Baby Shower Centerpieces

Recently, I helped out with a friend's baby shower. Today, I wanted to show you an example of the cute and affordable centerpieces that I created for the event...

Here is a photo of the supplies I used. Not pictured: scrap paper to cover the cans. I also used a few doilies, newspaper, and scraps of lace and ribbon.Here is a photo of one of the finished cans...
And another...
And here is a close-up of some of the pennants. As you can see, I simply attached the pre-made Girls Paperie embellishments to the front of a Martha Stewart die cut with foam tape. I inserted a wooden skewer (found at your local grocier) and added ribbon. If you look closely at the bottom right one, you'll see I wrapped the wooden skewer with pink masking tape. Yet another use!



No two were alike! I ended up making 10 of these for about $18 (because I used paper and ribbon I already had.) Not bad, eh? I hope you're so inspired to go out and create something fun today as well...

Special thanks to Jamie Pate, who used those veggie cans and inspired me to want to hoard them. :)

Enjoy your day!

New Lamborghini Wallpaper

new lamborghini wallpaper

Princess Berta Coloring Pages for Kids

Princess Berta Coloring Pages for Kids

Top Speed Of Reventon Is More

Top speed of Reventon is more

Chalkboard Bubbles

Found this for $1.99 at Michael's, and I had to share. I picked one up a little larger from Etsy a while back, and it was a lot more expensive. Nice to have for photo shoots or reminders, or when your kids need to suck up to their parents. You can see other creative shots using them here and here.

Enjoy your day!

Book Review: Beatrice Munson

Book: Beatrice Munson

Genre: Chick Lit / Contemporary Fiction / Women’s Fiction

Author: Lorena Bathey

Cover Critique:

The cover is quite simple and gives an impression of a hand-made drawing. Though it makes sense after reading the story, it definitely has room for improvement. I like the whole concept but maybe bright colors would have made it more attractive and eye-catching.

Review:

This is a story about Marissa Lyons, a divorced woman in her forties with two kids, which made me think that why is the book named after some other character? Well, I found out soon as we get introduced to Beatrice in the first chapter. In the opening scene, we see Marissa spying on one of her neighbours who have just moved in. This peculiar neighbour is, Beatrice Munson: smart, beautiful blonde and her high-school arch enemy. Why she hates Beatrice so much? Because in high-school, she had a crush on this cute guy named Jeffery, but he chose to date Beatrice instead of her. Hang on, let me tell you that it was not Beatrice’s fault, nor was she “mean” to our "insecure" heroine in any way.

Anyways, let’s move on to what happens next. Years later, she still holds that grudge against Beatrice and fears that she will steal every one’s attention due to her impressive personality and beautiful looks. With those negative thoughts and just a smidgen of self-esteem, she bakes some delicious cupcakes (her mom’s favourite recipe) which is just a great excuse to meet her and find out why she has landed in her neighbourhood and more importantly, in her life again.

Soon, we are surprised to see that Marissa has not only forgotten about her hatred, she is also totally captivated by Beatrice’s charm. Looks like, Beatrice has moved her magic wand and Marissa is under the spell as she finds her an epitome of all-good. Is that because Beatrice’s crazy, adventurous and exciting life, makes her feel small in front of her? Does she envy her for being so passionate and daring and wishes secretly that she could be like her and follow her dreams? Read the book to find out!

This book sucked me right in with its warmth, passion and high dosage of good humour, along with ample twists and turns to keep me hooked from first chapter till the very last pages. The characters are drawn in such a way that you feel like they are part of your neighbourhood and like your friends with whom you can share your secrets and feel comfortable. In spite of their faults, they are well-rounded, realistic, relatable and extremely adorable.

The writer has kept a very candid and frank style throughout the story which made me feel as if I was reading someone’s private diary, written without inhibitions and with utter honesty. Though this book is Lorena’s first novel, she is successful in involving the reader into her fictional world of memorable characters so much that the readers lose track of the real world around them. I think this speaks volume of her calibre as a writer.

The book is aptly named after Beatrice whose character is like some sort of “guru” or a “revolutionary spiritual leader” who has the power to convince people and bring a positive change in their lives. She makes things "happen" rather than just sitting and dreaming about them. She infuses this spirit in the whole neighbourhood with her presence and ideas.

There is Marissa, who lacks confidence and guts. She does not want to take charge of her life but soon, she finds herself acting on her long-lost passion of photography by opening a studio and joining a newspaper as a journalist. Soon, all the ladies of Vista Heights: Andrea, Lily, Deidre get spontaneous and the whole neighbourhood catches “Beatrice fever”. They start embracing opportunities lying in front of them, thus explore and widen their horizon.

