Dance to the Song of Life.

12 Free Cards!

2011-01-10T09:43:00.001-06:00

Lovebird Toile Pink Thank You Card

Tell them "thanks" with personalized thank you notes from Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Can't wait for The Girls' Loft!

2009-05-29T00:04:00.002-05:00

Check out Margie's blog for a FUN giveaway - I can't wait to see a sneak peak of The Girls' Loft kits!!

Please vote for me and you can win too!

2009-05-08T19:09:00.002-05:00

I'm hosting a Ford American Idol finale party for a Web site called houseparty.com. I need your help to win a brand new Ford Fusion and a trip to the finale. Please go HERE to vote for me and you can win too! Thanks for the support!!

Thanks Plush Junkie!

2009-04-15T15:46:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Plush Junkie for the yummy goodies I won!

Grandpa's Tribute Video

2009-03-16T22:57:00.001-05:00

Thank you Craft Critique!

2009-03-16T22:49:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the folks at Craft Critique! I won their BIG PRIZE. Check out all the yummy goodies - I can't wait until they arrive!!

Thanks House of 3

2009-02-25T17:02:00.002-06:00

Thanks to House of 3 for my cute new springy blog design!

Another great loss ...

2009-02-23T17:30:00.003-06:00

We lost my grandfather February 2. He was an amazing man with an unbelievable history.

Sanford Frank Cunningham was born March 18, 1919, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died at his home in Eureka, Missouri, on February 2, 2009. He was preceded in death by his parents Harry Otto and Anna Marie Cunningham; brother Harry Cunningham; sister Florence Bilger; son Sanford Cunningham; son-in-law Dennis Fluck; and grandson Sanford Cunningham. He is survived by his wife Marion Cunningham; one son Frank Cunningham and his wife Carole; and daughters Martha Fluck and Anna Barklage and her husband Ted Barklage III. He had twelve grandchildren, Jimmy, Sandy, Crystal, Stacy Jo, Jessica, Casey, Nicky, Rebecca, Ryan, Laura, Emily and Teddy; 15 great-grandchildren; and many others who also knew him as “grandpa.”

At a young age, Sanford and his family moved to Trevose, Pennsylvania, where he and his father and brother built their family home. Sanford was always industrious and hard-working. In his early years, he had a variety of jobs, including walking several miles each way to caddy at a golf course, working at a service station, and he later worked in a hosiery mill on a machine that made one of the first seamless stockings for women. At one point, he even worked building airplanes, including on one of the first all-metal planes.

On one of those jobs, delivering ice, he got to know a girl named Marion Shoemaker, who was only about 13 years old at the time. She always made a point of being there on delivery day.

One day, when Marion was about 15, Sanford was walking past their house and she hollered out her bedroom window, “Hey, where are you going?” and the rest is history. During their three-year courtship, they would go to weekly dances at the local community house. They were married in Claymont, Delaware, on October 14, 1940. Marion’s brother loaned them $20 for the ceremony and her mother gave them her wedding ring to use. It was the start of a union that lasted for 68 years. Their first house was in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania, one of many homes that they remodeled and lived in over the years.

Sanford was drafted into the Army in 1944 and sent to Texas. Determined not to be sent oversees with his unit, he “accidentally” fell off a truck and injured his knee. He then served in the military police in Biloxi, Mississippi, and finished his military career in Newburg, New York.

When Sanford returned home to Pennsylvania he started a successful lawn mower business. The family lived in an apartment above the shop, across the street from Marion’s mother. At just 2 or 3, his son Frank recalls his dad giving him a wrench or a spark plug to play with at the shop. They then moved their business and home to Churchville, Pennsylvania. They added a machine shop and also ran their own service station. It was during this time that Marion had her first contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses. An old friend, Nan Roberts, began calling on the family.

Another move took them to Southampton, Pennsylvania, where Cunningham Cab Company was born. Marion drove the cab while Sanford sold chain saws up and down the east coast. In his search to make the world a better place for his family, Sanford got involved in politics by joining the Young Republican Club. During this time he campaigned for Dwight Eisenhower, even attending his inauguration in Washington D.C. on January 20, 1953. He soon realized politics wasn’t the answer, so he left and never even voted again.

During his political years, Sanford worked as a jury commissioner and also was a prison guard. It was then that he started wearing clip-on ties so the prisoners couldn’t choke him. His son remembers how he used to take the Sunday paper to the prisoners, just one example of how he cared for all people.

Sanford had a great affection for automobiles. He bought his first car, a Model T, for $8. He went on to have many cars, including a Packard, and a Hudson, which was his pride and joy. In the 1970’s he developed his love for Volkswagen busses, or as he called them, the first minivan. There was even a time when he was a “biker” and had an Indian Scout motorcycle.

His children remember him always working on the house, building a porch, pouring concrete sidewalks, finishing the basement, making new doorways, cleaning out the neighbor’s woods so they would have a place to play. Anna says she came home from school one day and the kitchen had been moved to another room in the house. Even the weekends didn’t slow him down, he never tired of tearing something out or building something on. And if there wasn’t work to do, he was mowing his lawn, another one of his loves. They always had a different lawn mower, he would use it for a while, put it out to the street to sell, then go on to another one.

The next move was to Silverdale, Pennsylvania, and to another old farm house with a barn and several acres. They lived in, and worked on, that house for many years. During this time Sanford worked at Quaker City Tree Surgeons as a shop supervisor.

For a while he drove cars for a recon company, then installed shower doors for a living. He claims to have installed 30,000 shower doors during that career, even for Muhammad Ali.

In the early 1960’s, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Marion Dallas, called at Marion’s door. She went on to study the Bible off and on with her for several years. Marion could never get Sanford to stop working long enough to join the study. In the early 1970’s Marion, Anna and Martha took the study seriously and a year later, Sanford started studying. He was baptized in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1972.

When Marion and Richard Dallas moved to Arkansas to help a congregation, Sanford and Marion decided to follow, and they lived there for a few months, returning to Pennsylvania shortly thereafter.

Sanford and Marion’s next move was to Salem, Missouri, in December 1977, and then to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1980 when Sanford got a job at REK Industries until he retired.

After his retirement, he enjoyed auxiliary pioneering from time to time and serving as an elder in the Florissant and Pacific Congregations. He moved with his family to Eureka, Missouri, in 1985. Of course, Sanford never officially retired, because he and Marion did home inspections for about 10 years throughout St. Louis, Franklin and Jefferson counties. Despite many health issues in later years, he remained active and faithful. He still enjoyed mowing the lawn, even up until this last year. He would tell you that Jehovah blessed him every day.

