Scrappers Give Thanks

My friend Jennifer over at Simple Scrapper is doing something really special.  It's called "Scrappers Give Thanks".  When I read about it, I knew I wanted to participate.  We are partnering with Operation Write Home to deliver handmade greeting cards to deployed military for sending home to their loved ones.  I pledged to make 10 cards.  As if doing something cool like this needed any more incentive other than just feeling good to give to someone else, Simple Scrapper has lined up some awesome sponsors with prizes you can win by participating!  Please go to Scrappers Give Thanks and read about all the details and how you can be involved.  :)

Besides pledging to make 10 cards, I thought, "how else can I help?"  So I contacted Jennifer and told her I'd offer a free card template for participants.



Both the digital and hybrid templates are included!  You can go to the link above the image and find out more about Scrappers Give Thanks.  Make a pledge to make some cards by the deadline, and download the three available templates and start making cards for our troops.  OR simply make cards of your own design.  Be sure to read the details though.  The cards need to be 5.5x4.25 in size.

I thought I would show you how I made my card with the template.  I feel a little bad, because it almost feels like cheating with my Silhouette SD digital cutter.  :p

I used the digital template, because that was before I made the hybrid template.  Here's what my card looked like digitally.

I used "Sunny Disposition" by TaylorMade Designs (brackets and middle background), "10 Things" by Traci Reed & Meghan Mullens (paper for the heart), and the little bird is from a ScrapNFonts doodledbat called DB Mulberry Lane (so cute!).

Then I created a 8.5x11 300 dpi document in Photoshop and dragged all the pieces of my card in.  I arranged them so they're all laid out on the document.  Then I saved it as a jpeg file.


I also saved a jpeg of just the solid clipping masks, so that I can overlay it on top of my designed card in the Silhouette software so it can easily get the cut lines.


I opened both files in my Silhouette software and followed the instructions on this blog for the step by step for the "Print and Cut" function. I printed my card out from within the Silhouette software so that it would print with the registration marks for cutting.


Then I positioned it on the sticky cutting mat and let the Silhouette do its magic! It is so fascinating to watch!


When it finished, I pulled the cutting mat out and there the pieces were, all cut!


I pulled them off gently from the sticky cutting mat.


I cut a 8.5x11 piece of cardstock in half, then folded one of the halves to make my 5.5x4.25 card base. Then I glued on all the pieces and parts. Here's my finished card.


You may or may not have the Silhouette digital cutting machine, but if you keep your digitally designed card to fairly simple shapes, making a card can be a snap!  Plus, you can print several sheet out and make several cards of the same design.  Also, you can make traditional cards for Scrappers Give Thanks too.  I just wanted to show you how to do it, hybrid style.  Oh and I printed mine on matte photo paper.  In the interest of full disclosure, I did not receive any of the materials used in this blog post for free, whether physical products or digital.  (I'm following the new FTC rules for disclosure.)

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Sandwich Schmanwich

We don't usually make sandwiches for dinner, but after the success of the BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (which even my southern friend Heather liked), we decided to try this Spicy Chicken Sandwich with Cilantro-Lime Mayo recipe from Cooking Light.

The recipe called for pulverized baked tostitos chips.  Who knew you can make breading from this?




The cilantro-lime mayo.


And finally the sandwich all pulled together, served on sourdough bun and a side of corn.


It really was quite delicious. The cilantro-lime mayo had great flavor, and the chicken breading made of tostitos chips was awesome! And ~400 calories for a breaded chicken sandwich is not bad at all!

