Raccoons are the New Muskrats!

Is there anyone in the world who actually knows what a muskrat is? Because we've all heard Muskrat Love, and happily sung along like nincompoops, without ever wondering why we were singing about something called a Muskrat. Seriously. Say it to yourself "I'M SINGING A SONG ABOUT A MUSKRAT."

It makes no sense.

So, in order to distract ourselves from our nincompoopiness, we better have a prize award for Monday, and then I better give away another prize, yes?

First, Monday. It was a tie between Mary Dawn's darn near existential comment that made me laugh so hard, and Carolyn's blonde joke! Aaah I love a good blonde joke!

So, since Mary Dawn's comment was first, the punch goes to her, but Carolyn gets to choose from my Stampin' Up! acrylic blocks - I have a squillion of them, so just tell me what you want. And both of you send me your addresses.

Yay - winning is fun!

So on to the raccoons.. First. I took the punch like Mary Dawn's prize and punched a glassine envelope and used the heart punch to make a window.

Then, I tied our lovely Real red ribbon around the note that matches the envelope, secured the top with gold cord and slid it into the envelope.


Then I embossed and punched another heart that I put the little raccoon on. His little love bandit heart is glittered. I stamped the glassine envelope with Staz on. So easy & cute. I entered it in the Stampin' Success contest, but alas, did not win! *sound of raccoon growling* They may have specified a muskrat, I can't remember.

So who wants to win a brand spankin' new Sizzix® Big Shot Circles #2 die?

Here's how you do it.

Leave a comment here, and include a link to the most stunningly beautiful BLUE thing on the internet in your comment. It can be glass, wool, living or still, a painting, a shoe - whatever you love that is blue, I want to see it. I will pick my fave.

And I love how sweet you all are - I truly appreciate everyone who said that they already had the prize but played anyway. God bless you stampy people!

Okay - start your engines - let's see your blue finds! :)

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That Deep, Russian Blue...

You know, the Russians "get" blue. Second only to the Japanese, probably. So when I saw this incredibly, stunningly beautiful little Matryoshka set, the color scheme was a no brainer.

I colored the little gorgeous, perfect, nesting dolls with Copics, and arranged them on kraft cardstock.
I filled in the border stamp with my white gel pen, and I dotted the punched border as well with my white pen.

Wait - border? What border? OH... the border I PUNCHED with this??Let's talk about "this." I got some new bookcases, because my studio is out of control, and thanks to Cheshire Kitten, I found out they were cheap enough to be worth the reorg. Thankfully, my sister goes to Ikea daily, because I have shopophobia and cannot do it.

I'm dragging this out because of the ending. So humor me. On the day I had my Dirty Dozen Fan Club gallery deadline, I decided we should put the bookcases together and I should reorganize my whole studio. Because NO ONE procrastinates like me.

Part of the reorg was opening a Stampin' Up! box I'd had for a month and didn't have time to open.
Meaning, I didn't have time to see that I had ordered like a squillion things in duplicate.

OMG. So embarassed. But, my embarassment is your gain.

So here's the deal.

Every day until I give it all away, I'm giving out some big ticket items I have, er, more than one of.

I'm starting with the scallop border punch I used on this card.

Want it?

Well all you have to do is make me laugh in a comment. (keep it clean! :) ) After all, it is...There is going to be a new crazy challenge until all my extra stuff is gone, so tell me...

Do you feel lucky??





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Don't Name Your New Product "Aciphex"

Say it out loud. It's ridiculous. That is not an area where you really want "effects".

I always wonder, having been in many meetings myself, what the feelings in the conference room were when "Aciphex" was chosen as the new product launch name. Surely at least half the room met in the hall afterward and giggled.

My friend Ruthie has a theory about restaurant successes and failures. She says a restaurant will fail if people are embarassed to say the name of the restaurant to someone they are meeting. Especially if they are meeting there for a first date or a business appointment.

She uses as an example "Fish City Grill". Just say it a few times. It can go very wrong.

