This monkey won't hurt you...and other true stories...

 We're having a baby shower for one of the teachers at my school and I volunteered to make the card to go with the gift certificate we're getting her. She's having a boy--and the nursery has a Jungle Theme--so I decided to use my Fox & Friends stamp set to create this card. My least favorite thing to do in crafting is cutting out stuff--I really have so little patience--but this card would not be the same without cutting out each individual animal. Even the Monkey and Lion I cut out an extra head. The Lion even has an EXTRA mane cut out and layered on there--craziness!!! These are REEAAAALLLLY tiny heads, too. But it looks soooo cute...that lion does. And that monkey is so cute...he's got a little smirk on his face doesn't he? He's ready to scream and pull someone's hair. HAHAHA

Actually that happened to me. I'm talking about a monkey pulling my hair. No joke. I was on a 3rd grade Field Trip to the Oklahoma City Zoo and there was a cage full of Spider Monkeys. I got right up to the cage and was "communicating" with one of the monkeys who was so cute and soooo close --when suddenly he SCREAMED and reached through the bars, grabbed my bangs and pulled me forward and banged my head into the cage!!! TWICE!!! OMG talk about trauma for an 8 year old!!! GAH!! My kids LOOOOVE that story.

This post was my first time playing with Picasa--Google's photo editing software...I think me likey.

Anway--onto other things--we leave for Scotland in TWO DAYS!!! WHOOO HOOOO!!! So excited!!! I plan to drain my camera battery every day we're there!!!

Lamentations of a Southpaw

I'm a lefty, southpaw, goofy....whatever. I'm a messy lefty, too. I don't write like MOST left-handed people do by contorting their hands over what they write and pull their pen in the opposite direction.  I smear my hand directly across what I'm writing--pushing my pen essentially--and get ink all over the side of my left hand. That's what I mean by messy.

Being a crafty goddess (yeah, why NOT call myself that!!) I've discovered a few tools that HINDER the left-hander.  I discovered just how frustrating it can be to have tools that are very specifically designed for RIGHT HANDED PEOPLE when I was creating my Christmas Cards last year.  Here's a picture I took of the 3 products that made me want to pull my hair out.

First....the gel pen. The ROLLER BALL gel ink pen. GAH!! Since I push my pen, roller balls won't work for me. Roller ball pens are designed to be pulled across the paper. They pull the little ball away from the casing and the ink flows smoothly. But pen PUSHERS like myself make that little ball go inside the casing and the ink comes out uneven. Grrrrr. I don't buy roller ball pens for this reason...except that to have WHITE INK ...usually only comes in gel ink roller ball (or paint pens). OY!

Next, that bazooka of a tape runner--the ATG by Scotch Tape. I'll never EVAH run out of tape for my crafting with that thing....except it's like trying to handle a baby goat with 2 fingers. Good grief. To make it worse is if you're holding it in your left hand it's impossible to see the tape placement since the tape runner is left justified on the rubber roller. I kind of have to wing it on the tape placement.  Again....grrrr.

Finally...Stampin' Up's Ribbon Scissors. These fantastic shears are ONLY for right-handers. See the molded plastic handles? Yeah. Not too comfy for us leftys. These shears are expensive. I paid good money for scissors that do NOT fit me properly. I didn't even realize until after I'd used them a couple of times because I'm so used to adapting to right-handed items like can openers, etc. But REALLY?!? Stampin' Up?!?! You couldn't sell a universal scissor? Oh well...

On a more positive note...here's a card I stamped using the Medallion background stamp and the Vintage Labels stamp set.

Stamp sets: Medallion and Vintage Labels

Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry

Paper: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Vintage brads, Scallop circle punch

Have a great week.  I leave for Scotland in 5 days!!! SQUEEEE!!!

Spring Break is going to be in SCOTLAND!!! SQUEEEE!!!

I cannot believe it!!! Hubby and I were JUST talking about how I was not PLANNING ANYTHING for our Spring Break "off". No weekend trips to Vegas or anywhere....then hubby's brother and sis-in-law have to SPOIL IT *snort* by offering boarding in the UK since they were going ANYWAY...would we want to come along, too?  What?!?!? I almost spontaneously combusted I tell you!!!  You have never seen a quicker 180 done EVAH.  Within SECONDS I was begging Hubby to pleaseohpleaseohplease can we GO TO SCOTLAND!!! SQUEEEE!!! We'll get to see Keith Castle in Scotland!  Which is called Dunnottar Castle and was one of the pit stops on The Amazing Race season 3 (the best show EVAH!!)

Gorgeous!!

The man loves to save money.  It's a hobby for him.  He had to change gears from "we're saving soooo much money NOT going anywhere" to us flying across an ocean in a very big plane and transportation and food and and and.....
God Bless him....he's so wonderful.  BECAUSE WE'RE GOING!!! And he's told me he's happy to see me so excited.  That is just so stinkin' sweet.  I love that man...*sigh*

I'm stamping Valentine's tomorrow--I'll post some pictures of that fun stuff...I promise!

My name is Dana, and I'm obsessed with Scotland!

Have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with Scotland?  Love everything Scottish, can't wait to go to Scotland someday....if I liked Whiskey I would so drink Scotch Whiskey, I love Walker Shortbread cookies and Robin Williams' impression of a Scotsman.  Ok, that last one isn't really Scottish--but it IS funny!

I think my obsession began when I married my hubby--my married name is KEITH.  We have a Castle near Aberdeen, Scotland.  Well, WE don't, but my hubby's ancestors did.  It's Dunnottar Castle and The Amazing Race Season 3 had a pitstop there! My favorite show EVAH AND my favorite country!) A cousin traveled to Dunnottar Castle a few years ago and when they arrived, and signed the guest book and discussed they were KEITHs, the Castle caretakers took them out to dinner!
Wow, this post is already too long--but I'm not even to the best part of my story--so hang with me.
Then I read the novel OUTLANDER, by Diana Gabaldon.  Fantastic book if you're a girl and you like Sci-Fi, time travel and nursing.  There's a love story in there.  Fanstastic book--I've read it 3 times (and it's the 1st in a series of 7, all over 700 pages each).  OH, so OUTLANDER takes place in Scotland, it's also an historical fiction.

So, I've done some research into the Keith Clan and bought hubby a proper Keith Clan Tartan tie--it's a Navy/Green plaid.  Beautiful.  I have thought about acquiring for myself a Keith Tartan throw, or coat even...but they're soooooo expensive.

Then I'm shopping in Macy's last week and see the Dooney & Bourke Handbag display and they have red and NAVY TARTAN handbags! Seriously!?! They should have just named the "navy" as "KEITH TARTAN (MODERN)" It looks EXACTLY like it.  Someone over at Dooney & Bourke must be a Keith!
Well, I just HAD to get this for myself as an early birthday present!  Oh, would you like to see a picture?  I've linked to my Facebook page--I was quite excited when it arrived today so I posted over there as well.
But, enough yammering....here it is: (*SQUEEEEEE*)

It's been soooo long since I bought myself a proper handbag--this has leather straps and I can REGISTER IT.  How crazy is that!?!

Anyway--welcome to my crazy world.  I should totally have a card to accompany the greatness that is this cute handbag.  So I will think about that and in a future post have a very Scottish-type card for you!

CHEERS!