Cooler weather is here! At least for a brief moment. It was quite lovely this morning with a slight coolness in the air, as well as very low humidity. When it's been in the 90's, any slight change feels really nice.

 Here is the most recent card I created. I've had this idea in my head for a long time and was happy to see it completed. I have another one that is very similar, so I may try to do that as well. All stamps are from Character Constructions. In case you can't tell, the man on the bird is attached with foam tape to create a raised image. In addition to that, one of the mushrooms is also raised.

 
I've already started working on some holiday projects, since I have a swap and want to get things in the mail early (to avoid the PO rush). It's hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner!

My weekend plans include putting away all the indoor Halloween decor and putting up some Thanksgiving themed items. I was hoping to get to that last weekend, but it never happened. This evening, Past and Presents(a little piece-o-heaven gift store near my house) will be having their Holiday Open House. Every time I go there it is like a little mini escape. Her taste is impeccable, with a great selection of antiques mixed with vintage-feel gift items. I am really looking forward to seeing all the lovely things she has purchased and maybe finding a treasure or two. I am also planning to hit a big flea market at the Senior Center to see if I find anything I can't live without.

Last evening, Miss B and I hit a big college fair at the Broward Convention Center. She found several colleges she liked and plans to do a bit more investigation to determine if they could be places she may want to apply. One of the colleges she was most excited about was this one, and it has nothing to do with Project Runway being filmed there (I don't think she even realizes that yet). She also spoke with a rep from Hofstra (actually the same rep she spoke to last year at her school's college fair), and still has a strong interest in this college too. *Special note to Aunt Terry...we saw Purdue, but she decided not to check it out since she is not interested in math or engineering. I tried. *Special note to Dave W: We did check out Marshall and talked to a really nice rep about their journalism program. Took some literature from there too. It was also fun to run into some friends we knew from Elementary school that we haven't seen in years.

So...anyone watch Project Runway last evening? Anyone surprised by who is going to Bryant Park? It turned out exactly as I expected, and I do believe the designers are very talented and will all create some wonderful garments. Can't wait for the finale, but I will be sorry to see it end. I'm thinking that Irina will be the winner (but her "I'm better than everyone else" attitude is really annoying), but would be happy with Althea or Carol Hannah. So, tell me...what do you predict?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Created a little collage of Halloween creations from this year and last...ENJOY!

Miss B should now be finished with her quarterly exams, and ready for a little R & R...unless Mr. History Teacher has assigned a new project. She is also looking forward to getting her SAT scores today. Keeping my fingers crossed that they are good.

Got a chance to watch Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was kind of fun and the story/adventure reminded me a lot of the Indiana Jones films. Brendan Fraser was as likable as ever, and some nasty piranha fish were rather scary (at least when they first came on the screen). If you enjoy adventure films, you may want to check it out. I was seriously bummed that Mercy and Glee were on on last evening, but I did finally track down the Sundance channel and remembered to watch Man Shops Globe. I really enjoyed seeing how Keith Johnson gets his inspiration and finds so many interesting things for Anthropologie. I will definitely keep this on my "list of things to watch regularly". As an added bonus, he was in The Netherlands and Belgium, which was so fun to see (since I am of Dutch decent).

Finished my second fall themed hanging, and of course I remembered AFTER I was done that I was planning to use a different background paper. UGGG. May have to make a 3rd one. Started another new idea for a card/collage, but probably won't get back to it until the weekend. Shot some photos of the hanging (and a few other things) this morning, so hopefully I can edit and share with you next time.

So, have you seen the totally adorable houses that Charlotte Lyons has been teaching how to make??? Well, she put some kits up on Etsy and I just couldn't resist. Can't wait to receive mine and get started! I plan to start it after I finish making my Christmas tree quilt. Quilt status: cutting is complete, and now I am sewing together my rows. Oh, and I also ordered my calendar for next year too. I've been using them for the last couple of years and totally love the look and the size.

Well, gotta run. Hope your Thursday is Terrific!!

After having temps in the 90's for the past 13 or so days, we were thrilled to have a cool front come way down south. Now, it may not seem like a cool front to some, but here in South Florida, if the temps dip below 70 we are quick to whip out the boots and sweaters. Gotta take every opportunity to wear them while we can! It was actually in the 50's this morning!!! WOO HOO!

In addition to the cooler temps, we were quite the busy family this weekend. It was a big release weekend at work, so I had to be ready to assist with any issues related to our changes, but thankfully I didn't get any calls. Love it when that happens! This meant that Mr. Mark and I were able to attend the antique show at the senior center on Saturday am. This is one of my favorite events because the vendors always seem to have some great stuff, and it is close to home. As you can imagine, we did not walk away empty-handed. I'll try to take some photos of our purchases so I can share. 

 I was able to get home in just enough time to zip over to the Stamp Shack for a free class in honor of their 3rd birthday. I am really happy that Lynn opened this store 3 years ago. The store always has such great classes and products. I wish her much future success. Oh, and for anyone coming down to take a cruise, if you have a bit of time before leaving, it is close to the port, so you should definitely check it out! While I was in the area, I zipped into Big Lots and found the cutest outside Halloween decoration of a witch silhouette with an orange lighted skirt. Perfect!

 
 After the class, I dropped by Mom's to pick up some Halloween lights she wasn't using, then headed home to finish decorating the outside of our house. Once Mr. Mark arrived home, we headed out to the movies. I was excited because I got to pick, and was not disappointed! We saw the film Whip It and I totally loved it. Great story, funny dialog, quirky characters...and lots of fun. Mr. Mark enjoyed it too. Grabbed dinner on the way home and it was perfect weather for sitting outside.

Miss B had her own set of plans for Saturday...Teen Link meeting, YLB meeting with her group co-chair, and an evening (non sleepover) pajama birthday party for a friend. She was also thrilled to receive a letter letting her know she was selected for National Honor Society! We are so proud!

Sunday was another busy day. After church, took the 4-legged B for her walk (which she loves), then headed over to Mom's to load a new anti-virus on her pc. Also worked on my quilt (which is coming along quite nicely), worked on a little spray-paint project that I have been wanting to do forever, went to JoAnn Fabrics, Homegoods, Walmart, grocery shopped, and made a nice stew with dumplings for dinner while we watched The Proposal. Miss B and I had already seen it, but wanted Mr. Mark to see it. He enjoyed it as much as we did.

Oh, and last, but not least, I finished this little Halloween project that I started the weekend before. I used the misted glimmer tile as the background. I was able to use some glimmer mist on the lace at the bottom of her dress, as well as the tinsel trim I used around the edge. I used a gold trim, and the black/gold mist gave it more of an antique feel. The mist was applied to the tinsel before attaching it to the project. If you decide to mist some tinsel or lace, make sure you spread it out during the drying period, and give it plenty of time to dry (because it takes a while).

Well, now you are all caught up on our comings and goings. Hope you had an enjoyable weekend and are ready for a great week. Happy Monday everyone!