We have a restaurant locally which is excellent, but I have yet to hear anyone say the name. The name of it is "Estancia Churrascaria." It's a Brazilian steakhouse and quite delicious. However, this is what people say - "Hey - you want to go to Estancia?" or "We need to go to that Brazilian steakhouse - you know, the one on 290 near Brodie?" or, what I do, "Hey - meet us at Estancia blahbittyblahbittyblah."

Branding has very much to do with a good name. Someone recently observed that the most visited websites in the world right now are single, two-syllable words. Facebook. Twitter. Apple. Google.

A lot of people recently have asked me for help with Etsy, Twitter, Facebook. My best advice is this: Think carefully about your name. Make sure it doesn't limit you to one product, one type of craft, or one person. Martha Stewart is an anomaly. Most businesses need to be bigger than the person that starts them. So choose a word or words that mean something to you. Make sure no one else is using them. Then make sure if you say them out loud they're easy to remember, easy to associate with something about what you do, and that they don't imply that embarassing noises or lights are about to come out of your hiney :)

Anyway, a transition at this point is impossible with that image in your head.

So let's talk about this card. It's not original - I saw this adorable card and decided I would use it for my Christmas Party/customer appreciation Saturday. I wanted to do something everyone could go home and recreate without buying something new, so this punch art card was perfect.It's really simple. The mom's head is the 1 3/8" punch, and the babies have 1" heads. The mom's body is the large oval, and the noses are all hand cut from the small oval. The snow and the mom's nose are with the retired 1/4" circle punch, and the babies' noses are with the 1/8" punch. The baby's body on the right is the 1 1/4" punch. We hand tore the snow and glittered it with dazzling diamonds. The background is Ballet Blue, and I sponged the edges of the bears with Ballet Blue too. All supplies Stampin' Up!

It's sweet, isn't it?

I hope you are having a nice windup to Christmas. Today is the solstice, so we all got a little less sun and a little more time inside with the cookies today. :)

You know what? Make me laugh - since it's Make me Laugh Monday - and I'll send you this card! One rule - the laughs must be holiday themed!!

Loveyameanitbye.

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Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear..

IT'S MAKE ME LAUGH MONDAY!! I know you thought I forgot, but I didn't! And I really should have posted this before work this morning so that you could make each other laugh all day because MAN - Mondays are hard!!

But, you guys stay up later than I do, so you can giggle at each other's comments until the wee hours if you wanna.

Anyway, what I have been giggling about it what pops into my head every time I play with this amazing flocked paper from the mini catalog... It's fuzzy, which is a word I can't hear without doing this..

Fuzzy Wuzzy
Was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Wasn't fuzzy, was he?

BWAAHHHAA - it cracks me up EVERY TIME!! I know - I'm easily amused!!

Anyway, this card is a total case from my friend Marie, whom I adore completely. Her cards are so clean and crisp. So I had to borrow this fuzzy wuzzy one for my craft fair. The flocked paper is amazing and you MUST buy it immediately - it's the Christmas Cocoa DSP. Get it. Now.

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Christmas Cocoa Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Ornament Punch, Top Note Die, Big Shot, Silver Elastic Cord
All Supplies Stampin' Up!

You gotta love something that quick and easy and pretty. Thanks Marie! And then, from my friend Lisa, of PaperGrace. (@papergrace on Twitter). An amazingly sweet woman who has been sooo generous to me, she sent me a complete surprise this week that was so good I almost died.It was two caramel apples from Ethel M. Chocolates. O M G. These are the best caramel apples I've ever had, and trust me, I've had some.

The most perfect caramel apples I've ever had. They both had the most amazing, chewy, buttery caramel in the world. One had peanuts and one had pecans. I actually can't pick which was better. You need to get your paws on these. It's fall, after all. Thanks Lisa - xoxoxoxo. You are too sweet to me.

Finally, for the chills of the week, in case you haven't seen this amazing video - it just disassembles me. Turn your speakers up. God Bless America!
(If you don't see a video player where you're reading, click here.)

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What Do You Write About?

