8th Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party - Part 5

After hitting some refreshments the guests were ready to once again start the games. The next game was Siamese Gift Wrap. There were 6 teams, with 2 people on each team. The teams were given the exactly amount of supplies so there could be no talk of cheating or unfairness! Each person hand to keep one hand behind their back during this process.

My poor sister and her teammate Kimmy were disqualified because I had to keep telling them to use only one hand. As you see here my sister is getting ready to put her hand on the box and Kimmy kept slipping and using her "arm", which was still disqualification due to not having her hand behind her back.






Linda and Karen did a great job of only using one hand and they worked rather well together. Linda was not amused with having to sit in the floor and made some comment about her age or something. I of course, do not go for that kinda crap because after all...she is only a few years older than me *okie laughs at the unusual knack she has of answering the question of "oh how old is so and so" and always answering with "oh they are my age" or "uh, just a few years older than me" and really believing these statements*.


Nancy and Wendi communicated quietly and efficiently during their wrapping process and had wonderful taping of their gift. I think they were the ones that constantly maintained the rule of "one hand behind your back".

Robyn had the unfair advantage of having my daughter on her team. I was glad I was not the judge because I would have chosen their gift simply for the sharp clean edges and nicely tucked corners. My daughter has been an excellent gift wrapper since a very young age. Chuck did the judging and to be honest I don't remember which one he chose.




 
Our last game before Dirty Santa and the auction was Christmas Pictionary, which was more than amusing!

Notice the look on some of the faces in this picture and image those looks throughout the whole game. It was hilarious to see some of the drawings. I can't remember what was said when this picture was taken but evidently Nancy and Helen were amused while my sister Cheryl and daughter Shiane were rather shocked.

The next big shock came when it was this teams turn to draw and guess. They choose Linda to draw which got the response for me "REALLY? LINDA IS YOUR CHOICE?" and that sent me into fits of laughter. Linda often tells me "I can't even draw a decent stick person" so of course that choice would amuse me! However, Linda was not amused with my comment *okie giggles about getting a good little jab in on Linda, who is always such a good sport*. Well once I said that Linda promptly took of her necklace (guests were not allowed to say cuss words) handed it to Carmen as she said "F*CK YOU SHIRLEY!" I am so glad I had the camera ready at just that right moment to catch this on film!

I didn't get a picture of Karen drawing but I did get a picture of her finished product! One of her phrases was "Little Drummer Boy". She drew a stick person with appendage in a particular place to show it was a boy and then next to it was a drum. I think we all laughed until we cried on that one! Then she had to add "I draud that!" as she explained to everyone about us playing Quiddler and me trying to use the word draud, which by the way is not a word but when you have had enough margaritas it sounds like it should be!








Dirty Santa was the last game before the auction, and is one game I look forward to since it is the only one I get to play.

The best picture I have from that game is when Helen stole a purse from Andrea, who had stole it from Robyn and Helen knew it was locked down and her evil little laugh just cracked us all up. I was so thrilled that Helen was able to make the party this year and hope she gets make more of them. I talk and text with her and we had met in person about 4 years ago when I was in Arizona for a few days and we had such a good time that one day we got spend together. She is talking about maybe coming for a week this summer which would be awesome. If she does I think Karen and Carmen might try to come in that same week as well! Now that would be a great week for sure!


After Dirty Santa it was time for the auction, which somehow I didn't get any pictures of. It is often very hard to be the hostess and photographer at the same time. Shiane did a great job trying to snap pictures here and there and got many shots that will be scrapbooked later. I try to keep the auction even as I made sure that there were 3 prizes per person. There were 3 prizes extra since I had a guest cancel. I asked who all had 3 prizes and then tried to take only bids from those who had 2 prizes to keep things even. I had one guest get perturbed because I wouldn't take her bid and even went outside later on and complained to someone about it.

To end the night I go a few hostess gifts. I wasn't able to get pictures of all of them, too many refreshments effects one's ability to remember to photograph wonderful things, but my daughter did get a snapshot of this most beautiful light up glass block that Robyn made for me. I haven't found the perfect place for it yet but I am thinking on the shelf under my TV in the craftroom so I can always see it!



So now I finally come to the end of the Christmas Party posts. I hope you guys can all understand the fun we have and how much I enjoy putting this party on for my friends. I have already started planning 2013's party so I can get it out of the way because in 2014 it will be the 10th annual party and it will have to be bigger and better than anything I have ever done to commemorate such a monumental event!

Oh I will be posting pictures of the auction prizes over the next few days. I have those in draft mode so it won't take me as long to write up posts.

8th Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party - Part 4

Have been so busy with work and getting Christmas stuff done I haven't had time to get the posts done about the party. Now where were we?

Oh yes...it was time for the games!

I always start with a few worksheet games to test my guests Christmas knowledge. This year we did Christmas Movie Trivia and a Holiday Word Scramble. Some guests did excellent and some...well evidently they dont' know a thing about Christmas! HA HA HA

Carmen and Helen look so studious as they work on one of the games. You can also see their swag bags in this picture. I think everyone really liked the bags this year since they were personalized and they were big enough for them to put their prizes in as well. This way they didn't get them mixed up with the belongings of others and were easy to carry home.