The book is a joy-ride full of excitement and nervous energy. It reminded me of Katy Perry’s upbeat song, “Firework”! There is lot of activity going on, which keeps the story fast-paced. It also delves into the various aspects of divorce, marriage, flirtations, friendships and much more but in such a way that it does not burden the reader; instead it is heart-warming and enlightening. There are laugh-out-loud funny scenes, especially the one with drag queen parties. I was stumped by Lola Rau’s character and wanted to read more and more of her. There is a lot of mention of yummy food, which made me hungry, looks like Lorena is fond of tasty treats! *smiles*

Apart from fun surprises, there is also a rape scene. But it has been written in a very mature way and it did not make me gag, so I think the writer pulled it off neatly.  I loved this book as the story reached a satisfying climax and gave many underlying messages as well. Well done Lorena! I would love to read more of Lorena’s work in future too. Highly recommended!

Review Girl Rating: 9.5/10

“I would like to thank Lorena Bathey for sending me a free copy of her book, Beatrice Munson for the purpose of reviewing it on my blog. To buy this book on Amazon, click here. You can also buy this book from her website, by clicking here.” 

Summer Layouts

I have incorporated a method for documenting the season of summer for each of my children's albums. It utilizes either a single or double page layout spread with multiple photos highlighting the busy season. It works best, I find, for summer, because of the nature of the events, being outdoors, and the number of stories that the summer brings into their lives

Today I want to share a few of those layouts with you. As well as an inside look to my approach to each.

Summor08 is from the middle daughter's album. I formatted these photos on photo paper, and printed them in the grid fashion, leaving some open spaces for embellishments. This is one of the easiest ways to mass photos out for a layout, if you have a home printer. Summer08 houses 27 photos. I utilized bullet point journaling in the hand drawn journal lines. This layout just took no time at all.

This is the next year's layout for the same daughter. Not as many photos, but a great overview on the summer for her. I formatted each of these photos the same size. Cropped each one, then attached to the background paper in a true grid. Again, a few open spaces for some words and embellishment. This time I printed the bullet point journaling and cut and glued on the page.

This double page spread lines the various sized photos across the two pages. This gives you an idea of how to use two pages. I could have added even more photos and filled in the bottom portion of the layout. Many options to play with when you want to get a lot of photos out to show off.

And here is a sneak into a layout for the August gallery...a great opportunity to use fun and summery colors to show off oldest daughters summer of ten. Notice I keep the emphasis on the photos so that my kids can relive their story, and add just a bit of color and items to give it the extra touch it needs. My daughter is moving into the age where there is more emphasis on style and pretty. So I wanted this layout to reflect just that. It just keeps things simple so that I can tell each of my kiddos their story of the season.

Side Note: The kit for August is perfect for telling stories from summer's past as well as summer current. And many of the stickers are just perfect for July4. I used the massed out photo sketch for our July4 layout story. But you'll just have to wait till the gallery goes live to see that.

Have fun documenting your summer. And remember...keep it simple and doable.

Paralized Dance.

Chocolate Raspberry Charlotte Royale Bombe Glacee

This beautiful Chocolate Raspberry Charlotte Royale Bombe Glacee is nothing short of a work of art! Jana, from Cherry Tea Cakes.com, created it in answer to a challenge. The challenge was to complete a bombe similar to a recipe found at Taste of Home, but with a major twist that created the "challenging" part of this challenge. The participants were required to make each layer of this ice cream bombe from scratch; from the ice cream, to the Swiss rolls, to the chocolate fudge sauce. What an ambitious endeavor! I think Jana did a splendid job!

Lamborghini Reventon.

Lamborghini Reventon.

Hd cars wallpapers

Hd cars wallpapers

Racing cars wallpapers

Racing cars wallpapers

Classic car wallpaper

Classic car wallpaper

Car wallpapers hd

Car wallpapers hd

New car wallpaper

New car wallpaper

Spiderman: One More Day

One More Day was event in the Spiderman comics. It proved to near-universally panned.

The basic plot is that Aunt May is shot (the bullet was meant for Spiderman). So, Spiderman seeks the help of the greatest scientists in the Marvel Universe, who can't help a bullet wound. Mephisto (the Marvel stand-in for the devil) offers Spiderman to save Aunt May exchange for his marriage with Mary Jane and agrees on the ground the Mephisto will erase the memories of Spiderman revealing his identity.

