Wednesday, November 25, 2009

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Holiday News Letter Templates, GLEE, and a Tu-Tu-Tutorial!

NEW RELEASES
I know. I am a little slow at blogging about my new releases. To make sure you never miss new releases because of my poor time management be sure that you are registered for TheDigiChick Newsletter!

Holiday News Letter Templates
Just add your favorite Holiday Papers and Elements to these templates. They have lots of room for you to write a letter to friends and family! I love getting those letters every year!



Mint Tin Templates
My Mint Tin Templates are in the store and ready to save you lots of time creating wonderful mint tin albums for holiday gifts!


BABY MARGIE
Margie got her Thanksgiving Turkey Hair Bow in time to wear it to her Thanksgiving Party at Preschool. Mom volunteered for the class party so she got to take some cute pictures of Miss Sassy!

Seriously. She is the cutest ever. I love her so much.

My parents are taking Margie to Disney World  for her birthday so I made her these cute clips for her hair. the animal print one is for the day they go to Animal Kingdom.





Want your own set? Get all 3 for $10. I haven't updated my etsy stores (I know, I need too!) but you can get a set of these right here!









GLEE

Can we talk for a minute about how this is the best show ever? OK. Lets.



Quinn. She is a terrible person and I can't stand her. Enough said.

Rachel. I love her and I totally relate to her. I am a super enthusiastic person who probably talks way too much and I might have a tendency to be irritating too!

Finn. I just love him. He is so sweet and caring and puts other peoples feelings above his own almost always. I just wish the poor thing was not so dumb. When considering a guys "hot" factor I have a zero tolerance policy for dumb dumbs. My "hot" men have to be smarter than me. Finn is going to get a pass though because he is just so tall. Tall is so good.

Kurt. I love him. I love that he knows who he is. I love that he marches to his own beat. I love that he loves his dad...and I totally love his dad. His dad kind of reminds me of my own Southern Baptist Dad. I don't think my dad would be thrilled if any of his daughters were gay. But it would be OK. He would be uncomfortable with it but he would never let his own discomfort or different opinions get in the way of loving us and supporting us. My dad rocks so much.

Puck. Puck is a PUNK. I want to like him but his refusal to tell Finn that Quinn's baby is his is making me so mad at him. Who does that? Who just rolls over and goes along with someone saying their child is someone else's? I want to whack him. When Mercedes told him not to say anything I was shocked...I mean is anyone thinking of Finn? Geez.

Sue. My favorite. She is competitive and what you see is what you get. If you don't like it, she could not care less. Love that. Not necessarily always the best qualities to have but I get her. The episode with her sister confirmed what I knew all along.

Any other GLEE lovers out there? What about Will and his crazy freaking wife? What's up with the drug dealing teacher? What do you love about it?

MY NEW BOYFRIEND
Shhh...don't tell Mr. Wresh, but I had a new boyfriend, just for a day. The excitement was intense but fleeting. At first everything was good...but then I found out what he was really all about and I realized that we could not be together anymore.

Here he is


He came in the box of chocolates that Jenessa sent us from Germany. Ryan wanted to open this cute little tin so I said OK. He took a bite of one of the pieces of dark chocolate inside and decided he did not like it and handed it to me. I took a bite of it and it was SO GOOD. It had this different taste that I could not quite put my finger on.

It was so good that I ate two more pieces before I closed the tin. I started to do some chores around the house and found myself zipping around feeling kind of euphoric. I wondered what that was about but hey...why question euphoria?

At some point I realized that there was something very different about that chocolate. I went back to take a second look. Everything on the tin was in German but I could get the jist of what it was saying. Basically there is coffee and extra caffeine extract from cocoa and cola-nuts. Then it said that eating 4 pieces of the chocolate was equal to drinking an expresso! I have never had an expresso but I am thinking after eating that chocolate that I might like them.

I guess if I am not supposed to drink coffee I should not be eating it in chocolate either. It was so dang good though! Just to be sure it wasn't going to be around to tempt me, I went ahead and ate the rest. In for a dime, in for a doller eh?

Please spare me the "but you drink Diet Dr. Pepper" all the time. I know. I know. I am a total hypocrite. I can't explain it. Please don't ask me to.