On the left is my friend Linda that I talk about all the time. Linda has been attending the parties I think for 4 years. She also gives me some great ideas for prizes and then sometimes I tell her "well you make the shit then" and we just laugh.

Kimmy is the other lady in the picture. She was new this year and I contacted her about filling in for another guest who was not able to make it due to family medical issues. Kimmy drove up all the way from Austin Texas for the party. She quite frequently said "I'll go Texas on your ass" and none of us were quite sure what that meant but it is a phrase we will never forget since we heard it all night.


After the word games we decided we better get a group photo before we have too many refreshments and forgot *okie thinks that punch was rather refreshing and knows if she had any more refreshments that night she likely would have not remembered the night*.

Back row: Linda, Cheryl, Helen, Carmen, Andrea, Karen, Carrie, Robyn. 

Front row: Me, Wendi, Kimmy and Nancy.

Our next game was the Gift Stacking Game. There were 3 people to a team, two sitting back to back and one standing and placing the boxes. the one that was facing the standing person described how the boxes were stacked and the person facing the other direction had to stack the boxes according to the verbal directions that were given. This team consisted of Andrea, Nancy and Wendi.



I just had to share this picture of my BFF Karen and if you are thinking she was thinking "WTF!" you are wrong..she was actually saying "WHAT THE F$UCK". Carrie was giving her directions and we were all laughing because the directions were rather vague, such as "okay now grab the square box".  I am quite sure that this team was the one that got the most laughs due to the instructions given and Karen's fabulous facial expressions throughout the whole ordeal.

I have to brag a little bit with this team. My daughter stood in on the games since I had a guest cancel at the last minute due to some unforseen circumstances and she did a wonderful job. This team that consisted of my daughter, Helen and Kimmy. Shiane gave wonderful directions and their penalties were the lowest but their time was the highest.

After such a tedious game the guests decided they needed a refreshment break before continuing to the next....which will be tomorrow's post!

ON HOLD....

Sorry guys I had a ton of things to do last night and didn't get a post written up for today so the party posts are on hold for a few days. I did however get 32 card kits ready to take to the ICF/MR where I do groups! I promised them that we could make Christmas cards this week in group and they are all super excited! They all remembered the Easter cards we did a few years ago. I have enough for each person to make 3 different cards. Luckily we will be having group twice this week so we will have plenty of time to get the cards done.

Tonight is family night and the kids and I are going to a movie so I might not be able to get a post ready for Wednesday either.

8th Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party - Part 3

Saturday was the party and we were able to relax a bit and not have to rush rush rush this year. That morning and day I was doing some last minute cleaning and setting up the living room for the guests while my house guests were busting around in the kitchen getting their appetizers for the party all made.

I got the punch area set up and I think I came up with a rather ingenious set up this year. I have this little fridge that was my daughters when she lived in the dorm, we refer to it as the beer fridge, and a little cabinet that were along that area in the dining room. I used a long piece of tempered glass to put across the top of them and added a tablecloth and WALAH! I had a great punch area!

I found the cups and plates at the bargain store last month and that gave me plenty of time to personalize a cup for each guest. Even though the cups were disposable I thought it was a great way for people not to get their cups mixed up. I used white and silver vinyl to do the names.

I am really big on personalize things for the party and that is one reason I am a little strict about the guest list and if people show up or not. This year for the "swag bag" I ordered some reusable shopping bags from One Bag at a Time and personalized them with iron on vinyl. I called the company when I found them on the internet to make sure they were legit and thankfully they were! Everywhere else I looked wanted me to order like at least 100 bags, I only needed 12. I actually ordered 13 and it's a good thing I did since I didn't think about my iron needing to be on a lower setting for these bags...the first bag got beyond scorched! Everyone loved their personalized bag! Each bag contained a personalized ornament, a small bottle of Bath and Body Works lotion, a personalized pen and their Santa bucks. They were great for the guests to keep their prizes together and to carry home.

Helen claimed her chair, I would like to say early on in the party but it was actually as soon as she walked through my front door I do believe! What she didn't realize is that the chair is Lucy's recliner and who ever sits there must share the chair with Lucy. I don't think Helen minded too much though.

Lucy gets so spoiled when I have guests in for the party and she ends up driving me NUTS wanting me to pet her all the time for about a week or two after the party. I think I am going to have set some strict rules about petting time in the future so I don't have to go through this with Lucy every year!





Someone snapped a picture of me and the kids before the party got started. This is actually the first picture we have of all 3 of us, at least I think it is. Shiane and Chuck were a great help during the party. I did have one guest who had to cancel at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances and Shiane had to take her spot in the games. Chuck was busy with refreshing everyone's drinks and did the judging in some of the games and was also a time keeper on the games, those pictures will come later!


Another traditional picture is of me and Carmen. We make sure we get one every year. I think this year's picture might be my favorite. We look like some hot sexy mama's in our red blouses and sparkling jewelry!

All the guests had arrived by 7pm, even though the party was set to start at 6pm. Wendi was running late because she was in Tulsa during the day at the Nutcracker Ballet, which she was not happy about having to go. She texted several times to let me know she was on the way. I think she was scared if she didn't she might be marked off the list. However, she not need to fear that. Wendi and I have become great friends since we met a few years ago when she bought my first Expressions from me. Some of you might remember the name as she was the one that went on the Cricut Cruise with Karen and I.