This event was praised for it's art, but criticized for it's writing. I haven't read it, but I have a few questions: 1. Why can't the greatest scienists in the Marvel Universe mend to a bullet wound? 2. Why does Mephisto want their marriage and not their souls? 3) How can Mephisto do this? He never shown any powers remotely like this before.

My source was Wikipedia.

Looking for the Finest Airport Car Rentals

The next seminar will be held in Adelaide and Brisbane. It can be confusing to rent on the site will be available. Join the club for many business people are confused to find viable options on the Internet. In the passages below, I will discuss here some of the factors so that they are in such difficult situations. This example is simple and straightforward. Just need a push in the right direction should be sure to find some of the best cars in the country.

The most important factor is to understand that - you will find outstanding achievements possible. Excellent service and competitive prices, they go hand in hand - if you think in this direction, in some pleasant surprise. You must have access to some resources from which some of the best cars at the airport in the country. For example, you realize that you dramatically reduce costs in the position of Blue Chip cards you or members of a membership card NRMA;

Some of the best Airport car rental also helps customers who are members of the Club Car. Keep your credit card in good standing, so that you can access them easily. Search for suppliers of services, the integration of these programs only. Many rental car now support these cards, we see that they are beginning to support these cards have to stay in business. Another factor described is usually issued by some car rental companies. Look at the seasonal events (often seen as special offers, car rental) on the official website of the organization.

Read these suggestions of the lease. Some of them may be used by you. It is best to use the services of the airport car rental companies that seek an international presence. They allow greater flexibility for customers who travel to other continents as part of their business. In addition, it is also advisable to spend time searching for a company that is a sufficient number of offices within one country. It comes and goes in the car in a distant place pure waste of time and can interfere with performance.

Airport car rental must be prepared to serve the corporate segment as well. For example, if a meeting of senior company will be held in the country, it is important that the same organism must be equipped luxury coaches. Participants can be safe transportation throughout the country. In fact, we work hard to be cheaper in the long term, not to hire individual cars for each participant. Offering provides broker must be dynamic in nature. Search services for early birds before the book is often only the rental of popularity.

Car Rental France is 38 Major car Brand Suppliers with Unlimited Mileage! in 125 Countries, Over 17,000 Locations with Airport Pickup services and GPS Options at Cheapest Price Guaranteed! It's also offers compare rental deals to get cheapest car rental. Find cheap car hire in France and book online with car rental France. To Search more visit: http://carrental8france.com/

Lamborghini Reventon Gallery

Lamborghini Reventon Gallery

Hot Fudge Sauce

Here is a video that demonstrates how to make Hot Fudge Sauce.


Old Fashioned Hot Fudge Sauce
Recipe from USA Fire and Rescue

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1  1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium size saucepan add sugar, corn syrup, cocoa, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it starts to boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave.

Parity

I am here to admit that I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do with the tags that were included in the July kit.  They were really adorable kraft die-cut tags with numbers so the first idea was to create a list of some sort.  I could

• paint them using acrylic paint.
• mist them and create some patterns on them.
• decorate them with patterned papers and dress them up. 
• outline the numbers and journal on them. 
• cut tiny photos and place them in the space on the tag. 

I thought about

• a top-ten list, or a top-nine list, heck a top-eight list, you get the idea. 
• using them as some kind of school layout as in 123, ABC...  
• stringing them together and create a banner. 
• putting together in a straight line and create a border. 
• punching out the numbers and forget the rest of the tags...

In the end, in the process of arranging and re-arranging and arranging again...  the title came to me, a cheerleading chant I learned in 8th grade before I knew what cheerleading was... "Two, Four, Six, Eight, Who Do We Appreciate?!"  Then I knew what I was going to do with the tags and what my title would be...

Now that you have seen how I arrived at my layout title, there are the other tags left waiting to be used: "Oddly enough," "The Odd Couple," "The Odds Are," "Against the Odds," "Defy the Odds!"

Lastly and very importantly... Long Live Mathematics!

• Even =
• Odd =

Ramen Noodle Salad

The only trick to this easy meal is it needs to be made several hours or the night before your event to taste perfect.

Ingredients:
1-2 packs slaw
green onions finely chopped (approx 1/4 cup or less)
1/2 cup toasted seeds (sunflower or almonds--we use both!)
2 packs ramen noodles (chicken flavor) broken into small pieces
3/4 cup oil
1 tbsp pepper
4 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
1 of the chicken pack flavorings in ramen noodle package

Directions:
Pour, Toss, and Chill!