TU TU TUORIAL
One of the gifts I made for Margie's birthday is a tutu! Thank goodness I have nieces...my need to make all things girly would go unfulfilled otherwise.

We made these tutu's at Super Saturday. I obviously had to finish mine at home!

You will need tulle (2 spools of whatever color/s you choose), a piece of elastic, and any ribbons or anything else you would like to embellish the tutu with.



Measure and cut the elastic to fit around the recipients waist. Sew it up.

Cut your tulle into strips that are about 26 inches long. I cut mine about 23 inches because I wanted it a little shorter. If you have a rotary cutter with a smooth blade it goes pretty quickly.

Fold each strip of tulle in half and find the middle.



Put the loop on the inside of the elastic and pull the loop over to the front of it. Then bring the bottom two pieces up and through the loop. Then pull the end pieces down. Adjust the loop around the elastic and start again!





Keep repeating this process over and over sliding the tulle loops down and adding more strips. The more you add the fuller your tutu will be.





I added a piece of pink grosgrain ribbon to mine. I also made a pink felt flower hair clip (see tut in previous post) that I clipped to the ribbon. Now Miss Sassy can wear it on her tutu or in her hair!





BLOG TREAT
I have new treat for you! I created this word art for vinyl I was cutting for an order and I thought it would make a great word art for a scrap book layout too! Enjoy!










Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Two Dollar Tuesday and Welcome TCB Readers!



Here's what I have for you for $2 dollar Tuesday at TheDigiChick.com This regularly priced at $5.99 so you save 67% today only!

If you are visiting for the first time from Today's Creative Blog...Welcome! The Felt Flower Tutorial is in the post below near the end of the post. Enjoy!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

A new template set, FREE mint tin templates offer, birthdays, and a tutorial!

NEW TEMPLATE SET
I have a new template set in the store! Check it out!


This new set called Something Shapely is just $1.99

FREE WITH PURCHASE
This weekend (Now thru November 15) I am offering a free with purchase deal on any purchase made at my store at TheDigiChick that for $2.99 or greater. Anyone who makes a purchase equal to $2.99 or greater will receive a link to my set of Mint Tin Templates!



My Mint Tin Template Set will be in the store next week for $3.99 so this is a great opportunity to get this fun set FREE!

Once I have been notified of your purchase (this happens automatically) you will be emailed a link to your Mint Tin Set.

These templates are perfect for making holiday gifts for friends and family.

Google Mint Tin Scrapbooks

RYAN'S PARTY
Ryan's Party was super fun! There were races, inflatables, Arizona snow balls (flour in socks!), hot dogs, punch, and cake balls!

Our friends, the Koozer's were at the park in our neighborhood celebrating their son Cade's birthday too...so we all played together!

Here are some of our favorite pictures!


Everybody lining up for races


Throwing Arizona Snow Balls


Ryan and his buddy Nick


Having fun on the inflatables


Ryan chasing a giant inflatable


Covered in flour from the Arizona Snow Balls. Love you Ry!


At the end of the party when we were cleaning up Matty sent a blue balloon up to heaven for Aunt Coco. It took me a minute to realize what he was doing and I quickly grabbed the camera. You can see the blue balloon at the top of the picture in the middle. I miss you Courtney. I wish you were here. You never missed Ryan's birthday...ever.

CHASE IS 15
This past week was Chase's birthday! He turned 15 years old. I cannot believe it. I remember so clearly the day he was born. My poor sister just would not dialate and after two days of attempted inductions she had to have a C-Section.

Chase...was beautiful. Truly a gorgeous child and has delighted me and our entire family since the day he came to us. We love you Chaseman...so so much.


Chase talking on the phone with me while he opened the presents from our family.


A new Hollister shirt from Aunt Kimmy and Uncle Mark too!

Chase had a good birthday and besides new clothes got some Hollister Cologne which I suspect was his favorite gift.

They had a special night out to dinner too.


This picture makes my heart sing. All is well.

SPRINKLES CUPCAKES
Remember a post or two back I was talking about wanting a cupcake from Sprinkles. Well, we got some.

I am always disappointed when things are overly hyped...just like Twilight. I swear I was one of the last people to ever read the book. It was aight.

That is kind of how I felt about the Sprinkles Cupcakes. They were pretty and well packaged but all in all, just aight. Truth be told my homemade cake balls are better tasting.