His children say in the years growing up there were a lot of times that they didn’t have money but Sanford always took care of his family, with food on the table and clothes to wear. They say their parents never argued and they always loved each other.

Making Memories - check out their giveaways

2009-01-26T11:17:00.001-06:00

Head over to the MM blog and enter their CHA giveaways!

A beautiful life

2009-01-23T21:49:00.001-06:00

New CHA goodies flooding the blogs!

2009-01-21T18:54:00.004-06:00

Can you believe all the yummy new CHA stuff flooding the blogs? Check out the green goodness at Queen & Co.

And the new Pink Paislee is to die for!

79 years was not enough ...

2009-01-20T23:04:00.003-06:00

Early Sunday morning I lost my grandmother, Charlene Barklage. She fought a 15-year battle with dementia. She was an amazing woman who taught me more than she'll ever know. 79 years was not enough ...

Girl Friday

2009-01-14T23:05:00.002-06:00

Did you see the sneak of the new Cosmo Cricket line Girl Friday? I'm so in love. (Snorkel's pretty cute too.) More on their blog.

My cute new blog template

2009-01-14T19:01:00.002-06:00

Check out my cute new blog template, courtesy of Rhonna Farrer. Check her blog daily, she's been posting freebies, but you have to be quick, they're only good for 100 downloads. I'm going to make an effort to post more, but it may be a couple weeks. My grandmother is in her last days. She's been in hospice since October and is finally shutting down - hasn't had food or water since the weekend. She will be greatly missed.

Disney Loves Me!

2008-12-19T13:36:00.000-06:00

PETCO Foundation calendar now available

2008-12-05T22:17:00.002-06:00

Ty's calendar has arrived! You can pick one up at your local PETCO or here. Mine will be open to November all year!

My new Uggs

2008-10-30T15:10:00.003-05:00

I'm super excited about the new UGGs I ordered. They're on backorder but should be arriving in a couple weeks. I've wanted them since they came out last year.

Mine will be black, like this:
They can also be worn up, like this:

Poladroid - best thing EVAAHH!

2008-10-24T11:43:00.001-05:00

Poladroid. You will love it as much as I do. The possibilities are endless!! Especially for a scrapbooker. See for yourself:

Petco Foundation Calendar - November Winner!

2008-10-24T11:28:00.002-05:00

I'm excited that my photo of our yellow lab, Ty, will be featured for November in the 2009 Petco Foundation calendar! Calendar proceeds will go to the Foundation to help pets everywhere.

I entered through ZooToo. "TWELVE GRAND PRIZES will be awarded for our 12 selections for the monthly pages of our 2009 PETCO Foundation Calendar. The Winning Pet Parents will receive a bundle of goodies: $100 in pet supplies, $50 PETCO.com Gift Certificate, 5 2009 Foundation Calendars featuring their star and unlimited bragging rights for the year!"

The featured photo:

I'm not sure when they will be available, but I'll keep you posted!

Organizing your scrap stash aka I heart my CIU

2008-10-09T14:56:00.003-05:00

Amy at Polka Dot Chicks is asking for organizing tips, so here goes. (Thanks Michelle Aguilar for the link!)

My best tip is actually a product endorsement. I eyed this puppy for a good year before I finally took the splurge and it was worth every penny.

Behold, the Simply Renee Clip It Up. I own the main base and upper tier. It's fabulous! Pre-Clip It Up, I would have to sift through 20 various envelopes/bags/etc to find just the right sticker/rubon/embellie. Now I just give my CIU a twirl and tada! the perfect item at my fingertips.

Seriously, they should pay me for this write up! Feel free to ask any questions, I will try to answer.

Please post your organizational tips on your own blog and mention me, then you too can win Amy's giveaways!

I am so in love ... with Cath Kidston

2008-10-02T13:39:00.002-05:00

One of the ladies at Creative Escape (hi Ali!) had one of Cath Kidston's bags and I immediately fell in love. Then she told me she got it in London. But THEN she told me you could get them in the U.S. And THEN I saw them the next day at Melrose Vintage in Phoenix! But they were pretty pricey.

Just browse their web site. Everything is so lovely, I'm dying to own something!

Anyone know where else it can be purchased here in the U.S.?

Win a Handbag!

2008-10-01T11:01:00.003-05:00

Visit Handbag Planet to win a free handbag!

I chose this one:

Which one do you like?

SIStv sneak - Urban Prep

2008-08-22T15:58:00.003-05:00

Check out the sneak peak of the new Urban Prep collection from SIStv. Isn't it Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Available For PreOrder Until 8.24, Spend $50 and Get A $10 Gift Card! What's stopping you?!? GO! GO!

This time in two weeks I will be escaping ...

2008-08-22T13:22:00.003-05:00

It's less than two weeks until Creative Escape! I'm getting really excited. I have all my supplies, just need to gather them and pack them up.

Last week I got a cute little welcome box in the mail - WARNING: if you're going, didn't receive your box yet and don't want to see the contents, STOP READING NOW!

My friends and I had an art day at our clubhouse a couple weeks ago. We had our own little paint can swap and everyone did such an excellent job! Check them out:

This is the one I made Rachel:

My friend Chris got me and made me a can to match the contents (UNBELIEVABLE!):

It's every girl's favorite box to see. This was inside:

What a special friend. Thanks Chris!

WW update: I'm up to 23 pounds!! It's very exciting. My pants are all much looser now. I'm going to go jeans shopping tonight so I have at least one pair that fits for my big trip.

Speaking of the big trip, it has expanded to LA! Itinerary:
8/30 STL to LA
9/2 LA to Phoenix
9/8 Phoenix to Vegas
9/11 Vegas to STL

Crazy, huh?!? What am I going to pack?!? If anyone has any recommendations for shopping, sights and/or food in LA or Vegas, let me know.

And finally, my cousin Laura had a baby girl today! YAY! Her name is Julie and I CAN NOT wait to meet her. A trip to Pennsylvania is in my future ...

luv, em

The best yogurt ever.

2008-08-13T21:35:00.002-05:00

Do you want to taste a perfect combination of sweet and tart and smooth and thick and ... fabulous deliciousness?

