Little Miss Tallulah Belle

My Christmas gift from Tommy this year, came early, in a warm, fuzzy little package! Weighing in with 2 pounds of body and 3 pounds of fur, we welcomed Tallulah Belle (or "Lula" as it usually comes out) into our little family. She is a 6 month old, cream colored purebred Persian with copper eyes. We were lucky to find a breeder here in Salem - who BTW, I would highly recommend if you're in the market. www.paz4playcattery.com...tangent alert: If you live locally and love cats, you should go visit her house just to see the sheer delight that is a purebred Persian kitten...total hairball heaven. There were probably 20 kittens to choose from and I loved every minute :)

Anyway, it took me nearly 2 weeks to name her, but Tallulah meaning "leaping water" couldn't be a more perfect fit. She LOVES water...weird for a cat, I know. She waits outside the shower for me every morning so as soon as I'm out, she can lay in the water on the floor of it. She also sits inside the bathroom sink and plays in the drips, and she doesn't hesitate to jump from the side of the tub to your chest or belly while you're taking a bath! She chirps like a bird and loves terrorizing our older cat, Chloe - who I affectionately refer to as "Grumpy Pants" these days. I love her so much already and yes, it's safe to say, I will accept "crazy cat lady" as a term of endearment :)

Please note her ear hair "antennas" and her fuzzy little feet...my favorites!!

Jewelry Giveaway from Olivia Clare Designs!!

Hey friends! I am passing along this giveaway opportunity from an amazing artist and her line, Olivia Clare Designs! This contest is directly from the artist - I'm just sharing the opportunity to lend my support and share the word of her fabulous line!! Plus, by posting this blog, it counts as my own chance to win...it's just that easy :)

Jewelry Giveaway!!! Win over $90.00 in Olivia Clare Jewelry!

What you will win:

Large Rustic Studs
Small Rustic Studs
Solitaire Necklace
*Stone color of your choice*

How to Win:

"Like" Olivia Clare Designs on Facebook
Tweet this giveaway
Blog about this giveaway
Share on any social media site

Spread the word! Get 1 entry per post (example: facebook "like'" and blog post = 2 entries)

Just leave a comment below the FB giveaway image (or here: http://www.oliviaclaredesigns.com/2010/12/olivia-clare-jewelry-giveaway/) telling where you posted about this giveaway and you will be entered in the contest

**Deadline: December 31st 2010 11:59PM Pacific Time**

Winner will be chosen at random

Merry Christmas, xo Olivia Clare

Black Light Par-Tay...

Tommy and I attended a "black light/surprise birthday party" over the weekend. Fun times. If you've ever been under a black light, you know that anything white or neon glows particularly vibrant...Skate Palace anyone?! Tommy will take ANY excuse to dress obnoxiously - and run with it. While I was at work, he took the liberty of picking us up some black light-appropriate, WHITE COVERALLS. Thank you, Sherwin-Williams. He also went to Walmart and bought - on his own accord - a yard of neon green fabric, and proceeded to make himself a neck tie and a belt, "for a little extra glow." I got home to what looked like a cross between Ghostbusters and the Michelin Man, and decided what the hay - I'll play along especially since he assured me, "everyone else is dressing up in crazy white outfits too"...Uh huh.

We get to the party, black lights go on and guess what?! RECYCLED FIBER PAINT SUITS DO NOT GLOW. This fact alone made the whole night worth it! We played along anyway and everyone got a pretty great laugh at our expense. At least the birthday girl was surprised! Good one, Tom. Good one. "A" for effort :)


Why the glasses, you ask? No one knows...

Oh, Christmas Tree...

If you know me, and know me well - you know that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is hands down, my favorite movie of all time. I can quote it upside down and backwards. You can be guaranteed a few more quotes by months' end - in person, Facebook, blog, or all of the above.

As far as our 'Griswold' trek into the unknown woods - not so much. We tried a neighboring Christmas tree farm this year - Ballyntyne Tree Farm - it was great being able to do a u-cut so close to home - without the squirrel.


"She'll see it later, honey. Her eyes are frozen."





Great teamwork, babe!

Thanksgiving...

Better late than never...

Throwing all tradition out the window, Tommy, my mom, and I decided to board the Portland Spirit's Thanksgiving Day Buffet Cruise. The food was outstanding, however - no cooking and cleaning, also means no left-overs :( It was a great intimate time, and we missed not only Paul (who ditched us and went snowboarding at Whistler) but it was the first major holiday without my dad around. We thought of him fondly and I know he was there in good spirit. It still doesn't seem real to me, but that perhaps is another post...here's a few pics from the day...it looks like we may have needed a 'children's table' after all :)


Bored much?


As my dad would always say, "more 'chins' than a Chinese phone book!"


On the way up to Portland I asked Tommy, "Does my hair look a little too 'Amish'" - when referring to the voluminous bump in front. His response, "No, but it does have a little Russian Orthodox flair"...


Mum!


I thought this would be a beautiful location to have a wedding! Love it!


Too bad I shrank this sweater so small it would fit a cabbage patch doll...FAIL.

The Reindeer has the RUNS.