They were fun to look at and we took some to Janet, our paralegal, who we love. That was fun!

If you happen to be in Scottsdale go on ahead and stop by Sprinkles for a cupcake. Just don't make any special trips.


Matty in front of all the cupcakes. He called Sprinkles "The Cupcake Factory"


The frosting and sprinkles were good but the cake itself was just OK. Kinda dry. Whatev...it was still a cupcake!

LUNCH WITH GREAT GRANDMA
I love my Grandma. Seriously. She is so sassy. She cracks me up. We take turns trying to say things that shock each other...I might take more than my share of turns...but she always laughs.

This week we went out to lunch with Grandma, my Aunt Jo, my Cousin Sonya, and her kids Jackson and Taylor. The littles were in heaven...chicken tenders, charades with Aunt Jo and Great Grandma, eating outside, playing with cousins, chocolate shakes, and waaaaay too much orange pop.

It was a good day.

We ate at Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert. It is an experience. Very casual and laid back. Perfect for kids. Most of their seating is outside on picnic table under big trees. Loved it. The food is excellent.

Here are the highlights of our afternoon!


Joe's Farm Grill


All the kids with their Great-Grandma. These are by no means all of Grandma's Great Grandchildren. There are more than a dozen first cousins and more than 2 dozen great grand kids!


Jackson and Ryan! You can totally tell they are related!


Taylor...that nut!


Grandma and Matthew. He LOVES her although he looks a little grouchy at the moment.


Cousins ROCK!


Just one of the many gorgeous trees at Joe's Farm Grill


Chicken Pesto Sandwich. A chicken breast with swiss cheese, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, and pecan pesto. Really good. Really, really, really good!

We ordered sweet potato fries that came with pineapple salsa. Aunt Jo loved it. Try the onion rings and shakes if you go too!

UP TO MY NOSE IN BOWS
I have been happily making more Thanksgiving Bows for the little girls in our family!

Gobble Gobble!


I have also been making Spirit Bows for Princess Kameryn - love you sweet girl!


Spirit Flower Bow

YOU WANT A FELT FLOWER BOW TOO! I HAVE A TUTORIAL FOR YOU!
First off, credit where credit is due to my friend Tara. This is her "flower bow" that she and my other friend Emily taught us how to make!

You will need:
2 pieces of felt
hot glue gun/glue sticks
hardware (clip or pin)
stapler
scissors
flower templates

Here we go!


Using your scalloped flower template cut out eight flowers. Just pin your template to the felt and cut around it. Don't try to mark on the felt. It will show. Also, cut out one of the small circles.


You should have eight of these


and one of these


Take each flower and fold it in half


Then in half again and staple it at the point. No need to sew it.


Now you should have 8 of these folded and stapled flowers


Add a dot of glue to the circle you cut and start arranging the triangles in a circle making sure they are glued down. Also, glue the sides of each triangle together. Be careful not to use too much glue so it does not squeeze out and look sloppy.


You should have something that looks like this


Now add three more triangles on top of that layer with each point in the middle. Glue, glue, glue.


Take your last triangle and fold it in half.


Add hot glue to the inside and hold it until the glue dries


Add a big fat glop of glue to the middle of your flower and add this last triangle right in the middle


(this is the back or bottom) add a pin or hair clip to the back and wear it as a pin or in your hair. I glued mine to a thin elastic hair band (see what I mean about the sloppy glue...I speak from experience)


TADA! Cute, cute, cute!

Thanks for teaching us Tara and Emily!!!

And for all you worriers out there who are like, "Yeah, well that's nice Kim, but I don't have a template."

I gotcha covered. Here you go. There are four templates on the sheet and it is an 8.5x11 so you can just print it right off! :)



BLOG TREAT
A template for you to enjoy! Look what I made with it!





Have a great weekend!









Monday, November 9, 2009

The Happiest Day All Year!

November 2, 2009.

It was the happiest day of this whole year. Our attorney called to share the news that the Judge had made his decision. He ruled in my parents favor and they now have sole custody of my niece Margie.

So many thanks to all of you family, friends, and all of my scrapping/crafting world friends who have offered your love, support, friendship, and most importantly...your prayers. Thank you so much.



God is good.