Okay sorry this post is so short but I am running short on time and must get some other things done. The next posts will be showing the games we played and a few stories to go along with those!!!

8th Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party - Part Deux!

With five ladies getting ready for a busy day of running around and shopping I was amazed we were out the door before 11am! There is an unofficial tradition of going to Walls Bargain Store as it is the store I am speaking of when I say "my local bargain store". I haven't found a person yet that doesn't like the store, well at least out of my friends I take there. If you see something you like you better get it then because it might be gone the next time and they likely won't be getting anymore in!

I would really like to tell you more about what else we did but to be honest it is all a bit of a blur at this moment. My sister arrived Friday afternoon, standing with tradition of course *okie thinks to herself that her life is nothing if not traditional and then laughs about even thinking that big of fluff*, and we decided it was time to go to Walmart for our grocery shopping.

For once I had actually gotten most of the items for the party ready ahead of time so the traditional last minute shopping was not near as frantic as in past years. We all had our lists of items we needed to get to make our appetizers for the party and when once at Walmart we all split up and made haste to fill our buggies and get out of the hectic shopping pace that happens every Christmas season. We had one more stop before we could call it quits at shopping....THE LIQUOR STORE!

Every year I make Hurricane Punch for the punch bowl and guests are always encouraged to bring anything they would like to drink in case their palettes are not adjusted to such a delectable drink. I needed to get a few liters of rum *okie smiles remembering she still has some punch in her fridge right now and wonders how long it will keep* while others opted for some Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, Tequila and I think maybe something else but not quite sure.

Once we made it home we decided to break out the Ninja Blender and make a few Margarita's. However, in the rush of the day I forgot to get ice. Karen and I went to the ice house, actually called Twice The Ice, to purchase two large bags of ice. Karen had never been to the ice house and was quite impressed and has decided she needs to set up a few in Florida. I love ice from there since it is what we call  "slushy ice" and also you get a HUGE 16lb bag for $2, whereas at the grocery store or convinvence store you only get an 8lb bag for $1.50 or more. I had to teach Karen that you push the "bag" button if you don't have a cooler, otherwise your ice will come shooting out on the ground.

After a successful trip to the ice house we made some margarita's and visited. Carmen had brought a game called Quiddler. It is a card game where you spell words. I think I won the first hand rather quickly. Carmen argued that it wasn't a word while others gasped at the word I spelled. I had partaken a few margarita's by this point so I was quite impressed with not only my spelling ability but also with the quickness of find a word with the first 5 cards I was given. I had to discard one so it worked out quite nicely! They challenged my word but Carmen did find it on some online dictionary with her Ipad so they accepted it. My next word was "draud" and Karen challenged it. That word however did not stand up, although Karen was able to use it in a sentence by stating "she draud a pretty picture on her paper" so I think it should have been accepted. By this time we were a little tipsy and decided to go to the casino for a bit.

We didn't stay long at the casino...we had plenty of liquor at the house and it was free, and soon returned home. My daughter's friend Alisha came over and somewhere they had gotten some things called Suck And Blow, which are some type of jello shot in a tube that is made for...um, well it requires two people. Shiane and Alicia demonstrated the technique and Carmen agreed to try this rather unusual method of partaking alcohol laced jello. I will say it was a bit of a hilarious riot watching Carmen and Shiane and there are video's to prove it did happen. Unfortunately, I have been threatened with bodily harm if I ever post said video on my Facebook page, website or YouTube channel. I will say that Carmen officially SUCKS at the suck and blow technique. You can make up what stories you want from that statement.

After visiting some more and setting the sleeping arrangements for the night we were all bushed and decided to try and get a good night's sleep before the busy day ahead of us and the fun filled evening that was planned. 

STAY TUNED FOR PARTY DAY!!

8th Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party - Part 1

Since there is so much that goes on at the parties I have decided to break it down into a few posts so ya'll don't get bored reading one horribly long post!

My guests started arriving on Wednesday December 5th. Karen came in from Florida that evening and after picking her up at the airport we went to my sisters where we would stay the night. My sister had made a nice pot of Fully Loaded Baked Potato soup which we so appreciated since we were both hungry and it was a rather chilly evening. Karen or I had not gotten our gifts for the Dirty Santa Game so we decided to do a little shopping. We hit Hobby Lobby and Khols to look for appropriate gifts for the party. Karen found a really nice Yankee Candle Christmas Tree candle burner at Khols but I was unable to find something I wanted for my gift. I had decided that I could make something before the party.  I did however find a great pair of shoes on clearance that were 80% off and were only$12! Karen has some kinda Khols coupon for 20% off her total purchase so she paid for the shoes and when I went to pay her for the shoes she said "they were like free!" because she also got some Khols cash. I think I really scored good there!

On Thursday morning Carmen came in from Houston and we had about 5 hours to kill before Helen was coming in from Tucson so of course that meant shopping! Oh and a wonderful lunch at Olive Garden. I think that has become a tradition since it seems we always have a meal at Olive Garden when we are doing airport shuttles.

