April 2014 Wrap-Up and Monthly TBR

Hop on over to Booksessed to participate.

April's TBR Pile (6/10):

1. J's pick: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury √
2. Nonfiction: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling √
3. Fluffy romance: Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano √
4. Freebie: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
5. Classic: A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
6. Book club selection: The Thirteenth Tale by Diana Setterfield √
7. Carry-over: Wicked by Gregory Maguire √
8. Contemporary YA: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
9. Story Collection: Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
10. Added: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff √

Picture Book Roundup (I'm not planning on reviewing the picture books we read, but I do plan on recording them monthly for my reading challenge)

• We didn't read any new ones this month...

1,000,000 Page Goal

Monthly Total: 1616 pages
Pages Remaining: 826,700 pages

Current Read - The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Books Won (0)

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Challenges Completed  -- None yet

Comments - Decent month.  Not the greatest and I often found myself crafting instead of reading.  I need to carve out more time to read.

May's TBR Pile:

1. Classic: The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Book club selection: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (iPad)
3. Carry-over: A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
4. Contemporary YA: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (iPad)
5. Story Collection: Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
6. Series pick: What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
7. Adult Contemporary: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
8. Mystery Pick: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
9. Monthly Key Word (Star, Light, Never, Princess, Break, Clear): Ember by Kristin Callihan (iPad)
10. Read-a-Long: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro (ipad)

Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano

Title: Gentleman of Her Dreams (Ladies of Distinction #2)

Author: Jen Turano

Publisher: Bethany House 2012

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 80

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Women Authors; Read Your Freebies; Lucky No. 14 - Freebies

When Miss Charlotte Wilson asks God for a husband, she decides He must want her to pursue Mr. Hamilton Beckett, the catch of the season. The only problem? She's never actually met Hamilton. Fortunately, one of her oldest and dearest friends, Mr. Henry St. James--who has returned to New York after a two-year absence--does know Hamilton. Much to Henry's chagrin, Charlotte immediately ropes him into helping her meet Hamilton. However, none of her plans to catch Hamilton's eye go as she expected, and she is even more confused when her old feelings for Henry begin to resurrect themselves. In the midst of the mayhem Charlotte always seems to cause, she wonders if the gentleman of her dreams might be an entirely different man than she thought.This novella is a companion to A Change of Fortune.

Silly little romance novella, but I love them occasionally.  This one was telegraphed from the first page.  And yet, I'm fairly okay with that.  I liked the main characters.  I liked the cute little story.  It was an enjoyable small novella.  I might need to pick up the third book in the series.

Ladies of Distinction

• #0.5 Gentleman of Her Dreams
• #1 A Change of Fortune
• #2 A Most Peculiar Circumstance
• #3 A Talent for Trouble
• #4 A Match of Wits

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Author: Mindy Kaling

Publisher: Three Rivers Press 2012

Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir

Pages: 222

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure; Ebook; 52 Books - W18; Read Your Freebies; Well Rounded Reader -- Media

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly! In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

Quirky, but not amazingly funny.  That's my incredibly short review of this book.  I was slightly disappointed but the lack of laugh-out-loud moments.  I really appreciate Kaling's comedy writing, but it just didn't quite translate to the book very well.  It's not a bad book, but not a great one either.

Quote Wednesday -- Schweitzer

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. -- Albert Schweitzer

Arthur: 28 Weeks

J came back from Romania this week, but Arthur is still all over the place in terms of mood and schedule.  I hope that since everyone is where they should be he settles down a bit.

Likes: Computer cords (always seems to find them), tags to chew on, splashing in the bathtub

Dislikes: Being barred from crawling into certain areas of the house, not eating what J and I are eating, 5:30pm (his witching hour)

Sleeping: After sleeping 12 hours through the night, he is back to waking up at least once.  Some nights that 11:30pm.  Some nights that 2:30am.

Eating: Anything and everything.  Yesterday, I have give clementine slices and he loved them.  Immediately grabbed them, stuck them in his mouth, and sucked out all the juice.  Since I have an entire bowl on the counter, these will be a daily food for awhile.

Playing: With things that he shouldn't.  But also with a ton of his toys.  Most things he turns into teethers.  He's especially loving having his monkey to sleep with at night.  I can hear him "talking" to his monkey before finally falling asleep.