My favorite find this year:

Oh. My. Word. I love this stuff. It's 6 WW points, but so worth it. Although, I just discovered on their site they have a 2% version, but I've never seen it in the stores here. And I'm really dying to try the walnut one. Anyone know of a better St. Louis Fage selection than Whole Foods or Trader Joes?

Emily's Flickr Mosaic

2008-08-04T10:16:00.004-05:00

Your turn! Please share your Flickr mosaic in the comments. Here's how: Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search, and using only the first page, choose your favorite image, copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows), and it generates the mosaic for you.

The questions & answers that generated my photos:
1. What is your first name? Emily
2. What is your favorite food? green beans
3. What high school did you attend? Eureka
4. What is your favorite color? apple green
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Jude Law
6. Favorite drink? mojito
7. Dream vacation? Italy
8. Favorite dessert? cupcake
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? mom
10.What do you love most in life? Jehovah
11. One word to describe you? generous
12. Your Flickr name? back porch poet

1. daffodil, 2. Quick overview, 3. Bee Gold Ranch - Lirio Aquatico, 4. Green Day, 5. Jude Law, 6. summer drink, 7. Positano, 8. puccho (japanese candy) cupcakes!!!, 9. بــحـط قــلـبـي بــيـن يــديـنـك هــديـه, 10. Psalm 42:8, Painting With Light Art*, 11. Cute..., 12. 28.366 | singing along with kyle

CE Sharpie RAK

2008-07-30T20:49:00.003-05:00

This is for Creative Escape 2008 attendees only! Please leave a comment if you'd like to be in the drawing for a Sharpie RAK. Deadline is noon Thursday central time.

Everyone loves a good Sharpie right? You'll need them to get all your famous teachers' autographs! I will give away SIX 2-packs by random draw of the comments posted here. That's six winners! WOO HOO! It's only a little over a month away ladies ...

PS ... I have to approve all comments so don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away.

Happy commenting!

Please vote for my photos!

2008-07-24T10:57:00.003-05:00

I entered some photos in Parade's Oceans of Wonder photo contest.

Please vote for this photo here.

And this one here.

And finally this one here.
Thanks! em

7 weeks, 13.5 pounds

2008-07-23T16:55:00.003-05:00

Pretty thrilled that I've now lost 13.5 lbs in 7 weeks on Weight Watchers. My pants are finally looser. I wish I could fast forward a couple months to an even thinner me!

Did you see Heather Bailey's new Web site? It's fab! The colors are so yummy! I made a cart with everything in it that I wanted, then deleted a bunch of stuff out of it, and still didn't buy anything. Maybe on payday Friday. Please tell me you do this too. It's like dog-earing a catalog, kinda makes you feel like you actually got it.

luv, em

Charmed, I'm sure. And other stuff.

2008-07-11T15:21:00.003-05:00

I finally finished my charm for the CE08 charm swap. I ordered the little frame charms from Joann and designed the inside in InDesign CS3. I'm pleased with the way they turned out - an improvement from my first charm swap earlier this year for Inspired (registration opens August 1!).

I came home yesterday to my paint can from the CE08 paint can swap. Thanks Margie Rowles! I can't wait to try the Glimmer Mist - I've been wanting that for months now.

Last weekend I cleaned and organized all my CDs. All 560 are in alphabetical order by artist. Everyone says, "Why don't you just download your music from itunes?"

"Because I like CDs!" I say. I still like getting the little booklet and I like to be able to pop it in my car CD player when I leave Best Buy. And I don't like that I can only burn itunes songs a maximum of 7 times. What if I want to make a mix CD for 10 of my friends? I have to buy the song again? No thanks. I'm old-skool like that. ;-) (Note the old-skool smiley.)

Happy Friday to all. Have a good one. Leave me a comment. I so love comments. luv, em

So much to share ...

2008-07-09T16:06:00.003-05:00

First of all, weight loss is at ... *drumroll please* ... 10 pounds!!! WOO HOO! Unfortunately, I had got so chubbo I don't even notice it in my clothes yet.

Second: Last Thursday night we went to the John Mayer concert. It was fun and I got some great shots due to our KILLER seats. Check out my faves (Click on pic for larger view):

Um, yeah, that last one I'm pretty proud of. I have videos to share as well, but I'm still working on getting them up on YouTube. If you want to see the rest of the pics, shoot me an email and I'll send you the link and password.

And check out his blog for the cool thing JM did this week. And read a follow-up from Isaac's dad here.

Also, since I last posted, we took a long weekend road trip to Kansas City. We visited the City Market twice - love that place. We had a fabulous dinner at Bo Lings on the Plaza. Spent too much money at Dean and DeLuca.

Scenes from the Market:

We visited Christopher Elbow chocolates - yum.

Then we went to the Cards/Royals game on Saturday.

Um, and check out how talented my friends are:

So, that should hold you until next time, huh? Thanks for sticking through this long post. Counting down the days until Creative Escape. I can't wait! It's less than two months.

luv, em

Weigh-in Day

2008-06-25T14:14:00.002-05:00

So I've been doing Weight Watchers for three-and-a-half weeks now. It's going GREAT!

I weighed in this morning and ... drumroll please ...

5.5 lbs!!!!

WOO HOO!!

Heather Bailey's Freshcut Rocks My World

2008-06-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

I want. I want.

See the whole collection here.

Beyond the Sea

2008-06-18T15:06:00.003-05:00

Look at this gorgeous new line by Heidi Grace - Beyond the Sea ... you can preorder it here. Download PDFs of all the new lines here. Must get these for those Jamaica pictures next year!!! Love it!

CE08 Paint Can Swap

2008-06-17T12:46:00.002-05:00

This weekend I finished my paint can for the Creative Escape swap. I should have taken pictures of all the yummies inside, but maybe the recipient will when she gets it (shh! it's still a secret). Let me know what you think. Luv, em

I'm in love ...

2008-06-12T17:15:00.003-05:00

... with the new Making Memories Passport line. It's so fabulous! I want one of each. You can buy it here.

My last meal ...

2008-06-02T22:09:00.002-05:00

Last night I had my last (fattening) meal: Burger King whopper and fries. Today I started Weight Watchers. I'm going to my friend's wedding in Jamaica next May, so I have one year to get swimsuit-ready. No excuses. No other option. I must lose weight. I'm not sharing a beach with a bunch of friends in my current "condition."

So I need your support. Are you with me?!? This is it. This is the year.

But it will so be worth it. Check this place out: Sandals Whitehouse. Oh yeah, and I'll be healthy and skinny and all that too. Seriously, I'll never step foot in a Lane Bryant again. I mean, thank goodness they were there all these years, but ... come on.

