just us.

triumphant

after two hours of waiting, I finally scored me some of this:

limited edition Hambly papers.  They didn't have any of the transparencies, those were all sold last week.  But I did manage to get two sheets of the grid paper, four of the owl paper and two chandeliers.  The chandeliers go to my CJ friend Heidi...the turquoise one is awesome.

I didn't want to be greedy and take a lot, since there was a class that night and they should have a chance too, so I walked away with what you see here.  These are limited edition in that they are part of a test run mock up.  Allison was saying last week that they were tyring out new colors and will pick from this test run a select set to produce.  so these are one of a kind!! 

I did pick up some other things today too...so much for my restriction huh?  so I think swearing at this point that this is it will be pretty pointless, probably since it won't be.  But as long as I stay off of Oasis' blog and keep from seeing the new stuff, I should hopefully be okay.  hahaha...

I'm done with scrap-related anything for tonight.  I did another layout using the Polar Bear Press papers I got from Oasis last week, so I turned that in today.  Thanks to my BFF Jeanine for letting me use a picture of her munchkins!  I'm hoping to do a few more for Oasis, I'm just waiting for more pictures to scrap.  My engagement pictures haven't arrived in the mail yet, so once I get those, I'm ready!!

Alright, I need to go spend some one-on-one time with Mike.  I've been spending a lot of time upstairs in the loft, and not a lot with him.  I'm closing the next three nights, so the only time I'll be seeing him is when we're in bed. 

g'nite ya'll!

we did it!

Just now, Mike and I ordered our wedding invitations from Rexcraft.  A little while ago, my dad sent me a link to this site where you could order invitation catalogs and Rexcraft was one of them.  I looked through the catalog one day at work (where I do all my planning...hahaha) and found the one we ended up with. 

So tonight we pondered over wording, fonts, ink colors, lined or unlined and clicked the "order" button.  So they are on their way!!  I couldn't believe it and had a hard time wiping the smile off my face.  One more thing done!!  Granted all we were looking at was a computer proof of the invite, but it just gets that much more real.  holy cow.

They should be here in about a week or two.  More likely two.  But I can't wait.  I'm so excited that I think I might go look for shoes tomorrow since I'm off.  I gotta take my dress in soon to get altered but I'm still waiting on the shoes.  Too bad it's midnight and there are no stores open or else I'd be out right now.  heheh.

This weekend at work, I also worked on our registry.  Started one at Macy's, and added to the one at Crate Barrel.  It's so fun to pick things out.  I thought maybe Mike would want to register at Home Depot too, seeing that he's a handy guy, but he chose to pass on that one.  Who wouldn't want a saw, a power drill or a set of ratchets?  I'd use them for sure!

WHY ME?!?! ahh, why me??!

(said in a Nancy Kerrigan type voice after being assaulted with a metal pipe...)

so after reading Linda's recap of CHA, I'm so wishing I could go.  But I'm just not cool enough to know anyone or be a part of a DT or anything to get to go in.  So, I all I get to do is just look.

AND get this.  the Paper Zone in Tustin (now I found out it's all the CA Paper Zones) is closing down and just started their store clearance.  40% this past weekend...on everything.  So thanks to the lovely Linda, I catch wind of this and go on a rampage.  I fill up a hand basket, thinking it'll be around a hundred bucks.  I even ask Linda's opinion on the final cost and she says no more than 200 bucks for sure.  SOOOOOOOO, any guesses on what the final damage is??  I was appalled at the total even BEFORE the 40% discount, so can you imagine my response AFTER the discount?  Let's just say that both Linda's and my estimations were off.  I walked out of the store with 6 bags of stuff.  I don't even recall what I bought.

Some of the things I did buy are wedding related, so that makes it a little bit easier and the rest is stuff I don't necessarily need now but could use later.  Stuff like adhesive and cardstock and inkpads.  So that's okay right?  Most of the wedding stuff was made by Kolo, which is a bit pricey anyway, and Envelopments.  I was going to use the envelopes for thank you cards and that's what the cardstock is for too.  All in shades of sage green.  so that's okay right?

I did score some cute Curious George valentines for Mike.  I know he's a grown man and won't give them out, but they were more for sentimental value. 