I am quite sure Hobby Lobby is also a tradition since we went again! This time I found a nice tin Santa for my Dirty Santa gift that I really did want to win, but didn't. Carmen and I went into Ross Dress for Less while Karen took a nap in the van. Upon our return Karen said "well I'm glad I'm not a dog because someone would have called ASPCA on you guys for leaving me out here this long!". We weren't really gone that long, Karen is just a hard sleeper and it seemed like a long time to her! Carmen and I had to tell her about the woman in line at Ross Dress For Less. We were in line and Carmen said "oh we have to go around this area and get in line". We started going through the maze and this woman ran to cut in line in front of us. We were standing in line and Carmen and I were chit chatting then the woman pushed my buggy back into me and said "DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE HITTING MY LEG WITH YOUR BUGGY?". I looked at her calmly and with a very deadpan look on my face said "No I'm not. I haven't moved my buggy". She got huffy and yelled "YES YOU ARE!". Carmen then told her that we haven't moved the buggy and Carmen and the woman had a few words. By this time people were gawking a bit and I heard some people say "what's her problem", talking about that angry woman, not us. The woman threw her stuff in my buggy and left flustered. She also got a bit tangled in the straps for the line trying to make a beeline for the door. Karen was glad she didn't make the trip into Ross with us after all.

After the trip into Ross there was only about a hour before it was time to get Helen at the airport and I saw a PetSmart store and asked if they wanted to go in...oh wait, I gotta tell ya the conversation!

 ME: Lucy needs a new collar, y'all wanna go in PetSmart?
CARMEN: They have a really good snack bar I like.
ME & KAREN: *odd look on our faces* Really?
CARMEN: Yeah it's really good.
ME & KAREN: Uhhhh...*giving each other sideways glances*

KAREN: Why the hell did we eat at Olive Garden when we could have eaten at PetSmart!
CARMEN: I guess I should have said they have a really good snack bar my dogs like.
ALL OF US: HAHAHAHAHA

Now let me tell ya, Carmen thought Karen and I were weird for thinking she ate at PetSmart but Karen and I were thinking Carmen was weird saying they had a snackbar she really liked. I mean if someone says that it in that manner wouldn't you think they ate there?? After finding a pretty pink snowflake collar for Lucy and checking out the birds, rats and snakes in the store it was about time to head off to the airport.

After parking and going into the airport and then deciding we could just pick Helen up at the arrivals area we went back to the van. My feet were hurting from the new shoes I got at Khols and I ended up walking back barefooted. I did get some odd looks from a group of business men but I told Karen and Carmen "well it is Oklahoma so it's not an uncommon thing to see an Indian running around barefooted" and they agreed and that the businessmen would be quite sure of what state they were in at the time.

We circled around the airport 3 times and Carmen finally jumping out of the van to find Helen and bring her to the van. We got Helen loaded in the van and were ready to head back to Ada. But first, we had to stop at Tuesday Morning! There really wasn't much there, I did grab a pack of paper that was pink with white polka dots and Helen got a few Tim Holtz items and Karen and Carmen left empty handed. We drove across the street for a quick run in at Joann's. By this time I think we were all tired and we didn't look around a whole lot. Helen grabbed a few things and off we went for my house.

Upon arriving at my house we found Kimmy waiting patiently for us to show up. Luckily Shiane and Chuck were at home and they were able to keep Kimmy entertained. Shiane and Kimmy actually went to Walmart while waiting for us to get home. Since lunch was long gone and we were all a little hungry we went to Applebee's for a bite to eat. For some odd reason Kimmy felt it necessary to try and sit in my lap, something I am not quite accustom to, nor do I like very well to be honest, but I smiled just the same as a nice young man offered to take our picture.

The rest of the night was spent visiting and getting to know each other and discussing what all we needed to do the next day.

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT PARTY POST! *okie wonders if everyone who has read this long azz post understands why the posts need to be broken down into parts*.

IT'S TIME!!

So after resting up for a week from the party I am ready to start back at this blogging thing. I am editing pictures today and the week should be taken up with posts of the projects of the party and the prizes. I will be making the first post later today, just wanted to let ya'll know that the posts are gonna be coming now!

It's All Over...Even The Crying

I took Carmen, Karen and Helen back to the airport for their return trip home and I have to say it is so hard every year to say good-bye to my friends. I know I will see them again one day and I talk to them on the phone but it's just not the same as them being here. At this time Carmen has made it home, Karen should be arriving in Orlando any minute and Helen should be home...well I am not real sure because her time zone confused the heck out of me! LOL 

The party was great and everyone enjoyed themselves, at least I think they did. If they didn't then to hell with them! HA HA HA I am so tired tonight there is no way I can even write up a blog post and try to post pictures. Just wanted ya'll to know that everyone survived and I will be back to writing up stupid crap again real soon!

TWO DAYS???

I only have two days before my first guest arrives at the airport and I can still think of a ton of things I would like to get done before they start arriving but I think I have run out of time!

I worked on weekend on finishing up getting items ready for the games and I can officially say that everything I need for each game is ready to roll. That is ahead of my regular schedule! I am generally hunting around the Friday before the party to find a few more supplies but I was on it this year.