So, without further ado, here I am, in all my chubby glory ... the before pictures:

Sorry to Donna and Heather for getting half-faces in my before pictures. They were the latest close-to-full-body shots that I had.

Before I head out for Jamaica next year I'll post the afters. No excuses: I will be thinner. Hold me to it. Cheer me on. Yank the Ben & Jerry's from my hands. But seriously, have you tried the Imagine Whirled Peace? It's so dee-lish.

Yeah, it's going to be a long year.

luv, em

Time warp?

2008-05-22T15:50:00.002-05:00

I feel like I'm living in a time warp ...

First, The New Kids on the Block return.

Then, 90210 is back.

Bryan Adams performs on Idol last night ...

Seriously, what's next? Tiffany? Debbie Gibson?

30 is the new 15.

And your word of the day is ...

2008-05-22T14:58:00.002-05:00

Alacrity. Now I pride myself in being a bit of a word geek, but I have never heard this word before. You learn something new every day. Thanks to the Pollacks for introducing me to alacrity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

a·lac·ri·ty –noun

1.	cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness: We accepted the invitation with alacrity.

2.	liveliness; briskness.

[Origin: 1500–10; <>alacritās, equiv. to alacri(s) lively + -tās- -ty²]

—Related forms

a·lac·ri·tous, adjective

—Synonyms 1. eagerness, keenness; fervor, zeal. 2. sprightliness, agility.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

More yummies

2008-05-20T14:23:00.003-05:00

Enabler alert! Enabler alert! From Ali's blog:

Papier Valise

You can thank me later.

Beautiful things ...

2008-05-12T12:52:00.003-05:00

Snagged these shop links from Jennifer Stewart ... I'll take one of everything please!

one hundred wishes

Sadie Olive

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin. Happy Monday!

More Mayer ...

2008-05-10T00:28:00.000-05:00

Can't wait for this:

"I love John Mayer"

2008-05-05T22:30:00.002-05:00

There's been something seriously lacking on this blog ... my adoration of this man and his music:

I believe, in all the Inspired hubub, I also somehow managed to forget to share that I have tickets to the St. Louis show in Row A, Center!!!!!!!!! Yes, I meant to type that many exclamation marks. I've seen the man at least 10 times ... I need to sit down and actually figure out the exact number.

I also met him - well, through a fence anyway.

This encounter produced one of my favorite lines ever (hence the title of this post) because when my friend Ariana met him with me, she said to him, "I love John Mayer!" ... get it? Instead of "I love you!" she said, "I love John Mayer!" ROFL! Classic.

So I'm super excited for July 3. There are lots of yummy things to come - check it out:

As far as Rachel goes, I hope it works out.

Everything is better with Frosting!

2008-05-05T10:57:00.002-05:00

Yay! I won some Frosting from Glitz Design. Check out the blog post.

Thanks Glitz!

Show and Tell

2008-04-29T15:31:00.011-05:00

I got a new lens for my camera, based on Karen Russell's recommendation and I LUV it. So I took some random pictures to share.

First, Heather Bailey's Home Companion cover, signed by the talented Ms. Bailey herself.

I took the Stationery in a Snap workshop at Archiver's with my friend Chris last week. Here are my results:

And of course I bought a lot of yummies while I was there:

Saturday night our friends brought over some morels they picked. Sunday I made a chicken dish with them and it was SO dee-lish. You can get the recipe here.

Saturday we had a picnic in the park. I used my new lens then tried some of the free actions from Pioneer Woman. Love 'em!

Skye:
Grandma:
Yvonne, Cindy and Wendy:

Lily:
Well, you get the idea. Can't wait to play more with my lens. Next I want to get a wide-angle. And a flash. And ...

luv, em

Comment City

2008-04-18T22:54:00.004-05:00

Um, I love comments. My Inspired post below has 10 comments so far, my most ever. Holla!

And Tena is going to copy ME. I'm too cool for school. Just sayin'. Don't feel so bad about copying her album now ... teehee

I had a great "me" night. I ate Mexican at Señor Pique - Tacos a las Tres Marias (the most amazing little chicken/cilantro/onion soft corn tacos) with the most delicious side of potatoes. And a super tasty Mojito - my favorite drink.

After that I walked around Target since I had to return something anyway. Today I wore the cute little cami I got there the other day over a 3/4-sleeve white T - DD-style. The "inspiration" comes in surprising ways, let me tell ya! Plus I got to wear my favorite aqua Chucks. It was a good outfit day.

I topped it off with a scoop of PB & chocolate ice cream from Oberweis. Seriously, best food combination in the history of mankind.

When I got home I watched all the extras on my new Juno DVD. I so have a crush on Michael Cera. What other shenanigans can I get into?

Then I watched The Office from last night. How much do we love Jim and Pam?

I've been working on my CE charms. They're turning out so cute! I've come a long way from my Inspired charm.

My Poppy Ink kit came today. It's not really my cup of tea, but there are some cool things I'll definitely use.

Alright, well this post has officially gone in ten million different directions, so that's probably a good reason to shut up.

But wait! I forgot to mention the earthquake! How crazy was that?!?! We all woke up. A million things go through your head when your house starts shaking at 4:30 a.m. Then I heard Teddy get up and nothing ever wakes the sleeping bear, so I figured I'd go check it out. Mom put the TV on - like there was going to be instant reporting? Everyone at work said they thought it was their dog scratching or wagging their tail. Mom thought it was Ty but then realized he wasn't in the room. Ty was just looking around like, "Why are we all up in the middle of the night?" Then I couldn't go back to sleep for about an hour. I'm pretty much crashing right now as a result. I was the only one at work who felt the aftershock this morning. Here's hoping for a still night ...

Sweet dreams, em

Inspired: Letterman-style

2008-04-17T15:25:00.006-05:00

The thought of blogging Inspired is kind of overwhelming to me, so I have decided to take Jilliene's approach and do a list.

Most memorable/best/favorite/unforgettable things about Inspired (in no particular order):

1. Wendy Smedley and Cathy Zielske. They were so sweet, down-to-earth and cool. They remembered me and waved hi anytime I walked past them. It just makes you feel good.

2. Tena Sprenger's class. I've been wanting to do an acrylic album forever, even bought several, but never really knew where to start. Now I don't want to do anything else.