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Don't Clam Up When it Counts

Tuesdays with Todd is becoming Toastmasters with Todd it seems. Today I gave a speech for a project called The Touching Story. Not really playing to my strengths. But after a lot of consideration I came up with a topic that I thought was pretty nice. I'll share the condensed version here. About 5 1/2 years ago, I suffered an unknown injury that caused a very rare condition which left me bedridden for about three months. I could write a lot of words about that period of time and what I went through but that's not my purpose for today. A lesson I took from the experience is not to be afraid to approach friends and family who are ill. Even though I was not dying or in any real danger of anything (except for an unknown period of lost productivity), some people were afraid to talk to me. I'm sure those folks would have said "I don't know what I would say." And if they were really honest they would say, "I'm afraid and uncomfortable." Other friends were stronger in how they handled the situation. For the purposes of my speech, I singled out Matt who I was in a band with until he moved to LA. This is how I remember Matt, funny-faced and well-dressed. Me being laid out negatively affected Matt as I missed some important shows. Unlike me, music is Matt's career. Despite that and any discomfort he might have felt, he was a model friend during this time. He visited, brought me CDs and DVDs to peruse, and generally made me feel like I was still part of things. People suffer loss. People you know will suffer loss. Whether it's unemployment, the breakup of a relationship, or cancer. It is a part of life. By mentally preparing for the situation, you will be more equipped to handle it when it arrives. Considering this I decided (as I got well) that when I was on the other side of the fence I wanted to be more like Matt than like those who were more fearful. (And the same could be said for Christine, who I should point out was super fantastic during this period of time.) This became more than theoretical as our friend Barbara and her family struggled through her cancer and ultimately her passing. We made an effort to be a part of things, bringing them dinners and staying in touch. And of course Christine went way above and beyond when her mother went through the same sad journey despite her fears and sadness. And neither of those will be the last time. It is natural for people to be afraid when someone they love is not well. People won't want to say the wrong thing and make matters worse. So what do you say when you don't know what to say? First if all you can do is listen, that's not a bad place to start. In one study, a group of untrained folks were enlisted to be "therapists" for a day. They were not to give any advice or say anything substantive at all. Just things like "I see," "go on," and the like. Those who received the "therapy" gave universally positive reviews and many requested follow-up sessions. Sometimes a listener is all people need. But to get to the point of listening, you have to break the ice. If you are wondering how to do that, I defer to Leroy Sievers, a journalist who wrote a blog called My Cancer until his death. I can't improve on what he suggested:       I'm sorry. You didn't deserve for this to happen       to you. Is there anything I can do to help?

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Sweater World Unites

Today the "Sweater World of Peter" Facebook Fan Club met for lunch.  (Peter's last name omitted for privacy.)



Peter worked at Todd's company and he's currently the president of Todd's chapter of Toastmasters, after Todd's one-year presidency ended. Can you guess why the "Sweater World of Peter" club?  Well, everyone likes to celebrate something, right?  Why not celebrate the fact that Peter likes to wear sweaters, like, all the time?  Even in San Diego?  And since it's a real club, why not have meetings, with food?  :p 

Our good friend Anne attended as well.  Looked like Anne was the only female "Sweater World" fan club member who showed. 

After lunch, they decided to play a couple of rounds of video games.





According to Todd, the inaugural "Sweater Club of Peter" meeting went well. Stomachs were full, and all had fun! Now I just need to think up some quirky club and have people join so we can have get-togethers with food! :)

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Store is Open + Free Kit and Template

My store, Listgirl Designs, is now open!  Everything in the store is 30% off from Nov 1-9!  I want to thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement!  They mean so much to me and I really appreciate it.

If you haven't gone over to the store yet, here's a peek at what's over there.



I'm excited to let you know that my very good friend Peppermint has created this fabulous kit to give away for free to all visitors to Listgirl Designs during the grand-opening celebrations!


AND, I'm also giving this template as a freebie in my store.


To download, just go over to Listgirl Designs and scroll to the bottom and click on "Free Download" for each of them. You do not need to register to download.

Here's my layout made with the template.

Click here for full credits.

Today's photo is what I look like running away from you, LOL.


Todd and I ran five miles around Miramar Lake this afternoon before sunset. This is a milestone because this is the longest distance Todd has run without feeling any pain in his knee from his previous running injury! We're so thankful! We both felt a little energy-drained in the middle of the run, but started and finished strong.

Distance: 5.01 miles
Time: 54:56
Avg min/mile: 10:58
Calories burned: 497 calories

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