Where I am failing is that I still need two more prizes and still need to wrap a few others! I can the completed ones in boxes and just wrap them later. I am having problems thinking of two more prizes to make. Well I can think of several but due to time constraints it's just not possible right now so I guess I will try to whip a few things together before heading to the airport on Wednesday evening.

Okay back to work...gotta get some paperwork done tonight before I get fired from my job! LOL

It's Hard To Say Good-bye...

I know I said I had a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that I would post on Monday but have decided to do it today.  There were many guesses about what the announcement would be and I will answer some of these...

NO, I am not pregnant...it's not physically possible.
NO, I am not going to be a grandma...ya'll don't play like that!
NO, my daughter isn't getting married...at least that I know of.
HELL NO, I'm not getting married...remember I am a hopeless romantic with a huge fear of commitment *okie thinks she is possibly one huge, walking, breathing oxymoron*.

NOW BACK TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

I am not sure saying good-bye is ever easy. Well I take that back I can think of at least 5 instances it was really easy for me *okie rolls her eyes thinking about THOSE exes*, and when I say real easy I mean really, really, really easy! But when it's something you love it makes it much more difficult. Sometimes the good-byes come as a mutual need for termination, most times it is one sided. There are good-byes that are just temporary, then good-byes that are meant to be permanent. Certain times we are almost driven to say good-bye, as it is in this instance.

For a long time I have been a Cricut fan. I have defended them in many cases where others only had complaint. During those times I believed in the brand and felt they were trying to go into a good direction for their consumers while still building their brand. I have praised their products and used their products. I have also been honest with my feelings when I felt I didn't like something and let that be known as well. I was glad they won their lawsuit because I felt it was the right thing in the court system to happen. If they wanted to protect their products and have them used as they intended then I felt our justice system made the correct choice.

My Cricut brought me into a new world of my hobby of scrapbooking. It evolved me into a true PAPERCRAFTER. Paper went from a "oh that is nice" to "OMG! what can I make with that". It allowed me to meet some of my best friends I have in this later stage of my life and for that, I will ever be grateful. It lead me to have this website and end up having all of you wonderful people go from being able to get my cut files to reading the daily drivel of my life, the ups and downs I experience, the joys and pains. I have found that I am not alone in anything I experience. Many of you comment on much of my mindless drivel and that truly means so much to me.


I am going to be honest and say I have lost my faith in the Cricut brand. It started to wan when they didn't update Design Studio for over two months and there were a lot of new cartridges that couldn't be used, at least by me since I am DS dependent, for a period of time. Many asked for the update and of course the responses from ProvoCraft were noncommittal. We were being pushed by ProvoCraft people to use Cricut Craftroom, which I totally despise for various reasons. I even told one person "if I am going to have to learn a new software I want to learn one that works, isn't tied to the internet and isn't so damn glitchy". 

Now there have been several issues occur that have now made this happy Cricut user and promoter to lose faith and start looking for a new force in my papercrafting hobby...

1. Design Studio was not updated in a timely manner. 

It is not acceptable in my book to have to wait for two months for an update in the cartridge list and being told it wasn't a priority.

2. Cricut Craftroom being crammed down your throat 
(they actually own the files you make with CCR, read the small print). There are so many problems with this program that I just can't stand it. I know there are a lot of happy users out there and good for them. I am not one of them and therefore will not use the dang thing.

3. Mixed messages about selling a gypsy and linked carts 
(still no official word, just the standard they haven't determined if it is illegal or not). Being told "check the EULA" and then when people call being told "well it's not illegal we just prefer you don't do it". REALLY??

4. Targeting auctions on eBay. 
Some auctions of Gypsy machines and linked cartridges were allowed to sell while others were pulled. First time I listed mine it was pulled, however 3 others that didn't include the carts were allowed to finish the sale. I clearly wrote in my description how if it died and had to be reset all the cartridges would be lost. I listed my Hello Kitty cartridges on eBay and they were pulled. Once again other linked cartridges were allowed to sell just fine. I was even told that ProvoCraft "heard through the grapevine" about my auctions. I always thought it was stupid not to be able to sell something you owned. I know some folks thought I was against this but what I was against was people selling the SVG files of the Cricut cartridges, not against using them mind you, but selling - YES *okie has since changed her mind and will explain further down*. With the help of a friend I did finally get my Gypsy sold on eBay for a decent price. I had to list it where my name was not associated with the auction in any means.

5. People who have used the Cricut name in their websites/blogs for years now getting Cease and Desist letters. 
These people promote more than just Cricut but have still influenced thousands of people in the sales of Cricut products but now they have to change their whole website because they used the Cricut name.  

6. Cricut Rewards rarely updated. 
Everyone was excited when this program started and it sounded like a great way to get people to really enjoy the little extra of buying Cricut products. There was a lot of excitement at first but once people started holding on to their rewards and being able to afford a lot of the good stuff then the site rarely had anything new and exciting. I just used all my reward points on blades, tacky tape and cuttlebug folders.

THIS IS WHAT SENT ME OVER THE EDGE...