Additional tips:
Best chilled over night, so the ingredients really absorb the flavors. YUM!!

Special thanks to my dear friend Jen, who makes this for me whenever I ask. :)

Why public Like Car Rental Deals?

I know, I can tell you if I say I want to do a good job on something. You will not take long to explain why he had car rental are some of the most important things you can participate in buying a car offers. Some people are doing their best to find the best car rental deals, while others are more willing to pay the normal price of advertising. But did you know that your company name followed by the word voucher you want and you can find the best price offer. This is just one way you can easily get cheap rental cars.

There are many other methods you use to get the best deals on rental cars can be a little known fact, ask the company that offered at the time of the proposal. Many organizations have a special, if you're ready to get the car for a week or rent just to have for the weekend. Prices may vary and change depending on holidays or during peak hours in summer, you never know how much it would cost to rent a car, but you can also try to get the best prices on rental cars.

Does not worry if a company offer you a high price for a car to get; there are always more opportunities than I could believe it when we see the car for you. You can also tell a choice between two different ways, for example, on a tight budget and you want the cheapest possible car that you want to rent a car, as the economy and try to get better at it, but, on the other site also has the opportunity to hire Car offers something more. You can go to the office and request a luxury car budget expenditures or hybrid style. You'll be surprised how many companies or organizations that are willing to make these changes, if required. It can be special and will never say, when asked who would have thought?

Regardless of which method to find all the love and get his mother for good things do not go the full price for something that you can get a discount calculated? I know you prefer a luxury car, not a car and driving style, budget, or you just want a budget car look even cheaper than say they are. The most important thing to learn is not afraid to ask, there are many options when it comes to car prices!

Car Rental France is 38 Major car Brand Suppliers with Unlimited Mileage! in 125 Countries, Over 17,000 Locations with Airport Pickup services and GPS Options at Cheapest Price Guaranteed! It's also offers compare rental deals to get cheapest car rental. Find cheap car hire in France and book online with car rental France. To Search more visit: http://carrental8france.com/

2011 Lamborghini Reventon

2011 lamborghini reventon

Dondurma~ aka Turkish Ice Cream

Dondurma is the Turkish word for ice cream. Turkish dondurma though, is different from the ice cream we eat here in America due to special ingredients that make the ice cream "chewy" and more resistant to melting. Dondurma is made from milk (usually goats milk), sugar, and two added ingredients which create it's unique texture and flavor: salep flour, made from the the dried tubers of wild Orchids, and mastic, a resin obtained from the Mastic tree. As this special ice cream mixture is frozen and churned by hand or machine, it develops into a dense, elastic mass similar to the way bread dough is kneaded to develop it's gluten and form an elastic dough. The final product is so firm that it is served with a specialized paddle and is often eaten with a knife and fork. If you click on this link, you'll see some amazing pictures of this unique ice cream. (It takes a minute to load, but don't give up, the pictures are worth the wait.)

The most popular dondurma is the maras dondurma from the Kahramanmaras region which is said to contain more salep than usual. Vanilla dondurma is said to be the favored flavor, although it is also said to not really taste that much like vanilla.

Controversy surrounds the production of salep dondurma since the wild Orchids from which the salep flour is made are being used up faster than they can grow. Export of salep flour from Turkey has been banned and the flour is used exclusively within Turkey other than that which is smuggled out.

Another unique characteristic of dondurma is the way it is sold by street vendors. Traditionally, vendors play games and tricks on their customers as they serve the dondurma. The following is a video of a Turkish dondurma vendor having some fun with a customer.



Sources: Wikipedia  New York Times  Turkish Cooking Everyday   Cooking Issues

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

My Scrappy Pins

I thought I'd share some of my pins from Pinterest today. I have lots of categories, but I thought I'd share my board called "Scrappy." These are images that I thought could someday be used on a scrapbook page.

Here they are, in no particular order...

I thought this was a clever twist on the ever popular banner:

I love the sentiment and the lettering on this one:

How fun are these hearts. They seem like they'd be easy to do:

 I love how they put the date inside the wheel:

These handmade flowers are so beautiful. There's a tutorial on how to make them here.

Magnets made from maps--but how cool would it be to use maps for chipboard buttons?

I thought this quote would make a good title page for an album.

 

Thanks for letting me share some of my pins. And let me know if you use any of these ideas on a scrapbook page! I'm going to make an effort to use one of these ideas with my August WIP pages.