3. Heather Bailey and her fabulous fabric. I just want to eat it, it's so yummy. We used it in Christina Lazar-Schuler's class.

4. My "Inspired" Lisa Leonard necklace. I've pretty much worn it every day since I got it. OK, I HAVE worn it every day since I got it. Annnnd ... I ordered matching earrings.

5. My DD camera wristlet. It's so dern cute I can't stand it.

6. My finished Jennifer Stewart project. This photo is before the bottles and lights, but now that it has those, I can't stop staring at it.

7. The hotel was SWEET! Grits every morning? I'm so in. Next year: Can you say spa appointment?

8. Awesome fellow artists. An otolaryngologist who scrapbooks? Wha? Sweet Sue - thank you for my first-ever ATC! Joyous Joyce and her inspiring attitude. My fabulous tablemates Mama Melissa and her BFF Traci.

9. Darling Claudine Hellmuth and my mini-me poppet that she inspired. I love it! Even though she got decapitated at Lambert Airport. So sad. She's got a little crack in her neck now but she's still cute.

10. Meeting Ali Edwards. Thank you for taking two pictures cuz the first one was fuzzy. She's just cool. Plain cool. I'm constantly amazed at the generosity on her blog - always posting the coolest projects and links. Did I say cool?

11. Bill Downey. Thank you for organizing shuttles when all us crazy women started freaking out about airport transportation. Thank you for knowing me as soon as I walked up to you the first time. Thank you for making sure my mom was comfortable, happy and busy. Thank you for spray-painting extra dress forms at 9 o'clock at night in the hotel grass.

12. Soft pretzel day. Need I say more? Brilliant, Donna, brilliant.

13. And last, but not least, Donna Downey. I love you for your "18 cats" story and your funky glasses and for ever even thinking of Inspired and for all the little details and because you're not comfortable with emotion and that you look hot in your size 10s and for stamping and stitching 200 name tags and for saying yes without hesitation when I asked if I could help behind-the-scenes next year and for yelling at me to get back in my class when you were going to do giveaways and for ... well, I guess I could go on forever. Thank you Donna, it was real.

Um, next year, could we maybe get a picture together that is IN focus?!?

Things I have learned/wish I had done/hope to do next year:

1. Get a picture with Cathy Z. What the heck was I thinking? I was distracted by her kindness in signing my book and thus missed the photo op. She's my new favorite scrapbooker. Where have I been?

2. I wish I didn't follow the instructions so specifically and had made the projects more my own. I'm so obsessive-compulsive about these sorts of things - I want it to be perfect and just like it's supposed to be. It's REALLY hard for me not to do that, but I'm always glad when I do, so next time I'm going to try SUPER hard to express myself and to interpret the concept rather than do an exact copy. Watch out Creative Escape!

3. Take advantage of more of the happy hours. Who needs dinner?

4. Not getting my Claudine Hellmuth book signed. I asked her to, but I think she got distracted after signing my Inspired manual. I just discovered it this morning. Boo.

5. No photo with Stephanie McAtee - she's the only teacher I didn't get a photo with. She kind of scared me. Kal's class was already out of the box for me, so Stephanie's just about blew my mind!

6. Be OK with the fact that I am linear (sorry Kal) and I don't like matte accents or color wash all over my fingers. Be OK with the fact that I would rather be teaching and helping to organize and plan rather than be a student. Be OK with not being able to crochet. CD, I'm so glad you can't crochet either. Props to you for sticking the class out at least.

7. I left my rose in my room. Totally forgot it. Blast! I hope the housekeeper took it home and enjoyed it.

Phew. This post doesn't even cover half of it! I haven't even mentioned Renee Pearson or getting to see Mathy's or North Carolina BBQ or all my delicious finds at the mall or ...

If you've read this far, you rock. Please leave a comment! Until next year ...

luv, em

Inspired - the end.

2008-04-13T10:18:00.003-05:00

We're just going to skip Inspired - Day Two and Three for now until I have more time to get my head wrapped around it. It was good times. I'm pooped and my upper back is killing me from working on all those projects and carrying around all those bags.

I can't wait to post pics of all my fun stuff. Gotta run, we're heading over to the outlet mall.

More soon, em

Inspired Day One - in the books

2008-04-10T21:24:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Charlotte via American Airlines without a hitch! Phew. We met our first Inspired peers at the airport where we all took a shuttle to the hotel. I ran down and got checked in right away and got all the mini workshops I was interested in. We got a cute green bag with some goodies inside. I bought a necklace, T-shirt and some little pins for my lanyard.

I shopped the market fair and bought a few books and some Ranger paint dabbers. I still haven't got any of my books signed yet - that's my mission for tomorrow. I wish I could remember if I bought Ali's Life Artist book at home or not! If I did, I should have brought it for her to sign. Duh.

I took a little mini-book class and a photo transfer class - both fun. Time for bed after a long day. Hopefully I can post more tomorrow. Sweet dreams, em

Leave for Inspired tomorrow!

2008-04-09T11:22:00.004-05:00

Mom and I leave tomorrow morning for Inspired! I have a lot of work to do when I get home to pack and get my supplies together. I'll post photos and a recap when we get back. Happy Wednesday, em

Please check it out

2008-04-03T21:57:00.002-05:00

I got an email that I'm a semifinalist in this Alicia Keys contest. Please comment on, or favorite, my entry. I can win a trip to see Alicia Keys in Las Vegas!

Go here: http://www.treemo.com/users/backporchpoet77/channel/item/252833

Click on Favorite or leave a comment. Thanks!!

Inspiration

2008-04-02T10:55:00.003-05:00

Wow. Want to be inspired? Check out Tara Anderson's photos. I don't know who she is, but I just came across her craft room photos and was blown away by the amazing colors.

More exploring produced her blog and etsy shop.

Where have I been? I'm probably the last person on earth (the crafting world) to find her.

Happy Wednesday, em

PS Inspired is a week from tomorrow!! Sooo excited.

My current playlist

2008-03-31T21:41:00.004-05:00

I love music. I love discovering new favorites and re-discovering old favorites. I love going to live shows. I love catchy tunes and songs that make you wanna bounce and bob your head. I love weepy love songs. I love singer-songwriters. I love music.

Here's some of what I'm listening to right now:

Paris: Day 1

2008-03-17T21:13:00.005-05:00

Sorry for being a slacker blogger lately. Ever since Paris things have been crazy. Speaking of ... I promised a blow-by-blow of our Paris trip, so here goes:

We made our first travel error when we got to the airport and realized we hadn't even checked to see if our flight was on time. It wasn't. It was late. Oh well.