Doctor Visit Stats: We finally made to to the doctor for his 6 month checkup.  The office had to reschedule us twice because of doctor issues.  Thankfully this time went much better than his 4 month visit.  He only cried during the vaccinations.  And even that only lasted until I picked him up.

• Height: 28 1/4"  (96th percentile)
• Weight: 19lb 10oz (83rd percentile)
• Everything else normal and on track

Medical Milestones:

• Sitting unassisted for longer periods: Check!  He can go about 30 sec to a minute before flopping over.
• Feeding himself finger foods: Check!  Really getting the hang of eating puffs.
• Getting teeth: Check!  He now has both bottom teeth.  I know because he bit me the other day when I was helping him get a puff in his mouth.  Ouch!
• Working on fine motor skills: Check!  He's working on manipulating toys (and not toys).
• Separation anxiety: Check!  He has no problem if I leave him with another adult.  He just hates being left all alone.  Makes it really hard for me to use the restroom.

Schedule:In terms of eating and sleeping, he is all over the place right now.  We still try to get him in bed by 7:00pm, but some nights he talks to himself for at least 30 minutes after that.

Out and About: It was a busy week

• VW Dealership (take care of our key issue)
• Shoreline walks
• Playdate at Mariposa Park
• Sunnyvale Storytime
• Lots of shopping errands
• Doctor's office
• Playdate at Rengstorff Park
• SFO to pick up daddy
• Farmer's Market

Music Monday -- Bastille feat. Angel Haze "Weapon"

Ran across this video the other day and immediately fell in love.  I need this song! 

Spring Into Horror -- Starting Line

Goals:

• Read three books
• Read the first readalong section of The Strain
• Review all books read
• Read at least 1000 pages

TBR PIle:

• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling (in progress)
• Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano
• The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (pg. 1-93)
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
• What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
• Ember by Kristin Callihan

Sunday Sunset #11

Book finished: How I Live Now

Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

On the Nightstand: Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano; American Gods by Neil Gaiman; The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Making Lists: Meal planning and grocery list.  Now that J's back home, I need to take another look at our meal plans.  Trying to mix a few favorites with a few new recipes.

Around the house: After my crafting open house yesterday (fun times!), there is crap everywhere.  I don't want to throw all the crafting supplies back into the office without a plan.  I need to pull all my retired SU products.  Decided whether I want to keep said retired products.  Prep to sell those I don't want.  And organize what I am keeping.  I also need to take a bit of inventory to help me destash.  I feel a bunch of RAKs being packaged soon...

Farmer's Market Finds: We headed down on Saturday to stock up on sausages and popcorn.  Yum yum!

Watching: Now that J's back, we'll probably start catching up on all the currently airing shows from the last two weeks.  Last night we caught up on Workaholics and Cosmos, but that's it.  I'm sure we'll be watching more TV this coming week.

Wondering: What are the best business strategies for my new crafting venture?  I'm starting to form a business plan...

From Nature: It's been warm and sunny, it's been warm and breezy, it's been raining, and it's been cool and cloudy this week.  Every time we had time to introduce Arthur to the pool, it was either too cold or raining.  Hoping the weather stays sunny and warm next week so we can finally get down to the pool.

Shopping Scores: Obligatory Michael's visit.  I run in to get snail, and look at all the stuff I bought!  (Not shown: Door prizes for my crafting open house yesterday).  I grabbed a cute desktop organizer that fits some of my PL cards, snail, pack of Amy Tangerine designed cardstock (really good weight), and the Inspirational PL Theme Pack.

I also received two RAKs in the mail.  I'm especially loving the alphabet stickers.  Can never have too many of those.

I received my PL Rain partial that I ordered from the FB group.  So pretty! Finally I have some cards with purple in them.  And I finally picked up a partial Midnight kit.

This past week I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  That also means that I had to order my starter kit.  $125 worth of product for $99!  I got my total down to having $0.25 left.  I'd say that I spent my money wisely.

• Island Indigo Ink Pad -- How do I not own this ink pad yet?  I have the marker and adore the color.
• Glue dots -- I use these a ton.
• Glue sticks -- Bought for classes and workshops.
• Embossing Buddy -- I have no idea where mine disappeared to...
• Polka Dot 8" x 8" Album -- Thinking about making this my Daily December album for this coming year.
• Green Dot 6" x 6" Album -- Not sure what to do with this one yet, but it was on clearance for a great price.