So, anyway.  My point is that I have put myself on restriction when it comes to buying scrap stuff.  After that amount I just dropped in all of one hour (maybe less!) I should not be spending anymore until after the wedding.  That's my timeline.  Why must CHA be now?? Why must all this brand new, cute-as-hell stuff come out now??

But I will allow myself one exception.  I promised Heidi I'd score her some new chandelier Hambly once it's available to us here, but that's for HER, not ME.  So when i was sharing my self-imposed restriction with those close to me (namely Mike and Cindy), their response?  hahah, yeah right.  Well maybe that was mostly Mike, but still.  you think I can do it?  I sure hope so.  cuz I still can't believe I spent what I did in one sitting.  oh lord...

weird

So, Michelle R has tagged me.  This here post will be just a few things about me that might be a tad weird to most people.

1. When I have a cold, I do this:

for some reason, I feel like I breathe better with Kleenex stuffed up my nose.  does it make sense?  No, but it works.

2. I love grilled cheese sandwiches.  I'll go to a nice restaurant but order a grilled cheese.  BUT, I usually eat them with ketchup.  A friend introduced me to it a little while back, and as weird and as gross as I thought it was at the time...it's pretty good.

3. There's an order to my toweling off after I take a shower.  First it's my body, then my arms, then I'll step out and dry my legs.  BUT I have to keep my head over the tub and then wrap my head.  so picture this.  I'm bent over, body OUTSIDE the shower but head still INSIDE.  I think I have a thing about getting the bathmat wet.  don't know why.

4.  (Mike had to help me with this one...I was drawing a blank)  I can get really goofy and loopy at the most unusual times.  For example, at work.  If I'm tired and it's been a long day, I'll get weird on you without any warning.  I may break out in a jig, or sing you a song, all for no particular reason at all.  My coworker Avery is witness to this many a time.

5. I crack my toes.  Like I would crack my knuckles.  BUT I can crack my right big toe without even touching it with my hands.  All I have to do is bend my big toe back and forth and it'll crack on its own.  (okay, so maybe this is a gross fact rather than a weird one)

6.I can flare my nostrils pretty big.  seriously, they can get BIG.  Mike says you can probably fit a big toe in there.  You all wanna see it now huh?  hahaha....

so there you go.  Hopefully you'll all still be my friend after this.  I had to think kinda hard to put this list together.  I am weird, I just couldn't think of specifics.  Maybe the life that is mine is just weird in general.

Someone once said and I must've overheard that we're all weird, just to different extents.  It might have been my mom that said that. 

ooh, so I get to tag some others to do this...Cindy, Mike (yes you!!) and Linda B.

have fun!

picture post

pictures from yesterday.  I didn't take any at the beginning, Deanna took care of that.  so most are from the class later that night.

Kristi Contes and I.  She liked my one-legged birdie sweater and asked if I made it.  Nope, I bought it at Target.  Where did the other leg go?  not sure, I guess they only sewed on one.

She's incredibly funny in person and her laugh is contagious.  Her suitcase was right in front of where Deanna and I were sitting and the contents were spilling out onto the floor.  Her lime green straightener was on the floor.

Here's the project itself.  I didn't finish it last night, still have to put in the rubons and do the journaling and glue the pages together.  I like it though, just raw and organic.  the little blue piece next to it is something I bought last night too.  Allison, the owner and designer of Hambly Screenprints, makes jewelry as well and uses the Hambly designs on her pieces.  I love it, it's a pretty metallic blue.

Deanna starting writing this on the paper-topped tables, so I signed my name and she hers.  She had a dream not too long ago that she was scrapping with the CJ girls, and last night it came true.  Granted it wasn't ALL the girls, but MG and I were there.  I think that was enough for her.  She kept saying last night how I was freaking her out and stuff.  There she was taking her first scrap class, with me next to her and Michelle behind us, and all the Effer girls where not even 5 feet from her.  In total awe, she was.  It was awesome.  And she LOVED the Oasis.  In Maui, there are no scrap stores like what we have here, so she loved that she got to see the stuff in person and could touch it and just stare at it.  computer screens just don't do the stuff justice.