Kit: Danielle Engebretson "Pink Cashmere" coming to TheDigiChick.com on 11/12/09
Template: Kim Wresh "Something Shapely" coming to TheDigiChick.com on 11/12/09



Thursday, November 5, 2009

DSD Weekend and a Wresh Family Update! Sweeeet!

DSD WEEKEND
Ah yes...Digiscrap Day...which we have of course turned into a full weekend at TheDigiChick.com! Hurry, run, and check out my store at TheDigiChick. Everything is 35% off!

Most of my template sets are on sale for $1.94 and my hybrid templates are only $1.24. Very groovy.

Here are some of my favorite products that you might want to pick up!













AND NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULAR BLOG ENTRY (yes there is a blog treat at the end!)

Where to begin...ah yes...

RYAN IS 7
Ryan's birthday party is actually this weekend. Since it falls so close to Halloween there were other parties, school functions, and various activities that made last weekend a bad choice.

Saturday is his birthday party. It is a track and field party. Think potato sack races, three legged races, egg on a spoon races, relay races...you get the idea. For refreshments we are having hot dogs, punch, and cake balls instead of a cake at Ryan's request!

We did celebrate on Ryan's actual birthday. We went to town and visited Dad's office and then went out for Mexican food. Yum. Dad had balloons at his desk for Ryan too!



Later that night when Dad got home we had cake and Ryan got his birthday present. An Air Hog!



I remember when I was little telling my mom how much I loved her...then she would tell me she loved me more...and I would argue that it was not possible. My mom would just smile and tell me that I was wrong...that there was no way that I could love her more than she loved me and that I would never understand that until I had a child of my own.

Well mom is right. Like always. I never really understood until this little boy came along. I love you Ryan...to the moon and back. Happy Birthday Boo.

CHOCOLATE FROM HEAVEN
Have you ever had one of those days that was just really crappy. You know...you just want to even kind of revel in it...just roll around in your own misery. OK, maybe not. Maybe that is just me. Anyway, I digress.

I was having one of those days last week. I was miserable and doing nothing to bring myself out of it. And then I got the mail.

There was an unexpected box. I don't know about ya'll but around here we lurrrrrve "Special Deliveries". Especially if it is a surprise. And it was! My sweet friend Jenessa (who lives in Germany) sent us another box of chocolates! Yummy European chocolate and other fun treats all the way from Germany.

It changed my mood immediately. Not even because I had a replenished supply of smooth chocolate (I can be a snot about chocolate...American chocolate is too waxy)...but because someone thought of me.

It changed my mood because I am realizing more and more how God uses us all as His instruments to act as a comforter on His behalf. I thought of the time that it took Jenessa to purchase the chocolates for us, pack them up in a box, go to the post office, send it off. That was really nice. It made me feel cared for by not only Jenessa, but by heaven. I know that when we serve one another we serve our Father in Heaven. I can't help but think heaven put a bug in Jenessa's ear. Thanks J. Love you.




The boys with all the goodies from Auntie Jenessa in Germany (anyone who sends you a box of treats gets instant "auntie" status!)

JOEL IS LIGHTER BY 4 WISDOM TEETH

We know what you are thinking. Walrus.

Joel had to have all four of his impacted wisdom teeth pulled last week lest they jack up his new grill. Ouch. He opted to be knocked out and when they woke him up he looked STONED. Of course I messed with him all the way home.

Part of messing with him meant taking this picture with my cell phone and plastering it on my facebook page.


One of my friends commented that I was mean for posting such an...unfortunate...picture. Little did she know that the kid changed his profile picture to this one!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
There was lots going on this Halloween so I will start down South and work my way West!
Chase is not interested in dressing up anymore so he and his cousin Brennan sat on the porch at Grandma's House in Homestead and passed out the candy to all the little trick-or-treaters.

My mom and dad live in a really nice neighborhood with a private street. Lots of people drive specifically to their neighborhood to go trick-or-treating. The police have to block off the entrance to the neighborhood and people park on the main street and walk in.

My parents and their neighbors (I am guessing there are maybe 40 homes in the neighborhood) all decorate their yards for every holiday and Halloween is no exception. They go all out!

Margie wore her Snow White Costume. My niece Emma was a Bee and Jenna was a Fairy! SO CUTE!



My boys were...well...what else...Pirates!