•  Letters to Santa DSP -- Clearance and retired, but such a cute pattern that I couldn't resist.
• Epic Day This and That Stickers -- To go with the journal.  I already own the washi tape.
• Blender Pens -- Been wanting these for awhile.  Figured I should finally buy them.
• Basic Black Ink Pad -- My black ink pad is on of the old designs.  I know they've reformulated the ink, so I thought it was time for a new one.
• 2013-2015 In Color DSP -- I really need to highlight these gorgeous colors more.

I also put in my April club order to snap up some retiring items.  All the items from my April club order are retiring and all but the markers are now completely gone.

• 2012-2014 In Color 12x12 Cardstock
• 2012-2014 In Color 8.5x11 Cardstock
• 2012-2014 In Color Markers
• Primrose Petals Reinker
• Gumball Green Reinker
• Summer Starfruit Reinker
• Midnight Muse Reinker

And finally, I made another $150 order to get my 30% off in the first 45 days.

• Birthday Cake Stamp (Retired)
• Rich Razzleberry Ink
• Calypso Coral Ink
• Mosaic Madness Stamps
• Mosaic Punch
• Dimensionals
• Daydream Medallions Stamps
• Subtles 8.5x11 Cardstock (2 packs)
• Project Life Card Collection -- not pictured
• Project Life Accessory Pack -- not pictured
• Project Life Stamps (both sets) -- not pictured

Project: I'm currently spending my free time either crafting or working on my craft business and blog.  Lots to do!

Picture: Love this little boy!

The Strain Readalong

From Castle Macabre:

Welcome to the information and sign-up post for The Strain Read-a-Long! We will be reading the book in May and June in anticipation of the FX network series which starts in July. Want to win a copy of the book? Giveaway details at the end of the post!

Here is the reading and post schedule. I've also decided to host two Twitter chats at the end of May and June. Hashtag will be #thestrainRAL

First reading section:  Pages 1 - 93 (starting with The Legend of Jusef Sardu)

First discussion post goes up here at Castle Macabre: May 16

Second reading section: Pages 97 - 207  (starting with Awakening: Regis Air Maintenance Hangar)

Second discussion post goes up here at Castle Macabre: May 30

First Twitter chat: Friday, May 30 at 8:00pm CT/9:00pm ET (#thestrainRAL)

Third reading section: Pages 211 - 290  (starting with The Old Professor:Knickerbocker Loans and Curios....)

Third discussion post goes up here at Castle Macabre: June 13

Fourth (and final) reading section: Pages 293 - end  (starting with Replication: Jamaica Hospital Medical Center)

Fourth (and final) discussion post goes up here at Castle Macabre: June 27

Second Twitter chat: Saturday, June 28 at 9:00pm CT/10:00pm ET (#thestrainRAL)

I have the book and have been meaning to read it for forever.  With the release of the television event in July, this readalong is the perfect way to knock the book out.  I'm hoping to finish the first section this week during the Spring Into Horror Readathon.

Spring Into Horror Readathon

Woohoo! I'm always excited for the readathons from Seasons of Reading.  I definitely will be joining this one. Now to go make my TBR pile and goals.  I'm thinking about starting The Strain readalong early...

The Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon is almost here! It's coming to put some scare in your Spring on Monday, April 28 at 12:00am CST through Sunday, May 4 at 11:59pm CST (adjust times according to your time zone). Now don't let the word 'horror' scare you away. You only have to read one scary book during the duration of the read-a-thon. However, that book can be horror, paranormal, thriller, mystery, etc. The rest of the read-a-thon, you can read whatever you want. More horror/scary stuff or just your regular reading repertoire. As always, this is a week long read-a-thon, but you can join in and read whenever it's convenient for you. It's all about being laid back and getting some reading done...with a little bit of scary thrown in.

As with all of my read-a-thons, I will not be hosting any mini-challenges. We like to focus on the reading here. However, if anyone else would like to host a mini-challenge, you are more than welcome...just let me know. If you know someone who would like to donate a prize, or authors, if you would like to promote your book through the read-a-thon, please contact me via the contact form in the menu above. We will also have some scheduled Twitter chats. I will announce the times in the starting line post. Our Twitter hashtag is #SpringHorrorRAT

You do not have to have a blog. You can sign up using your Goodreads, Twitter, or Facebook accounts.