Travel error No. 2: I should have taken some Tylenol PM because sleeping on the plane was not an option for me. Mom was able to get a little shut-eye. Breakfast was a croissant and yogurt.

When we arrived in Paris we got our Metro and Museum passes at the airport. We also got 200 Euros at the ATM which ended up being about $300. We took the Metro into the city. We got our first taste of how much walking we would be doing in and out of the Metro stations when we arrived at the Charles de Gaulle Etoile stop where our hotel was. Lugging our suitcases up the zillion steps was exhausting. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel Arc de Triomphe - a beautiful hotel a few blocks from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. I got my first-ever feel of real jet lag when we arrived at the front desk. When I leaned over to sign my name I started getting woozy from the lack of sleep, caffeine, protein, etc. All I wanted to do was sleep, but knowing we had such a short period of time to see so much, I pushed through the exhaustion and nausea.

We decided taking the Metro out to Versailles would be a good first day adventure because we could rest on the half-hour trip out of town. After having to backtrack from taking the wrong train, we arrived in the little town of Versailles. It was about a 15-minute walk to the Palace. Walking up to the front was a little disappointing because the construction blocked a large part of the facade. (At this point I would insert a photo, but I'm realizing this could make for the longest post in blogging history, so I'll just link you to all the photos here. Leave a comment if you want the password and I'll send it to you.)

Although the Palace was fabulous, I was starving, exhausted, already had sore feet, and the thousands of tourists were shoving us through the rooms. So ... I would like to see the gardens in the spring or summer and see Marie Antoinette's palace. Maybe next time!

We left the Palace in search of a place to eat. We passed the most adorable little patisserie with the most amazing looking pastries in the window but it was super crowded so mom didn't want to go in. I still wish I could taste those beautiful little macarons dusted with sparkling jewel-toned deliciousness. We walked through an outdoor market and a couple little shops and finally found a cafe that was open: La Brasserie des Tribunaux. We had salad with chevre and something else I can't remember. It was OK.

We walked back to the Metro station and got a little concerned that we didn't have a train to get back for a while. Thankfully, a nice young woman offered her assistance and found us a route back. We ended up getting off near the Eiffel Tower due to a closed Metro station. We decided to go ahead and walk to the Eiffel Tower. I talked mom into going up in the tower since we were already there. We had to wait about an hour in the cold line to go up. Unfortunately our ticket seller didn't know what was on each floor so we only went up to the first floor, I really wish we had seen the second. My fear of heights probably would never allow me to go to the third floor, or top. It was too late to send a postcard postmarked "Eiffel Tower" so we got a yummy hot chocolate and bought a few trinkets and headed back to the hotel.

OK, that took way longer than I thought so we'll just call it Day 1. Stay tuned for Paris: Sunday.

Our hotel

2008-02-14T17:26:00.000-06:00

Isn't it pretty!?!

Leaving on a jet plane

2008-02-14T14:28:00.002-06:00

We leave tomorrow at 12:35 for Paris. Lenny got sick so the concert was canceled, but we still get to go on the trip. I'm trying to finish everything up at work so I can get out of here!!

Yesterday I won six T-shirts from Sobe. There was a box waiting for me when I got home.

I'll post pics when I get back. Au revoir!

I'm still shaking ...

2008-02-06T16:42:00.000-06:00

I just won a trip to Paris.

I KNOW!!!

Got this email this afternoon:

Emily –

Congratulations! You have won the trip for two to see Lenny Kravitz in Paris, France on February 17^th, 2008! To accept this prize you and your guest must have a valid passport at the time that we speak and be able to travel in 10 days. You have until 10am CST on Thursday, February 7^th to contact me and claim your prize. Should you not contact me by 10am CST tomorrow I will have to pick another winner to take this amazing trip.

Please call me at XXX.XXX.XXXX to claim your prize!!!

Thanks!

Lindsey Wright

Promotions Coordinator

KYKY / Y98 Your Music

Somebody pinch me.

It's the final countdown

2008-02-04T17:36:00.001-06:00

I added two new countdown tickers to the bottom of my blog. They countdown the days until Donna Downey's Inspired Artist Workshop and Creative Escape. I'm beyond excited for these two events.

I love the tickers ... I may be doing more for all the other fun things coming up this year ...

We survived Monday! luv, em

Book me a flight.

2008-02-02T23:35:00.000-06:00

Book me a flight to NYC because I MUST visit this store. How did I not know about it before? I'll take one of everything on the site, please. Tinsel Trading, here I come.

And while I'm there, there are a few other places I've been dying to check out:

Dylan's Candy Bar (owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter)

Magnolia Bakery (there's a red velvet cupcake with my name on it)

ABC Carpet & Home

Little Mermaid on Broadway

Muji

Southern Hospitality (Justin Timberlake's BBQ joint)

Mood Fabrics (Hello! Project Runway) (and Hello! notions now on their Web site!)

I'm sure there are more I can't think of right now ... to be continued ...

luv, em

A card from Hallmark

2008-01-30T17:46:00.001-06:00

The folks at Hallmark sent me one of "my" cards with these lovely sentiments the other day:

Sittin' up in my room ...

2008-01-28T13:44:00.001-06:00

More peeks into my room:

Sparkly "Dream" hanging from Paper Source

Bathing Beauties canvases from a now-closed store in Maplewood,
Elizabeth House, hang over my bed

I go this at a little boutique in Chicago, Francesca's in Lincoln Park.

I have a few posters on the back of my door,
this one signed by Brandi Carlile last year at the Pageant.

This key with hooks is also from Francesca's in Chicago ... all my necklaces are hanging from it. Just got those yummy red beads at Dress Barn, believe it or not!

Happy Monday! luv, em

Win this cool book.

2008-01-28T10:10:00.001-06:00

Catherine Mathews-Scanlon is giving away a copy of her new book on her blog. Check it out!

I seriously need one of these.

2008-01-25T00:13:00.001-06:00

USB Sushi

Having Fun frame

2008-01-22T13:00:00.000-06:00

I put this frame together last night. It will eventually hang from a ribbon. There are two holes near the top for the ribbon, but I haven't found the perfect one yet.