My friend John, owner of EverCats, asked me the other day how I find what I write about here. Of course, I told him that I sit down for exactly one hour and eleven minutes every day at my writing desk with a list of current events, a thesaurus and a Red Bull and crank out brilliant and well worded essays that are backlogged so that I have years of material should I become unable to think clearly for a period of time.

That's a lie.

Actually, it's two lies - because I don't do that, and I didn't tell him that.

I told him I just take all the crazy things that happen to me every day and put them here in front of you, my victims.

Here's yesterday's crazy thing.

Catnip makes Maddie rip all the fur off of her tail.

With events like that, I hardly need to make things up. Now I have a cat that looks like a rodent.

So there you go.

With that, I bring you - Make Me Laugh Monday!

Last week's winner is.... CASSIE for that hilarious video of that little boy giving his "evil look". Hysterical. Cassie - send me your address!

To play along with Make Me Laugh Monday you just need to leave a comment with a PG-13 funny - it can be a story, a video, a picture - but you need to leave the comment on this post to be eligible! If you win, I will send you a stampy prize!

Last night, I needed a quick card because I got started stamping late.

Stamps: Friends 24-7 Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White Craft Cardstock: Kraft, Kaleidoscope DSP
Accessories: Rub-on, Colored Pencils, 1" circle punch - All Supplies Stampin' Up!

The Kaleidoscope DSP is CRAZY BEAUTIFUL IRL. I didn't think I'd like it based on the catalog picture, but it is BEAUTIFUL!! Even if you're not a sherbet-y person, which I'm not, you gotta give it a try!

I apologize for it being Monday at all, but I hope you have a good one anyway! :)

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Make a Squirrel Laugh Monday

Sooo, before the animals were loaded two by two onto the ark in Austin this weekend - yes, we went from drought to flood in 2.2 seconds - I TOLD YOU PEOPLE TO QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW DRY IT IS NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID - stupid rain. Wait - where am I? No seriously - not only did my own roof start leaking - thank you, Maddie, for alerting me to our roof leak by howling at the ceiling - but all the ceilings at work started leaking too. Have I mentioned the stupid rain?? And there better not be any comments from you rainiacs about how great it is either (Libby, Kim, etc.) or you will be the ones climbing up the scary ladder onto our roof today to get to work fixing it!

I don't like rain. I'm not sure if I've mentioned that before.

But anyway, before it started raining, there was a giant kerfuffle out in our front yard - lots of crazy animal noises. I walked out onto the porch to see what it was, and it was like a scene out of the little known Alfred Hitchcock film - "The Squirrels." In every tree in the front yard, there was a squirrel on each branch, sitting up, and busily eating a pecan from our pecan tree. Green pecans - blech. But it was like synchronized swimming. They're all facing the house, eating pecans like corn on the cob. It was actually a little creepy. I felt like if I stepped down off my front step they would all fly over and attach themselves to my face like that squirrel in Christmas Vacation.

I backed slowly into the house and thought to myself - "That's nuts."

Stamps: Doodle Factory Into the Woods & Sentiments, Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point Blue, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Old Olive, Soft Suede, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point Blue Accessories: Copics, White Gel Pen

So I made a card. Irene (The Doodle Factory) clearly understands moments like these, as you can see from the maniacal look on this little guy's face. He's a squirrel on the edge, I tell ya.

I brayered the background, and the rest is Copics. The font on the greeting was big enough that I could outline it in black with my .005 micron pen after I stamped it in Pacific Point Blue. If you click for a closeup you can see it.

Thank you Irene for giving me images for all my crazy life situations.

And you guys know what day it is - it's Make Me Laugh Monday!!

Make me laugh the hardest with a PG-13 comment on this post and you will win a stampy prize!!

Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

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Make me LOL Monday...

Is there really a better day for making someone laugh than Monday? I think not. The universal dread and despair we all have for the start of the work week is a tragedy. So I can't wait to see what you do today to make the world a happier place!!