Bout of Books is just around the corner...

I'm so excited for the next Bout of Books readathon.  Last time, I was constrained by baby and home commitments.  This time I still have baby, but he's a little less demanding than he was at 3 months.  Plus, I am going to have a game plan going in instead of just winging it.  My goals post and TBR pile is my next step...

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. 

For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

FF #15: Gold Dust Woman

I spied this dress on polyvore and had make an entire out around it.  And then "Gold Dust Woman" by Fleetwood Mac popped into my mind.  While I would never actually wear this outfit, it does appeals to me.  I love the paisley pattern on the dress and the varying textures of the accessories.  Very stunning!

Gold cocktail dress $25 - desireclothing.co.uk

Giuseppe Zanotti heel booties giuseppezanottidesign.com

Oasis gold handbag $34 - oasis-stores.com

Kenneth jay lane jewelry $135 - net-a-porter.com

Oval earrings thesak.com

Videos Galore

Too funny!  I'm a little ashamed that I probably have some odd search inquiries here and there from my past. 

So friggin' adorable!

Looks pretty stupid, but I'll watch just about anything with The Rock in it.

A little video about the Oxford Comma... a little nerdness for today. I almost always use the Oxford Comma.

Looks like a cute movie

Quote Wednesday -- Fosdick

Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have. -- Harry Emerson Fosdick

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Title: How I Live Now

Author: Meg Rosoff

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books 2004

Genre: YA Fiction

Pages: 194

Rating: 3/5 stars  Movie: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Women Authors; Library Books; 52 Books -- W17; Books to Movies

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

I feel like this one was a good book but I read it too late in life.  It's definitely made for a teen.  I kept thinking like an adult and it just didn't connect to the characters or the story.  Plus, the style bugged me.  First person narratives are very hit or miss and I'd say this one was a miss for me.  But I can definitely see how this novel could appear to many teens out there.  Daisy is a typical teenager.  She doesn't act older than her actual age of 15.  She doesn't respond to situation like adults.  She has moods and identity issues.  She struggled with the teenage angst.  I can appreciate a young adult novel that actually features a young adult.  I just didn't get sucked into the story and characters.  Not a bad book, just not one for me.

Movie:

I liked the movie a whole lot better than the book.  They aged Edmund and Daisy up a bit (not so scandalous).  They changed other things here and there.  But they kept the focus on the survival of the characters.  I liked this Daisy much more than book Daisy.  She still seemed like a teenager, but not quite as whiny.  I also liked how they had a few little scenes the movie touched on her mental health issues, but didn't dwell.  Instead, we see a great gradual transition brought on by the war.  Plus, the cinematography was just gorgeous.  Glad that I actually decided to watch the movie after my so-so reaction to the book.

Arthur: 27 Weeks

J's still gone this week for work, so it's just Arthur and I.  After our car adventure this past weekend, we are hopefully back to normal.

Likes: Anything to chew on, mom cuddles (bit clingy this week), his blankets

Dislikes: Playing by himself, not eating fast enough

Sleeping: He's been sleeping straight through from 7pm to 6am.  This is so amazing!  I have no idea what I did to get him there, but I love getting some actual sleep.

Eating: Moving forward with trying new foods.  He hasn't met one he doesn't like yet.  He's especially loving the vanilla puffs.  I even think they're pretty tasty.

Playing: We've had a few fun playdates with our baby friends this week.  He's getting more and more interactive.  He's especially been loving anything that makes noise: tambourine, shaker eggs, rattles.

Medical Milestones: 

• Throwing things (learning about cause and effect) -- Check!  He loves throwing toys and then chasing after them.
• Crawling -- Check!  He's getting more coordinated and faster.  Watch out world!  Arthur is on the move!
• Squirming instead of wanting to be held -- Check!  He holds his hands up to get picked up but once in my lap, he squirms to get down.  It's a never ending cycle.
• Answering to his name -- Mostly check!  He usually looks over if I call his name, but not every single time.

Schedule: While he was taking two consistent naps a day, now I never know when he's going to nap.