Tommy is now a manager for Key Bank - out at the Stayton branch. Every year, Key Bank has something they refer to as the "Reindeer Run." They designate a day every year before Christmas for all of the managers in a particular area to dress up, get together and drive a van around to branches in their areas, delivering presents to the rest of the employees at their various branches. Of course, Tommy's favorite part of this is the "dress up" part - as I am 147% positive he volunteered for this. Last weekend was dedicated to finding him the perfect costume...the ELF. He pieced this outfit together on his own for the most part, but I gave in and assisted him when it came to purchasing women's hosiery. OMG, I can't believe I just typed that. Anyway, he was so excited this morning because today was the day. He got up, and got dressed up before he even left the house. Most people would have waited to change at work, or would have even worn jeans over the costume. Nope, not Tommy. Here' s a little picture of what I woke up to this morning...ears and all.

Holiday Fabulousness w/ Red Pearl Designs!!

My friend Megan Ward is the mastermind behind Red Pearl Designs. Last week she showed me a few samples of these oh-so-fabulous die-cut Christmas cards! They are truly as beautiful in person as they look online! This is such a unique idea for Christmas cards - I love it! As people receive them, they're pretty enough to string a ribbon through and hang on the tree...which is just the idea behind them!

If you check out her blog, she tells you 4 ways to win 50 FREE Christmas cards - designed just for you! Take a quick look and see her blog...it's a $125 value and it's easy to participate. Hurry - the deadline to enter is Tuesday, November 9th!

The first set of pictures are stock samples of the die-cut shapes that are available.






The pictures below are examples of Megan's personal work!
With her creativity, anything is possible!





Megan's creativity doesn't stop at just Christmas! She offers a complete design service for anything you may need. Invitations for any occasion, birth or adoption announcements, logos, business cards and brochures - just to name a few! Don't hesitate to contact her for any or all of your design needs.
Take a look at her website for even more ideas!

Go Team - Operation Bra Drop & I Give a Shirt!

Shannon and Lauren - my fabulous fitters! Thanks ladies!!





Last Friday afternoon, I had the privilege of teaming up with I Give A Shirt for their event for local homeless students in the Salem/Keizer school districts. Because "Operation Bra Drop" has received so many fantastic bras, I was able to set up a "Bra Boutique" for the female students that attended this event! We had bras in practically every size, so the students that came were able to get properly fitted and sized into a few bras of their choice! I was blessed to be a part of this event and was able to fit one of the girls into her first real bra ever! She even wanted to wear one of the new bras out! I know we're making a difference in these lovely ladies' lives. Thank you to all of my Felicity Boutique customers and friends for donating bras and making this possible!

We will do this event again in January and we're hoping for an even bigger turn-out :)

Mummy Cupcakes!

I saw these on Martha Stewart's website yesterday and couldn't resist! I made them for our little "Monsterlicious" Halloween shindig tonight :)

Sweetest Little Hooter :)

This last Thursday night marked the final class in the series of "Cake Decorating Basics" that my mom and I have been taking from Chemeketa. Our mission for this class: The Buttercream Transfer. Simple in concept, but time consuming. I will walk you through the process with my pictures...



The basic frosted cake ready to decorate...MMM buttercream :)


On waxed paper, I traced the image of my choice (how cute is this owl?!) and then stuck the whole outline into the freezer.


Here's the view of my little owl from the top, frozen and ready to fill.



After the border is frozen, you can fill in the spaces, one color or section at a time - freezing it each time between colors, to keep the border firm and the colors in their places. This is why the process takes so long.


Perfecting the border with a toothpick...the best tool to have in this class!


I took too long in class, so I had to finish my owl at home. I had already filled in all of his colors, and frozen the image. Then I plopped him on to the top of my cake and peeled off the waxed paper. Voila...owl!


I piped around the border to smooth everything out...



I added dots of course, because they're my favorite :)


My best "Vanna."


Ta-Dah! He's not perfect, but not bad for my first try!

I've enjoyed this class so much, I think I'm going to continue with the "advanced" cake decorating series that continues on, starting next week! We learn fondant flowers, royal icing, and chocolate work next...yay! Stay tuned for tricks of the trade and a few ridiculous pictures in which I will most likely be posing with my projects - post sugar high :)

Cake Class #3

Last night was cake clinical - night 3. The class size is getting smaller and smaller. Can't stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen :) Mr. USA wasn't there either - perhaps last weeks' shirt mural was enough to send him on a walk of shame.

We focused on ribbon roses last night, which are much harder than I thought. It took more focus and less giggling, but the learning process was still fun. I still have a lot of practicing to do, but I was pleased with the outcome. I don't mean to brag, but I actually liked my cake very best out of everyone's! Here's a few pics!


Prep and practice! You can see all of my roses lined up on the counter ledge ready to go.


Roses on. Border done!


Add some leaves to cover up any wonky spots on your roses...


Action shot...


Finished top view.


My mom's finished cake! Writing with frosting was not my forte. I didn't want to ruin my cake with slopping words, so I went with a different design :)


Posing with a cake is ridiculous, Emily.


Voila :)