I ran into my friend Natalie at the Fall Festival at Ryan's School. Look at her headband.
She is ALWAYS the cutest!



And finally, our Pumpkins. A friend of mine said they thought we probably did some really intricate carvings on our pumpkins. Nope.

The pumpkins are for the boys! They drew their designs on the pumpkins with markers and then we cut them out!

Matty wanted his pumpkin cut out sideways. Who does that? I love that he didn't care what the norm was and did things HIS way. That's my boy!



There was a Halloween Dance for the Youth too!


Joel and Hillary at the Halloween Dance.

Mr. Wresh was working the night of the dance and I needed to be there to chaperone. Since I didn't have anyone to watch the littles I took them with me. Joel taught Ryan The Macarena! I tried to upload the video of it but it was taking two million years to load. I got bored and canceled the upload. FYI - it is hilarious!

WARM FUZZIES

We made a Warm Fuzzy Jar :)

SPICY CHEESE PUFFS
This is my friend Jolene's recipe. I modified it a little for my family. There must have been a vegetable in it or something.

Package of "Scoops" Corn Chips
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 pound of Pepper Jack Cheese
1 egg

Mix the cream cheese and pepper jack together until smooth. Add the egg. I used my Kitchen Aid. Use whatcha got.

After you mix it all up drop a teaspoonful into scoops chips and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

They were a hit.



SUPER SATURDAY
Most Mormon Women like to craft. OK...NEED to craft. It is in our DNA. Resistance is futile. Crafting is our crack.

So...once a year we all get together and craft our little faces off on a Saturday morning that we call Super Saturday.

A committe of women is put together and a variety of crafts are made available to sign up for. You pay for your supplies and show up!

We had LOTS of crafty goodness this year. Here are some of the highlights!


These cute pumpkins are super easy! Cut out a circle of fabric and place a full roll of toilet paper in the center. Pull the fabric up and tuck it into the middle of the rool. For the stem roll up a bit of kraft paper and stick it in the middle. This will keep your fabric in there too! Now add some raffia and leaves (just stick them in there) and you are done! You don't even need to sew or glue any of it! Sweet!


Cute Modge Podged Frames (Hybrid Anyone?)


Tutu's (Margie is getting one too!)


Cute purse made from old pants!


LOVE LOVE LOVE this fabric flower hair clip. I am going to make them for my nieces but I think I am keeping this one for myself!


And look at me...I SEWED! I made both of the littles a cape. It has Bateman on one side and the other side is red with a Superman Logo! They turned out pretty dang good!

I am so proud of myself...I am learning to sew! Yay!!!


Of course there was food. Lots of it.

BLOG TREAT
I hope everyone has a great DSD and finds LOTS of deals! I know there are a few things I have been waiting to pick up! Here is a little something for ya'll to scrap with! Have fun!



AND I LEAVE YOU WITH
This picture of Matty...just because it is stinking cute!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

It's Ryan's Birthday!


It is my baby's birthday! Where did 7 years go? I cannot believe how fast he has grown. I still remember the night he was born. You know. The 23 hours of labor followed by an emergency c-section. Life is never fair.

But then he was here and perfect...and gorgeous.

I remember the hospital was very full the night I had Ryan and they kept moving me around. They moved me to a floor where there were sick patients and my mother (who is normally quite passive and demure) had a big fat hissy fit until they put me in a SUITE on the Postpartum floor. I am not kidding. My room was huge.

While all this was happening my sister was in the nursery happily rocking her new nephew...for hours. She called him "Brown Eyes" and was smitten with him from the day he was born. I mourn the loss of the love she always showed them. Their lives will be less rich because of it.

Today I did what any responsible mother would do. I let Ryan stay home on his birthday. He gets to eat what he wants and play video games all day. This afternoon we are going to have lunch with his dad at his daddy's office. He loves that.

Ryan's birthday party isn't until November 7th so we need to party a little today too.

Tonight Ryan picked a very special dinner. Velveeta Shells and Cheese (GAG) and there will be a cake and presents.

Ryan has a little present for you too!

Just for today there are SEVEN items at TheDigiChick in my store that are priced at just $1.00. At midnight tonight the sale is over so hurry and see what Ryan has in store for you.

The cute frame above was created with elements from Kelley Mickus's kit CLICK