Out and About:

• Post office and library for errands
• Storytime at the library
• Shoreline walk
• Joann's for fabric shopping with other moms and babies
• Round Table for mom's stamp club
• VW Dealership for deal with car issues
• Hobee's for Saturday brunch book club

Music Monday -- iPod Shuffle April

1. Raconteurs "Hands" 

2. Damien Rice "9 Crimes"

3. Josh Kelley "20 Miles to Georgia"

Sunday Sunset #10

Listening To: Random iTunes shuffle.  Been rediscovering some of our owned music, especially The Dresden Dolls.

Book finished: The Thirteenth Tale

Reading: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

On the Nightstand: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft.

Around the house: I'm attempting to baby proof the kitchen/living room area before J comes back on Friday.  I've got a few things done, but I still have a few things to finish...

Farmer's Market Finds: After book club on Saturday morning, Arthur and I popped down ti the market to grab some strawberries and kettlecorn.  Yum yum!

Crafting: I have two crafting projects for this week.  I finished my stamp club homework in time for club on Thursday.  I took the sketch and made two birthday cards for some upcoming dates.  No pictures as at least one card is going to someone that occasionally reads the blog.

I also started working on my OSW sets again.  This time I took some SU Twitterpated DSP and created a Valentine's/Love set and a Mother's Day set.  I love the pastel colors.  I even experimented with some inking techniques and embossing folders.

Finally, Pam came over on Sunday for an impromtu crafting session.  She worked on some cards for the Ronald McDonald House and I worked on my OSW Christmas set and Project Life spread.  We also had a lovely chat about being a Stampin' Up demonstrator, the catalog reveal event, and convention.

Watching: A few random shows for just me.  A few random movies that J has watched but I haven't.  And a few videos on the internet.  Mostly, I've been crafting and reading this week instead of watching anything.

Shopping Scores: I've bought a ton of things in the past two weeks and they're slowly being delivered.

I snapped up these cute little cloth makeup bags on an Amazon deal.  I'm sure I'll find a use for them.  I don't have much makeup, but they could be cute mini crafting bags or to be mini purses for inside the diaper bag.

Tons of baby proofing supplies.  I bought cabinet and drawer locks, a sliding lock for the bifold closet doors in the boys' room, a stove lock, a lock for the fridge, a cute new washable playmat, a fencing system, and a fence for the hallway.  The playmat is part of my new crazy play space plan.  We don't ever use the balcony off our the master bedroom.  So, I bought a broom a few weeks back and set to cleaning it out.  We get a horrendous amount of dust settling from the trains passing by.  It took me forever to get it mostly gone.  Next step is to wash off the chairs and existing outdoor rug.  Then I plan on using this cute new mat to create a temporary outdoor play space for Arthur.  It will be nice to have an alternative to the middle of the living room.  I just need to remember to always fold up the playmat to reduce the dust collection.  The fencing in front of the entertainment center seems like it will work, but I still need to find the final position and anchor it to the walls.  Plus, it's currently upside down.  Oops!  I put it up and realized my mistake yesterday.  Good thing it's not secured yet.  And after getting all this I realized that I forgot a toilet lock and a cabinet door lock for the boys' bathroom.  Shoot!  More shopping for me.

One of my PL FB groups alerted everyone to the fact that Amazon had discounted the Olive Core Kit to ~$10 last week.  It's an older kit that I've been tempted to buy before, but have always gone for the newer ones.  For $10 I couldn't resist.  I also found both Childhood Kits (Wellington and Bridgepot) for $5 each.  I am getting quite a PL card collection.

PL cards from FB Swap and Shop group.  I snapped up a partial Turquoise (right side) and a WRMK Memo (left side).  Wow!

Various PL and scrapbooking supplies from Rukristin. She was having a huge PL destash sale.  I bought a huge grab bag and then went on to grab some alphas and her Currently stamp.  I might start doing the "Currently" cards monthly, potentially weekly.

New clothes for Arthur.  Almost all of the summer wear that people bought us are too small for him.  Target was having a great buy 1 get one 50% off Carter's sale.  I snapped up two cute nautical outfits.  I also bought him a swimsuit and swim shirt and an outfit from Old Navy.

More PL supplies... like I need any more.  But Target got a WRMK set in stock that I didn't own.

Finally I received my last two PL Swap and Shop deliveries: partial Jade and partial Cinnamon.  I'm really digging Jade's more subdued color palette and Cinnamon cards can act as great neutrals to spreads.