Next Monday, of course, is Labor Day! Yipee! A three day art weekend! I'm going to work my tailfeathers off this week so that I can just be creative next weekend. Maybe plan some Christmas camps and get ... AHEAD... *GASP*. (don't hold me to it :))

Anyway, since so many people I know have celebrated birthdays this month, I thought there was no more fitting tribute than to showcase some animals that are so old they're extinct!! Not that you are, or anything, I'm not saying that...

What I'm actually saying is, that even though we're old, we're not OUT OF PRINT!!

Even a dinosaur can learn the ways of the interwebz, with its OMGs and LOLs and all, you know.

Stamps: Doodle Factory Prehistoric & Greetings Paper: Noveau Chic, Real Red, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!), Magazine Page
Ink: India Accessories: Stickles, Googlie Eyes

These cool old beasts are Irene's latest - Prehistoric. I glittered their toes and their fierce little back spikes, whatever those are called. And even though they have hilarious eyeballs, when an opportunity for googlie eyes presents itself, ladies and gentlemen - YOU BETTER TAKE IT.

I hope your toes are glittery, your eyes googlie and that you LOL and OMG and :) at least once today!


Loveyameanitbye.

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Make Me Laugh about Lizards Monday!

My GOSH - is it really Make me Laugh Monday again?? This just happened! But you know what? Last MMMLM REALLY made me laugh! So now I will be awarding goodies!

First of all, I narrowed it from 35 to 8. And then I was stuck. From those 8 I could go nowhere. So I separated the group into video and text, and then picked one from each group, but you guys made this HARD!!

So the winners from last week are Stephanie, with her hilarious kitten video - PS, that kitten has HUGE feet - I think he's a bobcat - and Wandabing - with the haircut story!! I bet it got quiet in there after you said THAT!!

HILARIOUS.

You ladies can email me with your addresses and tell me whether you want a punch template or a Ribbon sampler - if you already have those, we'll do something else!

For today, leave me a comment on this post with a PG13 funny in any format and win something fun! Lucky for you guys I need to make some room in the studio, so I've got lots of goods!!

Now Saturday was my open house, as you know, so here is our other quickie project. It's my new IAMSOINLOVEWITHYOU Two Tags Big Shot die. We ran kraft cardstock AND the new Christmas Cocoa DSP from the Holiday Mini that starts in JUST 13 DAYS through at the same time and just stuck em together. Look at the cool tabbed closure. Then the new IAMSOINLOVEWITHYOU ornament punch from the mini punched out our IAMSOINLOVEWITHYOU ornament, stamped in Real Red, from Delightful Decorations.

Seriously. IAMSOINLOVEWITHTHEHOLIDAYMINI!

Next, I was an accidental tourist in my own studio this weekend, trying to do a little rearranging to accomodate my new goodies in a room that's way too small. But I discovered something amazing while rending my garments and gnashing my teeth over my lack of space.

The Sizzlits and the Movers and Shapers dies - ALL OF THEM - fit perfectly into the little drawers in my marker organizer thingy!!

Don't you just love a good *click*?

Don't forget - 13 days to the minicat also means there's only 13 days left to sign up for the Understand Blue team with Stampin' Up! for $85!! You'd be crazy not to.

• Instant 20% off all your stuff!
• You can be a hobby demo - you don't have to ever sell anything to anyone else besides yourself, have workshops or get bookings.
  
• You have until the end of December to make your first quarterly minimum!
• If you want to be a hobby demo, I will buy the business supplies in your kit from you, dropping that $85 even further!
• If you want to pay an extra bill every month, this is a relaxing and fun way to do it.
  
• If you sign up under this promotion, receive your choice of stamp sets from current catalog from me! :)
  

Visit my Stampin' Up! site by clicking here if you are interested in joining my fun ladies. The password is understandblue (no space).

Now, finally I'm going to make you laugh. This is a true story, alluded to in the comments from the last MMLM, and the "victim" will enjoy anonymity, but I can tell you, I was laughing so hard reading this the day it happened I did not recover for hours!!

The scene - my front porch, home to last month's Hostess Club orders awaiting pickup...