Supplies:
Wood frame from little shop at Warrenton Outlet Mall; Autumn Leaves Mod patterned paper #37092 Blackbird Firefly; Autumn Leaves by Rhonna Farrer French Twist rub-ons; Nicole Lombardo die cut; Mod Podge; Prima flower; Jenni Bowlin journaling spot (?); Button Sensations by Blumenthal Lansing Co. #6003 Brights (bought in Wal-Mart fabric department); Bo Bunny Clover Bodacious brads #BBCL952

My Crafting Space

2008-01-22T12:45:00.000-06:00

Here's a look at the desk in my room where I craft/scrapbook ...

Light from Ikea, desk from JC Penney, desk pad from Stampin' Up!:

My Clip It Up:

Ribbon in jars from Ikea and buttons/pens in jars from POM tea:

Magnetic board made in a class at my LSS, For Keeps Sake:

Shelf from Hobby Lobby, "Because I Love You So" made in a class by Tammy Tutterow at FKS:

Top tier of my Clip it Up:
luv, em

Treasure Box

2008-01-21T12:58:00.000-06:00

I bought a little box on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $2, and altered it to make this Treasure Box.

Comments are appreciated! Happy Monday, em

Seeing Red

2008-01-16T10:04:00.001-06:00

My top-ten prize pack arrived from Hallmark yesterday. Check out all the yummies:

But BEST of all ... the cards!

This article ran on the back page of our employee newspaper, BJC TODAY:

Aunt Paula sent me this super soft robe, it rocks:

It's not every day you get to come home to so many goodies.

How sweet it is

2008-01-15T17:13:00.000-06:00

My co-worker, Donna, brought me this yummy treat Friday, how cute is that? Laura brought me a fabulous pastry also (forgot to take a pic, dern.)

The number of email responses I've received since the contest is crazy! Another thank you to everyone. luv, em

Perspective

2008-01-12T16:47:00.000-06:00

What can the Global Fund provide in Africa with the $4,750 that it will receive from Hallmark? This amount can cover the cost of antiretroviral treatment for one year for 20 people living with HIV; provide 450 rapid tests to detect HIV and deliver instant test results; cover the cost of 2,083 single-dose nevirapine treatments to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child; and provide a year's worth of school materials and daily hot meals for 10 children orphaned by AIDS.

Source

So close ...

2008-01-11T15:44:00.001-06:00

Final results:

Thank You

2008-01-11T13:28:00.000-06:00

Click to enlarge.

Last day

2008-01-10T15:22:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day to vote for my card. I'm currently in first place with 27% (the second-place card is at 25%). Voting ends at midnight. Please help me hold onto the lead!

Thank you for hanging in there with me. Looking forward to tomorrow ...

luv, em

PS ... Pretty roses my grandpa got for me yesterday:

Another shout out ...

2008-01-09T13:20:00.001-06:00

in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Metro section. See it here.

or ...

Designs on first place

By David Hunn

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

01/09/2008

CIVIC (GREETING CARD) DUTY

You have two days left to help Eureka High alum Emily Barklage win a national competition. Barklage, a local graphic designer, is one of 10 finalists in Hallmark's greeting card design competition. Card sales benefit (PRODUCT) RED's fight against AIDS in Africa.

But hurry. Voting ends Thursday, just before midnight.

(As of Tuesday afternoon, Barklage was tied for first.)

Go to www.hallmark.com/you.

Thanks for noticing Grandpa!

The race to the finish

2008-01-09T09:56:00.001-06:00

So I've been going back and forth with Erin for first place. Thanks to everyone who's been calling/emailing/texting to keep me posted!

Maybe this will help ... they did a short blurb in the Tri-County Journal. I'm not sure if it's in the actual paper or just online.

Two more days of voting. Let's do it!

luv, em

Show-Me St. Louis segment

2008-01-07T18:23:00.000-06:00

Thank you Sue, Carla and Gary for making this video finally happen!

We did it!

2008-01-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

All the hard work is paying off ... I'm currently tied for first! We are literally dancing around my office.

I got these awesome congrats flowers from Aunt Paula and Uncle Sonny last week:

I never get flowers! What a pleasant surprise.

I will hopefully have a link to the Show Me St. Louis interview for you today or tomorrow.

My old boss wrote a story about me that was posted to our employee intranet today:

Employee’s greeting card design gets national recognition
Creative services team member is top-10 finalist in Hallmark competition
by Patty Johnson

As part of the BJC creative services team, Emily Barklage puts her design skills to work each day, creating brochures, posters, invitations and other materials for several BJC hospitals.

But it’s a project Barklage created in her free time that’s getting some national recognition — and creating quite a stir locally.

Barklage, a BJC employee for 10 years, is one of 10 finalists in the “your (Hallmark) competition,” the first in a series of create-your-own-card contests. She was chosen as one of the 10 finalists in early December. Since then, she’s been featured on KSDK-Channel 5’s "Show Me St. Louis," highlighted on the KSDK Web site and other local sites, and mentioned in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“I’m overwhelmed by all the attention this is getting. I’m truly grateful to the community for their support,” Barklage says.

The contest highlights Hallmark’s partnership with (PRODUCT) RED™. Created by U2’s Bono and Bobby Shriver, chairman of DATA, the (RED) campaign seeks to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund, which helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa, by partnering with iconic brands to create (PRODUCT)RED-branded products and donating a percentage of each product sold to The Global Fund. (For more, see related story, below.)

The Hallmark contest was based on the theme of “connecting” and (PRODUCT) RED. Entries were then judged — based on representing the theme, creativity and ability to be sent for multiple occasions — by representatives from Hallmark and (RED)TM.

“For years, Hallmark consumers have approached us with incredible ideas for greeting cards, and we love that passion,” says Tara Morrow, Hallmark creative and editorial vice president. “As a company built on creative expression, we wanted to see what might happen if we provided an open-invitation opportunity to our fans to create whatever’s in their hearts. They didn’t disappoint. It’s been inspiring to see the unique, amazing ways they interpreted the (CONNECTING)RED theme.”

Barklage — who created a card featuring a photo of two friends’ daughters with the words "kind(red) spirits” — says the inspiration for her design came easily.

“I started thinking of word plays on the ‘red’ theme, and I thought of ‘kindred,’” Barklage says. “Then I started thinking of images, and I remembered a photo that I took of my friends’ little girls.

“I looked up kindred, which means having the same belief, feeling or attitude — and I thought it was perfect. It depicted the ‘connecting’ theme for me,” Barklage says.

The 10 finalists’ designs are posted on hallmark.com/you, where consumers vote daily for their favorite design through Jan. 10. Barklage’s design has been holding steady in third place.