Project: A whole new business adventure!  I recently (as in Wednesday) became a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  I've been thinking about this for a while, but didn't know if I could actually follow through.  With the announcement of a partnership between SU and Becky Higgins' Project Life, I felt that the time was right to make my move.  I'm super excited to work on my business and my contact.  As part of my new venture, I have started a crafting-specific blog.  It's not quite ready to reveal to everyone, but I am currently working behind the scenes for a May debut!

Picture: Happy Easter from my little bunny!

Crafts of the Week

This past week I've been working on two crafting projects.  Here's a look at them.

Stamp Club homework from the sketch:

 I ended up making two birthday cards, one for my mom and one for my grandpa.  They share a birthday!  I dug through my ribbon and washi box and pulled out the scrap of blue ribbon and my new gold glitter tape.  Then I riffled through my scrap box to find papers that would coordinate.  I love how they came out!  I'm especially excited about creating a masculine card that doesn't have a sports, fishing, hunting, or outdoors theme to it.

Utter fail!  I sent these cards before I actually took pictures of them!  Oh well.  Here are my supply lists, just in case you wanted to know...

Supplies:

• Stamps: Up, Up Up in the Air (sentiment)
• Inks: Cherry Cobbler
• Cardstock:  Retired SU DSP, paper scraps
• Accessories: Gold glitter tape
• Tools: Scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

Supplies:

• Stamps: Up, Up Up in the Air (sentiment)
• Inks: Cherry Cobbler
• Cardstock: Retired SU DSP, paper scraps
• Accessories: Retired SU ribbon
• Tools: Scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

Valentine's Day/Love and Mother's Day OSW sets: 

I grabbed this sketch from InkyPinkies and went to town cutting two 12x12 DSP sheets.  Once I got them cut, I started pairing pieces to card bases.  Unfortunately, I realized that the pieces cut would not make 12 complete cards.  I would have to add other DSP pieces or something else.  Obviously if you look at her examples, she used other paper pieces to complete the cards.  Oh well.  I just combined the paper to make 8 cards for each set.  Then, I cut some more DSP from full sheets to add layers and embellishments to make 12 cards for each set.  After making one complete set, I talked to my mom who requested I send a batch of Mother's Day cards for the shop.  So I actually made two Love sets and two Mother's Day sets.  Crazy crazy...  but they do look great.

Valentine's Day/Love Set:

• Stamps: Retired SU stamp (sentiment), Perfect Pennants (heart)
• Inks: Primrose Petals, Riding Hood Red
• Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Smoky Slate, Twitterpated DSP
• Accessories: Heart washi tape
• Tools: Swiss Dot Embossing Folder, 1 1/4" circle punch, Petite Petals punch

Mother's Day Set:

• Stamps: Random Mother's Day stamp
• Inks: Riding Hood Red, Island Indigo, Basic Gray
• Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Smoky Slate, Twitterpated DSP
• Tools: Embossing Folder

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Title: The Thirteenth Tale

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Washington Square Press 2006

Genre: Literary fiction

Pages: 406

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 21st Century Women Authors; Mount TBR; Women Authors; 52 Books -- W16; What's in a Name -- Number written in letters

All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist.

The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.

As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

The first chapter, I was wary.  By the second chapter, I was intrigued.  By the third chapter, I couldn't put it down.  This book and storytelling style reminded me of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books.  And I absolutely adore his book.  They and this novel are great stories, but also amazing love letters to books and storytelling.  I immediately connected with Margaret and her love of books.  My dream would be to own a book store (unfortunately there's not much money in it).  I would love to surround myself with dusty tomes containing amazing worlds and people.  Back to The Thirteenth Tale... I enjoyed the slow unraveling of the story.  I loved Miss Winter's "no questions, telling it in order" approach.  Sure, we all wanted to know everything up front.  But the story itself needed to be told in order so that the reader (and Margaret) could truly understand Miss Winter and her life.  At times, I had to slow myself down.  Instead of rushing to find out the next secret, I wanted to savor the story.  Setterfield has a way with words.  They just seemed to melt off the page, slow and luxuriously.  If I could write like that, I would be perfectly happy.  I won't give away anything, but the secrets revealed were definitely the icing on the cake.  Now I feel like I need to pick up Setterfield's new book...