Picking up my order was a great break from the stress of waiting for the UPS man (still not here ARGH!). Anyway, when I got to your house, I was met by a lizard – probably 8” long. I’m from Canada – don’t mind moose, polar bears etc – but lizards freak the crap out of me.

So, the lizard scurries onto your porch and buries himself behind the SU bags. What the?! I’m starting to think that the universe is trying to tell me something about my insane crafting compulsion. Anyway, what’s a girl to do – I threw my new (favorite) flip flop at him. Seriously, I’ve been in Austin too long if a flip flops is a jewel in my shoe collection. Anyway, I digress. Said flip flop did not scare the lizard and I found that now the lizard was between me, the bags and my shoe bringing about a Mexican standoff. Let me tell ya, I was seriously thinking about getting my toddler out of the car to run interference, knowing how noisy she can be.

Anyway, I grabbed the first bag (someone else's) and grabbed the next one praying to god that it was mine. It was. Yipee! I closed my eyes, stretched my arm as long as possible, and grabbed my shoe and got the heck out of there. Not sure of the lizard’s fate.

So, sorry for the long story but I wanted to apologize in case the crazy flip flop throwing lady scared your poor kitties. I also know how techno savvy you are and pray to god that you don’t have any type of surveillance on your porch for fear of seeing my flip flop wielding self on youtube!

Click here for the video!!

JUST KIDDING!!! :D

Loveyameanitbye.

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MAJOR Make Me Laugh Monday

Yep - guess what the prizes are for today's game of Make Me Laugh Monday?? MMM HMMM - Memento Mall stuff!!!

If you're new to MMLM, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post that makes me giggle! Keep it 100% clean, of course!

And if there are enough funny responses there will be many winners, so if you have been saving some funnies for today, lay em on me..

Here are a few pics while you're thinking of a funny. First, when I got home, on the way back from the airport, I see this.

That's right - a Ho Bus. It was driven by a young girl, and also said Ho Bus on the front. I have no way to explain this, but it had to be documented.

Next - under the "Fun things you find in your laptop bag" category - there's this.Yay - I get to wear a bat ring today!

Then, two cuties from the boards. Love the non-traditional Christmas color combo...And this ADORABLE gingerbread house which looks pretty simple to make!So, in my best Clint Eastwood voice ...

"Hey punk - it's Monday - you feel funny today? Go ahead, MAKE ME LAUGH!"


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I Lost my Voice

Not literally, but I did, just the same.

My beloved Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, has died. If you haven't read his books, let me just be selfish for a moment. Indulge me.

Frank McCourt, and a few others, speak the language of my gene pool. When I first read Angela's Ashes, I felt this harmonic conversion I am not sure I ever felt before with the written word. I could hear the characters speaking, and the mixture of the tragic with the moments so funny I had to put the book down and wipe my eyes and shake was soooo ... familiar. We Irish types are so at home with both the grim and the grin.

The lyrical magic of Irish writing is just a part of me. The most gifted storytellers have that music that maybe only kin can hear. I resonate to it.

The closest analogy I can make is from Harry Potter, believe it or not. Remember that moment when he took the egg that was shrieking and he put it underwater and could hear these beautiful clear voices, singing the answers to him?

That is what a *click* sounds like. And of course a click is beyond good. :)

I am sad to say goodbye to a man who was indirectly part of the voice I speak and write and giggle and cry with every day. I thank God I was lucky enough to hear him speak in person.

He would have loved Make me Laugh Monday. He certainly appreciated the life force in a good belly laugh.

I know you do too. So today, make me laugh in honor of Frank McCourt.

Limericks welcome!!

Bye Frank. Thank you. I'll read your next book in heaven. :)

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It's...

Make MILLIE laugh Monday!

Normally, it's Make ME laugh Monday, but my fellow demonstrator Millie needs a laugh more than me, so see what you can do people!!

I'm back tomorrow with sparkly red shoes!!

Can't wait to hear your stories. Go to town with funniness in a comment and my fave gets a prize!!