7. ProvoCraft promoting and selling Cricut Circle Exclusive cartridges to the public. 
This was pulled after many Circle members complained. Those that complained publicly were contacted by phone and offered $50 free credit to use on Cricut.com, *okie wonders if that would be considered a bribe of some sort and can just see a PC mafia conspiracy and then laughs at her wild imagination*. As a Circle member the exclusive cartridges were what really interested me in the whole program. I received an email recently from someone at PC saying they wanted to talk to me, even though I have not posted anywhere about my feelings on this subject,  and didn't have a valid phone number. I emailed back and told them I don't get home until after their offices close and asked what they wanted to talk to me about and I never received a reply. We were told Circle carts were exclusive to Circle members and then the rules were changed and they are saying the carts are exclusive only for a certain period of time. Okie dokie, then I will only be a Circle member until my membership expires. Oh and about changing my mind concerning their images that can be found in SVG format...if they aren't going to maintain exclusivity in the content that we paid for, well then why should we. In the original FAQs section of the Cricut Circle ProvoCraft posted this: 

2. May Cricut Circle members sell their cartridges to members outside the Circle?

Provo Craft will not be selling the cartridges outside the Cricut Circle. We anticipate that Cricut Circle Members will know they have paid for premium content and the cartridges will uphold their value.

I can't at this time find the link to this as it might have been removed.  But if I'm lyin', I'm dyin!

These are not the only reasons for my decision, but they are the main ones. I have been carefully watching and not saying much about all these things so I could make an informed decision based on what is best for me as a papercrafter. My decision has lead to me saying good-bye to my Cricut cartridges and most of my machines. I will keep using my Expression until I can decide which machine I want to purchase. I am currently debating between the Silhouette Cameo and the KNK Zing.  I have been discussing this in my Facebook group for over a month now and they are all quite aware of my feelings and intentions. I have gotten a few comments such as "it's the end of an era" and I responded with "think of it as a new beginning"; "the day the music died" and I responded "just think of it as the music pausing so the true concert can begin!".

During the time that Design Studio wasn't updated I decided to load up the Make The Cut software that has been sitting in my computer for a long time and check it out. Years ago when I downloaded the  MTC trial version I didn't like it because you had to also use Inkscape and that was like putting in algebraic equation in front of me, which is NOT a good thing. The updated version I have now is a lot better and it is also a version that is pre-lawsuit, therefore still legal on my machine. I loved being able to cut any font I wanted that was in my computer. The shadow layering was just amazing, beyond amazing really. 

So my dear readers you now have the official announcement and reasons behind my decision of saying "GOOD-BYE CRICUT". I am not angry, have no hard feelings, not boycotting or have any other negativity toward ProvoCraft and Cricut. I am just divorcing due to irreconcilable differences *okie remembers writing about a divorce from PC not so long ago in a tongue and cheek manner and had no idea it would become a reality*. Since there was no pre-nup they owe me nothing and I owe them nothing. We both leave with what we went into the relationship with...ProvoCraft with their company and me with my creativity. It was a good relationship while it lasted and I have some wonderful memories and better yet some fantastic friends that I will carry with me.

Don't be surprised when you start seeing some heavy hitters of Cricut products switching to other brands. It is happening...everywhere. Truth be told it is moving at a rate of an avalanche on the Swiss Alps *okie pictures in her mind an avalanche and how it slowly starts and when the momentum gets going how it moves at a mind blowing rapid pace and with such force it destroys anything in it's path*, yep I would say that is a pretty accurate description. I know many others are not ready to announce their feelings and choices and like I said before, I made an informed decision based on what is best for me and I know they are doing the same.

Oh and to answer the question before it is asked...NO, I will not stop sharing my projects or my life on this website. Cricut maybe be the reason I started this thing but you guys are the reason I will continue.

PaperCrafter Needs Help!

My friend Crystal, who I met years ago on the Cricut messageboard, is making a banner for her daughter. Well somehow she forgot a letter and is a 5"x5" piece of paper short. She is unable to find this paper locally and I am wondering if anyone out there has a 5"x5" square they would be willing to part with so she can finish her banner.

It is Imaginisce from the Fairy tale line 2011 called If the Crown Fits. 

If anyone out there can be of help just let me know!

THANKS!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I have a BIG announcement to share with all of you!!!

Sadly since I am busy getting ready for my party I don't have time to get this rather monumental announcement properly written up so you will have to wait until Monday *okie grins evilly*.

Until then discuss amongst yourselves! *okie smiles sweetly and bats her eyelashes innocently*

PANIC MODE!!

Okay I am not in panic mode quite yet but give me a day or two and I might be past that mode! *okie sighs deeply and tries to think of her happy place*.

I have been working frantically getting ready for my party and I am still not done. I still need to get two more prizes made and then will have 7 more to wrap up and then get then all arranged under the tree.

The past two nights were spent on getting the games ready and I have those all planned out, things printed that need to be printed, supplies gathered, supply list of what I need to pick up and items sorted for the games. That does make me feel a little better! I do need to get the Santa Bucks copied and will do that tomorrow when I go to the office.

Lucy has her grooming appointment tomorrow so she can be fresh and clean for the guests and be loved and adored as she so deserves to be! I am thinking I will hit a pet store when I pick up Karen and see if I can find Lucy a new party dress of some sort. Her party dress from last year was such a hit!

Here she is doing her runway dance modeling her party dress last year. My daughter is giving her a little incentive. Oh and about my daughter's jeans...we aren't so poor she has to wear jeans with holes in them.


