Latte love

One thing I love more than coffee is Miss Lattebella! When I saw her, like a few other Bellas, she just spoke to me. "I'm coming to Maine, I'm coming to Maine," she chanted and true to her word, she ended up at my house! I love lime green and bright orange together and when I laid eyes on this paper, I knew it was meant for my Lattebella. And I can't leave out my cuttlebug and Devine Swirls folder. I think it added just the right touch. Kind of like steam coming out of the coffee cup! But as much as I love her, I love coffee better!

I have a latte love for coffee. Can't help it. I haven't always liked the taste of it, but I've always loved the smell. I remember being in the kitchen when I was young and seeing Mom started cranking on the can opener and seeing that big deep blue can off Maxwell House coffee going round and round. She would get close to the end of the opening and then you'd hear "Pop" and the aroma of ground coffee would come floating out. Aah, that takes me back. My dad was a coal miner and we always had strong coffee going for him in the morning that Mom would put in his thermos. I'd lay in bed and just take a whiff of the smells in the house. Strong coffee, eggs being fried and hot buttered toast. Oh, makes me hungry just thinking about it!

Now coffee comes in either bags or plastic cans with a vacuumed seal on the top. No more pulling out the can opener and hearing the steady thud of the can rolling around. Just a pop when the seal is pulled off. About the closest thing you can get to that old aroma is if you grind up the whole beans yourself. Somehow it's not as tramatic a buildup as opening the can, but one thing they can't take away is the strong smell of that bean all squashed and ground up. Aah. I think I'll run downstairs for another cup!

I need your sweet inspiration...

I know I just posted a card with Rockabella on it last week, but please bear with me for a couple of minutes. While I was putting this card together, several people came to mind for different reasons. They all have brought inspiration to my life on one way or another. Let me tell you about a couple of them.

I worked with a wonderfully free spirited woman named Tessa. She was the receptionist for the school and was the first person anyone saw when they entered the building. She always dressed to the hilt, wore colorful scarves and tops and top of the line perfume. And she could dance! Man, did Tessa love to dance! Didn't matter if she had a partner or not, she'd just do it! She fought cancer once before and about two years ago, it returned. She went through chemo and lost her hair. She just put on some of the greatest wigs and scarves around her head and trucked right on. I made her a hat and it was one of the first things I'd made other than a scarf that I gave to someone. One day she'd put a pin in her hat, the next time it may be a flower. You never knew what it was going to be, but it was always a class act. A little over a year ago, Tessa had to go out on disability because cancer returned and she needed to be home to fight it. She would come to work not feeling well, never ask us to do anything for her, help her in any way. She has a spirit and determination that just will not be broken. I love her dearly and for the Christmas party this year I knitted a scarf and hat and who won it - Tessa! There's no one else I'd rather have won it than her. This outrageous card so suits Tessa and her quiet fighting spirit. She so rocks in life and my life is better for having her in it.

The other people who inspire me are the kids in the band - Branden, Ben, Justin and Ryan. These kids went all the way out to Vegas to participate in a Rock Wars. While they didn't get as far as they would have liked, they drew the crowd to them, had people cheering their music and voting for them, and a couple of the bands that were in the top cut couldn't believe that they were there and Black Bridge Band wasn't. These kids networked, made friends, met people, kept their dignity, used it as a learning process and even picked up a couple of extra gigs for the year. They are going after their dream and that's so inspiring for me to see it sets my creative juices in motion. They make me put my big butt down in a chair and write. Watching them pursue something they want so badly inspires me to go after my dreams of making and selling my cards and getting back into writing. Remember Black Bridge Band. You'll be hearing their names and music. If these guys ever needed a rocker chick, I think she'd be something like this rocker. Guys, you so rock!

So for those about to rock and give me all that sweet inspiration, I salute you!

I am Siamese if you please...

If you haven't noticed, I love everything Disney. My favorite shows are their beautiful animated movies. Peter Pan (with of course, my Tinkerbell!), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, I could go on and on. One of my favorites is Lady and The Tramp. I always wanted a cocker spaniel and since I love cats, the Siamese cats have always been on my wish list. They looked so sleek, elegant and classy. And they always got into trouble. But their song stuck in my mind, "We are Siamese, if you please..." Every time I think of cats, that song pops in my head.

When I discovered Pink Cat Studios, I knew which cat plate I had to get first. This little beauty just jumped into my basket! I saw her, sang the song and couldn't wait for her to get to her new home. While I was waiting for her, my local scrapbooking store got the greatest paper in, Russian Journey by Dove of the East. I bought the gold background paper from someone moving and looking to get rid of some of her cardstock and the old olive and red ruby come from Stamping Up. I colored her with my Prismacolor pencils and blended her with OMS. She was one of those cards that just goes together. Didn't take any thought. I just sat down, and there she was. I hope you enjoy looking at her as much as I enjoyed presenting her. If you listen closely, you'll hear her song. "I am Siamese if you please..."

My Hagrid

This little hunk of dynomite makes me happy! My Hagrid, who was one year old a couple of weeks ago, brings a smile to my face every time I see him. He's half yorkie and half bichon and has the greatest personality. I think he looks like an old soul.

One of the reasons I love him so is because he loves me to distraction! There can be a thousand people around and this little guy will find me no matter where I happen to be. All he wants is my time, attention, and love. And all I have to do is feed him and take him out. Oh, and chase him every Saturday morning. We sleep in and when he gets out, a family two doors down has a beautiful husky that they put out in the yard and Hagrid has to go and play with him. No one has told Hagrid that he's only about 9 pounds and just a bit over 18" long. He doesn't have any fear and thinks he's off to a wonderful adventure. That's until I catch him and then he's crate bound for a bit of time.

Just wanted to share a bit about my little spot of sunshine. Now, enjoy the rest of the day. I promise not to post anymore!

Just My Style!

Having a friend that's a lot like a sister is one of life's gifts and I've been blessed by a few. Lucky, I know. The Man Upstairs always looks out for me even when I don't watch closely for myself.

My dear friend, Lynn, and I get together as much as we can. We've raised our kids together, worked together, lived two door down from one another, followed each other (with our families, of course) in the military from location to location, and now it seems have pretty much retired together. We stamp, cross-stitch, knit, eat, laugh, bowl, you name it and we do it together. Yesterday we got to spend the afternoon together browsing through the craft store. I was anxious to get to the Cuttlebug and stamping section, but she made us start on the opposite side of the store and look through everything before we got to the best part! We had such fun looking through everything, but when we got the the stamping and scrapping side, we were in heaven! After the craft store, it was off for a late lunch. And once again, we saved the best for last - Strawberry Cheesecake with whipped cream and other than spending the day with my dear friend, it was just my style.

Oh, about the card! Lynn and I came up with this by using the SU Hostess set, "Houte Couture." I love this set because it's so sassy, but it's also girly. Pink and brown are two of my favorite colors together. They're girly but have a certain earthy tone to them so I think it's the best of both worlds.

Thank God for your dear friend, friends, or family. He always seems to meet our needs and it's always, Just My Style!