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You Don't Know What Color My Polar Bear Is...

You don't.

Well, you might. Mine might, possibly, be blue. But if yours is green that's fine. Or orange, or whatever!

What in the world kind of teacher would tell a child their polar bear was the wrong color??

Don't get me started.

If I wasn't so sleepy, I would tell you a story about how I lost my mojo tonight, temporarily, and how blue squirrels made me decide to make a card anyway.

But I'm sleepy. So I don't have time to tell you the whole thing.

However, my new stamps from the new catalog came today!! And, even though they're not blue, check out the squirrels..

The little bench with squirrels is from the new Pendant Park set, and the greeting is from the new Kind & Caring thoughts. Yeah - it's all great.

Somebody on Twitter asked today what one thing you had to have on your cards. I thought about it for a bit, and then I answered - "space".

After I said it, I thought - Hmmm, maybe it's more than my cards. I love space. I love quiet, peaceful space.

I can't go to the movies, because I don't have space. I understand that that isn't normal, but I don't care. I love the desert. I can't stand the mall. I love the sky in TX that comes down to my feet. I love the early morning when no one is awake but me and a select few. I don't like corn fields, but I love wheat, because I can see over it.

I need to be able to see.

What do you have to have?

I hope a giggle, because don't forget - it's MMLM.

Oh, and speaking of laughing, I'm really a ding dong. I entered my order wrong from the new catalog, so I ordered two of this adorable set!!

So the winner of THIS week's Make Me Laugh Monday wins this set - WOW - who knew???

Better make it good ladies!!!

And to be fair, and spread the mirth to all, all entries must be in comments on this post.

LOVEYAMEANITBYE.

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STILL laughing...

Over one of your word verification comments!! You ladies are hilarious!!

This Make Me Laugh Monday is brought to you by my Blogger Webinar, which will take place this Thursday at 6 PM Central time. Want to learn to set up your blog and get going sharing your greatness with the world? Already have a blog and want to learn fun HTML and graphic tips to spice it up? Register in my sidebar - and remember, there's a combo deal for you with $5 off header design if you register for the blogger webinar and have me design your header for you!

Also, if you or someone you know wants to get started with Twitter, then click here to view my tutorial. This will take you from "Huh - why would I want to Twitter?" all the way to Twitter expert in 15 minutes!

Back tonight with a card. Happy MMLM!!!

Can't wait to see what you do today!

Jean wins last week's with her two videos.... The sand worm part about killed me!!


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Again with the Monday?

I swear they are not spaced at 7 day intervals.

MAYBE IT'S JUST ME!

But I think not. The mood dramatically changes on Twitter each Monday. Everyone is all happy and lovey all weekend and then BAM - it's a Twitscape full of headaches and exhaustion, despair.

How long will we go without a ban?

But guess what? Here on Understand Blue, Monday will always make you smile!! It's...

YAY!!

And I finally have winners from the last two. I'm terrible at picking because everyone makes me smile, so there are multitudes of winners..

First, from June 8th, Carolyn wins with her bull joke and Sue wins with the Loris, which I've forwarded more times than anything else in the history of email. I seriously watch that every day!!!

Then from June 1st - Three winners!! Loved these stories - the Crisco joke from Candy Diaz, the bottomless jumper from Oma and Chris' story about the kitten stealer!!

Email me your addresses for goodies, ladies!!

XXOO,

Me.

Oh yeah - and Make me Laugh in a comment today for more prizes!!

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What If You Loved Like Steve Jobs?

No matter what you're reading this on, you have to admit - Steve Jobs has changed the world.

Probably the business leader I admire most, this man has defined innovation in my lifetime.

But as much as I love the creativity, and my Ipod and those crazy beautiful thin laptops and the white glow of the Apple Store, you know what I REALLY love?

I love how much he LOVES those things.

How do I know he loves them?

Because every touch is beautiful. The box. The advertising. The icons. The stores. The abandonment of every traditional marketing strategy for lavish adoration of the product in every possible medium. I love this love. It's at the heart of his greatness and it is love that makes Apple great.