I called my sister last night to remind her that BFF Karen and I will be there on Wednesday night to spend the night. She almost had bad news for me and told me about a situation where she thought she was going to have to go to Arizona the Wednesday before the party to help her sister-in-law move some stuff out of a condo. She told her sister-in-law "but I have to be back on Saturday for my sister's party!" Luckily those plans got changed and she will be here...and maybe with bells on, never can tell about that one I tell ya! HA HA HA

Well have another busy day and weekend ahead of me...OMG! ONLY 8 MORE DAYS UNTIL MY PARTY!! *okie's mind reels with all the details that still need to be completed and runs out the door*.

Not All Things Work!

I am having a lot of fun with the option of using any font on my computer with Make The Cut but I am learning a few things, such as....NOT ALL FONTS ARE GOOD TO CUT!

I had decided to put names on some disposable tumblers and thought I found a good Christmas font but once I got all the names cut I found that some parts were too thin because of the size of the letters or they were a pain in the arse because of the small pieces that had to be removed. As you can see in this picture there is barely enough vinyl to keep the "E" together!

After working on another one I gave up and am going with a different font that is more solid and will cut a little better.

I guess anything new is a learning process especially when you are trying products you haven't' used before, like this chrome vinyl and MTC!

Glimmer Glaze - Butterfly MTC File

My friend Linda has been making a few trips to Arkansas since her grandson is now located there. In one of her trips she stopped at some shop and gave me a call because the proprietor had some discontinued colors of  Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze in stock and Linda thought I might want to try it out. She had to explain to me what it was and I couldn't pass it up.

I decided to use it for the first time the other day when doing this butterfly and I think it added a nice touch. The orange on the butterfly is a dark orange and then I pounced my Popcorn Cat Eye Chalk Ink on the insides of the wings and then used a paper towel to blend the ink in a little. After that dried I painted some Mellow Yellow Glimmer Glaze on about 2/3 of the wings. You  might need to make the picture bigger to see the detail but I think it came out really nice.

The bottle does come with a brush, think of nail polish, but next time I use it I think I will use some of my own brushes for better control.

The butterfly was cut using the MTC program and while I don't think it is a Monarch butterfly I think by adding some dots with my white gel pen I made it look close enough for my purposes. The finished product will be posted after my Christmas party so stay tuned!

If you would like the MTC file you can download it here --> BUTTERFLIES. The file is set to cut 3 different sizes. If you are MTC user you should know how to split the images and use what you  need or re-size.

Memory Slides

A few months back Blitsy had a great deal on the Ranger Memory Slide products and I stocked up. I had never used any but had seen some really cool things made with them and my friend Sandie had made a nice beachy one for me and gave to me on the cruise which I attached to the Memory Tray we made on the cruise.

I was working on a project and decided I wanted to do a Memory Slide for it and thought the one Sandie made me was so awesome I wanted to copy it in a sense. I, however, had problems with the sand. I bet I worked over an hour and trying to get that stupid sand to stay in place and when I finally got it in there and together I thought I was good. So much for that idea since the dang sand came sliding out of the bubble things and down into the frame. I was so frustrated I just left it as it was.

The shells and sand I used actually came from my Eastern Caribbean cruise and are from Half Moon Cay, a wonderful little island that Holland America cruise ships use.

Do any of you guys have an ideas how to keep sand in those suckers? Maybe I need to look for some video's or instructions on the internet because I really would like to do a few more.

Messy Craftroom!

I thought I better post something kind of craft related so ya'll don't think I am not crafting anymore. For the next few days I will be posting a few things as proof that I still do craft!

I bet you guys are wondering about what that is in that picture and I will tell you that it is Webster's Pages papers and embellishments. Due to this being a prize for the party I can't tell you everything or show you the finished product right now. I will however post a picture after the party of the finished project and of course give a list of supplies *okie wonders if she can remember all the supplies she used*.

Since many believe my craftroom probably looks like something out of "ORGANIZERS ARE US" *okie thinks if that magazine really existed she would subscribe* I thought I would give ya proof it doesn't. This is pretty much how my craft table has been looking lately as I am frantically trying to get the prizes done for the Christmas party. I am now down to less than two weeks and still have a lot to do.

One benefit of my daughter living here is that she can decorate the house. She worked on it yesterday and got most of my Santa's put up and will work on the tree today. Shiane has always loved decorating the Christmas tree and has ever since she was little. I use to put on the lights and beads and then let her have at it. I have to give her props and admit that she has always done an excellent job and dispersing the ornaments equally on the tree.

Guess I better get back to work stuff for the party!

Organizing Isn't Limited To My Craftroom

I have been needing to re-organize my kitchen cabinets for awhile now and I have dreaded it so I haven't done it. Yesterday morning I went to make myself a cup of coffee and decided to fill up my smaller creamer container and somehow that lead to 9 hours of re-organizing all my cabinets. I think there must have been a squirrel the size of Godzilla running around in the kitchen while I was making that cup of coffee!

I went through each cabinet, except for my dishes and glasses since they stay pretty organized, and took out things I never use or didn't want anymore and boxed the stuff up. I also ended up moving quite a few things to other areas.

