good and nice this year, so i just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know my christmas wishlist - i hope it's not too late to squeeze some of these in for me:

* more time in the day
* will power
* longer weekends
* just a tiny bit of extra pocket change to pay for the new winter tires and all that other riduculously priced work that had to be done to our car this past weekend
* and of course peace, joy and food for all

thanks in advance santa, i really appreciate it!

love always,
suzanne

p.s. don't forget to enter my sweet giveaway below!

it's giveaway time!

wow. i just realized that i passed the '200 posts' mark on my little blog here, about 18 posts ago (oops!) and i had been planning to do a little giveaway for it... i guess better late than never! also, 'tis the season for giving! so...

i am going to give away one of my new custom personalized charm necklaces!

 (photo is an example)

it will be a sterling silver necklace in the length of your choice (16", 18" or 20") with a silver disc charm that I will hand-stamp with your choice of letter or number, plus a swarovski crystal "birthstone" in the colour of your choice!
these are the colour options:

here's how to enter:

 (please leave a separate comment for each of these that you do as I will be drawing a winner from the number of comments - and don't forget to include your email address:)

* "Follow" my blog

* Post about this giveaway on your own blog

* Become a fan of my Facebook page
* Share my Facebook page with your Facebook friends
* Follow me on Twitter
* Tweet about this giveaway (as many times as you like, just remember to leave a comment for each one)
* Um... I can’t think of any other ways right now – may add more later!

The giveaway ends at 7:00pm PST this Wednesday, Dec 9th and the winner will be announced on Thursday!

Good luck!

friday faves (pink edition)

i guess this could technically also be a "stuff i didn't buy today" post, but since it's friday it's going to be this instead :)

here are some lovely and cute things seen on Etsy recently... all pink! (which i actually used to hate, but somehow have become quite fond of it over the past few years)

sweet wreath ornament - discovered via smile and wave

darling brooch

sweet lovebird pincushion

cozy leg warmers

freakin' adorable cotton candy plushies - discovered via the little owl

cute cupcake t-shirt - discovered via rockstar diaries

happy happy friday!

i'm off to do another craft show tomorrow morning - then going to see a movie with a friend in the evening. then hopefully getting my christmas cards done!!!

oh yeah... and... ONLY THREE MORE WEEKS TIL CHRISTMAS!

on sale

i recently made a couple little holiday-themed art journal/scrapbook kits...

they are now on sale! just in time for the holidays :)

it's a festive little collection of 24 handcut pages (6"x6") and 24 assorted tags (plus a couple "cookie bag" envelopes) for documenting your activities and festivities throughout the season - just add your own words and photos!

i made one for myself as well, which i started on a few days ago - it's so fun! i'll try to post some photos soon (along with photos of my homemade daily planner :)

happy wednesday folks!

p.s.  23 more days! eeeek!

jewelry for your ceiling

Petrea Chandelier with Amazonite and Chalcedony Stones

 wow.  a gemstone chandelier?  just amazing.

from ChandiDesign

HAPPY DECEMBER 1st!