So I have a card, and two videos for you to illustrate this love.

First - the card. The colors are new (Crushed Curry and Bermuda Bay), the owl is new (Animal Stories) and the ribbon is new. The greeting, is from Love Owlways - retired, but exactly what I wanted to say today.It is possible to love something into perfection. And that's just what he has done.

So two videos. The first one is to show you what the same great product would be without the love - it's hilarious. So here you go - if you don't see a video here, click over to the blog.

The second is a look inside the heart of this great man.

I love him - he's perfect. :)

Don't forget - it's Make Me Laugh Monday!! Leave a comment on this post that makes me laugh the hardest and win a prize!!



I have to say, you guys made it really hard on me last Monday. I'm going to have to ponder some more and let you know the winner of last week's tomorrow. It's hard to pick between the kitten snatcher, the bottomless trampoliner, mooning a train, barking at your butt, Eskimo jokes, kidnappings and walking toilets. I'M JUST SAYIN.

XO,

me

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The End of the Day

I am at war with technology.

My blackberry track ball stopped working. No problem - I use it a lot.

I order a new one. The newer curve. 1 hour into a 4.5 hour walk, it completely implodes and will not turn back on. Not a good feeling a few hours from home.

I will not tell you what happened at the faceless monopoly when I went to get a replacement today, because 1) they're reading this and will cancel my internet service and 2) the cussing would probably shock even the sailors among you.

My computer at home is so loud I can't hear myself think.

My laptop battery is dead.

Twitter deleted my picture.

Martha Stewart's website stopped working when people were trying to vote for me. I guess you can vote in a comment now - not sure. I'm #2 if it starts working again! :)

Hmph.

BUT. Yesterday morning, on the way to work, I saw the most beautiful sight. The sky was all dramatic - purple and orange and pink and streaky. And the buildings downtown were lit up on one side with this nice warm light that I can't describe. But I did think about it yesterday when I gave up fighting the machines. And I did give up.

I love that sunrise/sunset light that comes in from the side. Makes everything gold. If you don't get up early you'll miss half of these, you know :).

This card is for the little deer I saw this weekend on my walk. If you don't live here, you may not get the sight of deer at the beginning and the end of the day, but it's cool. I saw my deer this weekend at, well, the end of the day. She was a girl, but I only have a boy deer stamp, so she is the Splotchy of the deer world - confused.I stamped the Nature's Silhouette's deer and grass in Close to Cocoa. I filled him in a bit with a brown pencil.

Then all I did was scribble with a gold Pentel rollerball. On him/her and on the grass. The Pentels are very precise. Just a few minutes.
But it really feels like the end of the day with a little deer. Didn't really need any words.

This is the card I will send to last week's Make me Laugh Monday winner!! This was a really tough one because Kim and Cassie had me rolling - so because I like to laugh, I'll be sending each of them a card! Addresses please!!

Now - many have been clamoring for kitty vids.

So here's a little ditty Splotchy put together for you guys called "That's how I roll."

If you don't see a video player below, click over to my blog, or click here to view.



Have a great Wednesday!

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MMLM!!!!!

OMG I almost forgot Make Me Laugh Monday!!! Well, no, I didn't. I was being sneaky. But first, a little story.

WTH??? SOMEONE REJECTED MADDIE CAT?? I DON'T THINK SO!!!

Actually - it was my fault, but that's what I'm being sneaky about.

I'm about to launch the world's cutest T-shirt but have been foiled by my own stupidity and rookie mistakes and am being delayed. But stay tuned - because I'm contemplating making these for convention and giving them away to some of you who want to get together there, and for various other occasions because I like to give things away!!

Speaking of giving things away, Heatherbstamps - please email me your mailing address - you cracked me up with "fauxhawk" and "spine flu" last week, and so you are my Make Me Laugh Monday winner for May 4th. You and Leslie won the same prize, which I think is super cool, and I need to mail them this week.

So - who wants to make me laugh tonight??? (in a Clint Eastwood voice...) "Go ahead, make me laugh..."

Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

Want to see my other blog?

Make Me Laugh Monday!

Did you know that yesterday was Make Me Laugh Monday?? ME NEITHER!!

That is, until you guys made me laugh!!!

I'm going to launch Make Me Laugh Monday and award people the MMLM award based on how hard you make me laugh. Stay tuned at the end of this post for the winner of yesterday's...

But first - CARDZ! and a little sad news.

One of my life heros died on Monday. :( His name was Pete Rodriguez, and you didn't know him. He was my band director at Bryan High. He was probably the most demanding person I've ever worked for, and my most beloved leader. He was little, but FIERCE. When he was mad, you hid. Except you didn't, because he wouldn't let you. He never blamed anyone for a mistake that wasn't theirs, and he never let you not own up to yours. And when we did well, he got all teary eyed. When he hugged us, we felt our ribs crack. He was as politically incorrect as they came, assigning nicknames to us, like "Big Gun" to anyone who was chubby. He loved us fiercely, and when we performed with him, we were much better than the sum total of our talent, because the extra ingredient was his passion - for music, for education, for people, and for flawlessness, or as near as you could get with mortal efforts.

The little twinkle in his eye changed my view of the world, as did the things I did with his help - the awards I won that I never would have had without him, the trips I took where he kept us safe and on track, and the friends I made because of his generous spirit and great example. He had us all to his home one Christmas, which no other teacher before college ever did, and the caroling, and the cookies and the warmth and love from Mr. Rod and his wife feel to me just like they did that night X years ago. (No, I'm not telling you!)

I love you Mr. Rod. You were my hero. I hope you're giving em hell in heaven and teaching people what the heck a straight line and a tempo mean. I'm sure they'd forgotten. You will never be.

This card is for you.
This little fella is from the new release at Starving Artistamps called Super Parents! Check it out, and stand by for more. The background is my beloved, beloved cityscape from Set the Scene.

I colored it with Copics and accented it with a white gel pen and a blue Souffle Pen.

So, I hope I didn't make you sad. If so - please let's go on to Make Me Laugh Monday!!

First, when leaving a comment on the Google Earth Car/Bat/Bird Post on Monday, my buddy Jayne gets "desplunc" as her secret word. If you're new to my blog, we like to entertain ourselves over here by using these words in a sentence. Sometimes I give prizes for especially amusing ones. Well Jayne asked for help with this word, and my favorite shunned one, Lisa Page, offered this:

Jayne- BEAUTIFUL! Spelunking is the act of cave exploring- as in exploring the caves where the bats are in the Central Texas area! Sooooo, here's your def.- "desplunc"-Whenever you back out of a cave. It could be for any reason. Bats that freak you out. Or stalagmites that are going to attack you. I'll use it in a sentence- One day my brother and I went to Innerspace Caves in Georgetown, I had to "desplunc" because my brother had claustrophobia!" love always, rad.shunee

She followed it up with this:

Of course, then there is the "spledesplunking"- when your spleen decides to give out as you are retreating from the cave.

Now Lisa is shunned because she likes rain, and I do not. But apparently, my little rain radical's sense of humor is not affected by the weather, because these about made espresso come out of my nose when I read them.

So congrats to Lisa - the inaugural Make Me Laugh Monday Winner!!! You are welcome to the contents of the post you commented on - either the red or blue bird - lemme know which!

Finally

OMG A GIANT CAT LIVES IN MY HOUSE - LOOK SHE TAKES UP THE WHOLE CHAIR - RRRRUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!!!

Oh, well. Maybe she's still little. Maybe I found a teeny leather armchair at Target that I thought would make a hilarious cat chair for my studio!!! Is that not awesome?? It's right next to my desk and she loves to flop down there while I work. I would like to pretend it has nothing to do with my space heater, so I'd appreciate that if you'd stifle an urge to suggest that might be what it is.. :)

Tomorrow I will announce the winner of the Momster contest, and will also publish dates for the next few webinars. I have to scurry now.

LOVEYAMEANITBYE.


Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

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