“I owe a lot of thanks to my parents, friends and my co-workers, who’ve told everyone they know to vote for me,” Barklage says. “All these people I don’t even know have been voting for me every day.”

The entrant with the most votes Jan. 11 will be named the grand-prize winner and will receive $2,250, with Hallmark matching that amount in a contribution to the Global Fund. The winning card will also be sold online for a year.

The 10 finalists each received a box of their cards, as well as $250, with Hallmark matching that amount in a contribution to the Global Fund. In addition, the 10 designs have been made into Hallmark cards available for sale on hallmark.com through February. Like the entire Hallmark (PRODUCT)RED collection, 8 percent of net wholesale sales of these cards will go to the Global Fund.

For more information, or to see Barklage’s greeting card design, visit http://hallmark.com/you.

Patty Johnson, pattyjohnson@bjc.org

What’s with all the (red)?

Created by U2’s Bono and Bobby Shriver, chairman of DATA, (RED) seeks to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund, which helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa, by partnering with iconic brands to create (PRODUCT)RED-branded products and donating a percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold to The Global Fund.

To date, of the $49.8 million received by the Global Fund from the sale of (RED) products, $30.8 million has flowed directly to Global Fund financed grants in Ghana, Rwanda and Swaziland. In these countries, this money is helping to finance comprehensive national HIV/AIDS programs led by the ministries of health, to provide antiretroviral treatment for children and adults, to assist in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and to provide counseling and testing to reduce the overall risk of HIV transmission.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was established in 2002, with the support of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the world's leaders, to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases. Since its creation, the Global Fund has become the dominant financer of programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, with $8.4 billion invested in 136 countries.

In five years, the fund has achieved substantial results. As of September 2007, Global Fund financing has provided:

* 1.1 million people with treatment for HIV and AIDS
* 9.4 million people with voluntary HIV testing
* 1.2 million orphans with basic care and support
* 2.8 million people with treatment for tuberculosis
* 23 million people with treatment for malaria
* 30 million families with insecticide-treated mosquito nets Source: joinred.com

Thanks Patty!

And thanks everyone, I couldn't have gotten this far without you. I can't wait for Friday! Don't forget to vote today: hallmark.com/you

luv, em

Another link

2008-01-04T13:07:00.000-06:00

On my high school's site: Eureka High School.

One week left!!

2008-01-04T13:01:00.000-06:00

So the grand prize winner will be announced one week from today. I'm currently holding strong at third place.

I'm featured on Rockwood School District's home page. Check it out.

Here's a link to the Show Me St. Louis article. I'm still working on getting a copy of the video.

Thanks for your continued support. Please keep telling anyone you can think of. We're so close!!

Watch Show Me St. Louis today!

2008-01-02T11:47:00.000-06:00

I taped a segment for our local NBC show, "Show Me St. Louis" this morning. It will air on KSDK at 3 p.m. today and will re-air at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. You will also be able to see it on their Web site. As soon as it goes live, I will post a link.

I'm not sure what I said, but hopefully they'll make me sound good. It all happened so quickly, I didn't have time to think! Oh well, at least it will get the word out.

I dropped to third place, but my percentage didn't actually drop, the other two just went up. So please keep voting and telling everyone you know! http://hallmark.com/you

Thanks, em

Tied for Second!!

2007-12-30T15:19:00.000-06:00

I honestly never thought I'd get above 9%. I can't believe all the people that say they're voting. It's so amazing! I couldn't have gotten this far without you all.

Third Place!

2007-12-27T23:18:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it! I moved up to third place with 15%!! That's a far cry from the 9% I was stuck at for so long. A big thanks to my parents especially, and everyone else who has been "campaigning" for me.

Hallmark called today to tell me they would be contacting local media next Wednesday. Scary!

Is anyone reading this? Leave a comment if you are!

luv, em

Try again

2007-12-26T14:12:00.000-06:00

The Hallmark site has been down off-and-on today, so if you weren't able to vote earlier, please try again.

I'm still tied for third with 14%.

I thought I'd share some of the crafty projects I've been working on lately.

A little chipboard scrapbook I made for Hannah:

If you want to see the rest of the pages, I'll load an album on my smugmug site. Please leave a comment if you need the password.

This is a frame I made for my desk at work for my little second cousin Jared's photo:

And a matching notebook and calendar for Hayden:

Thanks for all the votes that are constantly coming in. Keep going, we have until January 10. Vote HERE today! Spread the word!!

Thanks, em

Tied for third!

2007-12-25T08:47:00.000-06:00

You guys are awesome! I'm crawling my way up there, thanks to all your votes.

I've been cleaning up my crafting space and making some little projects, so I'll share those on here soon as well.

Enjoy your day off ... but don't forget to vote!!

More Pics

2007-12-21T14:06:00.000-06:00

Staying strong at 13% ... I didn't think it would ever break 10%, so I'm psyched! Everyone keeps telling me all the people they're getting to vote for me, so I think the chain is working.

People have been asking about the photo on the card. Some think it's at the beach but, actually, it was taken at Steve and Jessica's shower, on the baseball field, at the park in Eureka behind the community center. Check out the other cute photos of Madison and Lily from that day:

(I haven't quite figured out how to turn the photo yet!)

Thanks again for voting. Don't forget on the weekend!!

Percentage Rising

2007-12-20T10:07:00.000-06:00

Last night I was in third place with 12%!! Keep those votes coming.

I thought you might be interested in seeing the letter Hallmark sent me when I got into the top 10:

Please vote every day!

2007-12-19T16:24:00.000-06:00

I'm a finalist in Hallmark's first card design competition. Please vote for me daily through January 10 at hallmark.com/you. You can vote from each of your browsers (Safari/Firefox/Internet Explorer/Opera/Netscape/etc!).

Check out the item from last Saturday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch!

The 10 finalists receive $250, with Hallmark matching that amount in a contribution to the Global Fund. In addition, the 10 designs will be made into actual Hallmark cards available for sale on Hallmark.com starting Dec. 28. Just like the entire Hallmark (PRODUCT) RED collection, 8% of net wholesale sales of these cards will go to the Global Fund.

The entrant with the most votes will be named the Grand Prize Winner and receive $2,250, with Hallmark matching that amount in a contribution to the Global Fund. The winning card will also be sold online for a year.

This is what the back of the card will look like:

Thanks for the continued support. Please spread the word!