This is above the fridge, a hard spot for me to reach so my least used items went up here. I get the tins in the picture at school since they send the food in them for the kids. Usually there are always ones that aren't very dirty so one of the teachers that works there washes them up and keeps them and we take what we want since the school jut says throw them out. The pink containers use to house my Cricut Cartridges but now store cookie cutters and cake decorating supplies.

This cabinet is above my wall oven and while it isn't as hard to reach as above the fridge I try to keep things I use more often toward the front. I have my Borne Mandolin Slicer, mixer and Ninja blender in easy reach. If you don't have a Borne Mondolin Slicer I highly recommend it! I got mine off eBay a few years back and love it! I also recommend the Ninja blender as it can mix up a margarita, daiquiri or smoothie like a professional!

This was the cabinet that started it all! I have had the FoodSaver canisters (bottom right hand corner) for a few years, found a great buy on them at the bargain store, and had them at the top of cabinet laying horizontal but when I would shut the cabinet door the little button on some of them would get pushed and it would let the contents spill out. I am glad I have adjustable shelves in most of my cabinets so I can store them better. The middle shelf is short in space but I still found items that were a perfect fit. The top shelf is for lesser used items such as extra glasses, quart jars and melamine dishes that I can't seem to part with since they were Shiane's ever since she was little.

I had went through this cabinet a few months back and got rid of out of date things but I did find a few more out of date products and tidied it up a bit more. I have some extra room at the top now in case I do decide to buy some groceries. Actually it might come in handy for when I get ready for the Christmas party.

My spice cabinet was totally terrible! I found some spices back from the late 90's...and I am not kidding! I won't even talk about the trash bag I filled up from throwing not only old spices but other items away! Now all the spices that are in there are safe to use. I am considering getting one of those sliding spice things I saw on TV. They had some at the bargain store last time I was in there.

This is one of those cabinets that you are never sure what to do with. When I first moved in this house I use to keep the salt and pepper on the lower shelf so Shiane could reach it easily, that's not much of an issue now so I did a bit of changing things up. The top shelf holds stuff that I use to make firestarters, some ingredients for stamp cleaner and extra light bulbs. The middle shelf are prescription pills and the bottom shelf is every day OTC medications.

I gathered glassware from Salvation Army and garage sales for a few years, well along with my Aunt Betty and Aunt Mary adding to the collection as they would find things. I use to have friends over quite a bit and did entertaining and felt that clear glassware was the best to use since it fit any occasion. Now I usually just use it for my Christmas party but occasionally I have the need to use it for other occasions. I did get rid of some pieces that I don't use anymore. Shiane made sure I didn't get rid of any from our aunts...like I could do that! LOL

I have always liked my pots and pans stacked neatly so I could grab what I wanted quickly. That kinda changed after the kids moved in because they never put things back. I showed them this after I got it done and told them to put things back where they got them. I did get rid of some old skillets that I never use and I think a mismatched pot or two. After doing that I had plenty of room for my newer Crockpot and the handy dandy carrying case that Linda gave me. That case will come in handy when I make something that has to travel!

My plastic ware is another thing I generally kept nice and organized but changed after the kids moved in. I did get rid of a bunch of items that were pushed way back in the left hand side of the cabinet. That area is hard to get to so I am storing any Corning Ware dishes, electric skillet and glass jars in that area. The glass jars actually need to go to Aunt Betty so they can be filled with pickled corn when she makes some!

I use to having CorningWare and pie plates in this area as well as one of those knock off George Foreman grills that I never use anymore. I know have my bowls and my FoodSaver supplies in this cabinet. I need to get a new vacuum sealer since mine isn't working right anymore. I have to hit the seal button manually and it allows some air to get in the packaging during that process. And yes, a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer is another product I highly recommend! I got my first one back in January of 2002 and have never regretted it having one!







This area is under my wall oven and I have always stored baking pans here. I didn't notice until today that there were nails sticking out and I was able to find a good use for them! I got rid of some flimsy baking pans I had for whatever reason. Since I don't make pies or cakes often I put all those pans toward the back and left the more frequently used items toward the front. I can now grab any pan easily!

My kitchen counter use to be cluttered with a few of the FoodSaver canisters, my mandolin slicer, spaghetti noodle jar and some other things. After making more room in the cabinets I was able to store all those things away and now my counter is nice and neat.

Here is a picture of the boxes of different items that I decided to get rid of. There is everything from glassware to plastic ware to bottle totes to waffle maker, etc. in those boxes. The kids are going to haul them to Goodwill later today.

I also organized some drawers but forgot to take some pictures of those so you will just have to take my word on it. I was on the phone with Carmen while I was doing most of this and when I said I was doing the utensil drawer she said she can't wait to see what I did since that is something she has problems with as well. Carmen likes to cook so her utensil drawer probably is more difficult to organize. I just have basic utensils in mine. My most used utensils are in a jar on the counter top by the stove which you can see in the picture of my counter top. I have stored cooking utensils that way ever since I got my my first place to live and my Aunt Betty gave me such a thing for Christmas.

Even though it took 9 hours to get all of that done and it is something that no one will see I feel good about finally getting it done and purging my kitchen cabinets from years of unused stuff.