Here's the two of us.  it's the best one I have, and I only took 3.  but she tooks bunches more, so I'll have to wait until she gets back to Maui to email me the others.  It's still hard to believe we got to hang out as much as we did.  We talked about things that you wouldn't normally share with someone you only just met face to face, but it was so cool to just share.  We talked about wedding stuff, about religion, scrap stuff, just life in general.  awesome, just awesome.  Her mom, the Raina, is just as cute as Deanna.  She gave me a hug first thing and just oozed that mommy ooze.  She reminds me of my BFF's mom.  I bet she makes some awesome home-cooked meals.

I bought these while we were at Anthropologie.  Deanna got some too, only she got a D and a G.  And get this...the J was on sale already and then when I went to ring it up, the girl said it was another 40% off.  so 5 dollars my friends...5 dollars!!  maybe it's because it's peach polka-dotted and the letter J, but I'm not gonna complain.  I almost bought a W for Mike, because it was displayed upside down so I thought it was an M.  good thing I figured out it before I paid for it.

and here's my little piece of homemade goodness from Deanna.  it's a red felt handbag with a black and white birdie sewn on.  I know exactly what is going to go inside it too.  Not gonna use it as a purse since I carry so much crap and the handles probably won't be able to handle it...hahah get it?  Handles can't handle it?  I made a funny...and didn't even try.  I L-O-V-E it.

so that's it.  8 hours.  Bonding, scrapping, laughing, talking.  it was FUN.

in 8 hours, we...

1. met up in the shoe department of Macy's South Coast Plaza, then quickly walked back through South Coast to the car.

2. went to Michael's to buy a paper trimmer for class later on.  I got some Tombo refills and felt too.

3. went to Paper Source and bought paper stuff.  D went to town.

4. drove down to Irvine Spectrum to shop more and walk around.  went to Anthropologie, got a peanut caramel apple and she a garlic pretzel, chatted, took goofy pictures, and hit up Urban Outfitters on the way out.

5. met with Linda, Ethan and Julie for dinner at Super Mex.

6. made it just in time for class to start at Oasis.  made a miniBook about our lives RIGHT NOW.  met for the first time Michelle G and her friend Catrice (sorry if I spelled it wrong!!!). Kristi is so cute and funny in person.  And to see her layouts in person is so ridiculous.  Online is one thing, but in the flesh is a whole other.

7. did a bit of shopping at Oasis for scrap stuff.  D did too.  she was in awe.  to see scrap stuff in person had her going. 

8. dropped her off at the hotel so she could meet up with her aunt and mom to head up to Pasadena for the night then up to Palmdale in the morning. 

I couldn't believe how much we did in 8 hours, but it was so amazing to meet her finally.  I was a little nervous when I went to find her at Macy's, just wondering if we'd click or not.  and we did.  she kept saying that she couldn't believe we were hanging out, scrapping, shopping, just being within 5 feet of each other.  she's so kooky, it's fun.  she brought goodies from Hawaii AND made me this awesome felt purse.  and I know exactly what to put in it. 

I'll share pictures tomorrow.  Right now I must hit the sack since there IS work tomorrow.  But CJ girls, don't worry.  They're coming.  check Linda's blog for the pic of Linda, MG, Deanna and I.  soon, it'll be all 10 of us for sure.

until tomorrow...

today's agenda

I'm off today...yay!!  my plans?  well gonna meet up with a coworker in Westminster at 11:30 so that she can take me to her friend's house that is a seamstress.  I'm gonna get measured for my Chinese dress!!  Her friend doesn't charge anywhere near what it would cost to get one made, so I'm gonna go for it.  One more thing done for the wedding!!

But before going to meet up with Thu, I'm gonna stop by Men's Wearhouse to put down another deposit for our two ring bearers' tuxedos.  I know my dad got measured this weekend too and my mom gave the thumbs up for the tuxes Mike chose.  I'm so glad my parents are on top of things.  My mom ordered her second Chinese dress this weekend too.  Yup, her SECOND one.  I guess it was last weekend when she ordered the first one, a red dress with black details (I think).  But ever since we announced our engagement, she's been talking about wanting to wear a jade green cheong sam.  She found a guy that had a piece of jade green silk that she liked and put down a small deposit to hold the material for her.  Well she's getting it now.  She'll be wearing it for the reception...it's her first cheong sam EVER.  When my parents got married 30 something years ago, she didn't have the money to get one made for her wedding, so now she'll be wearing one for mine.  I can't wait to see it.

which reminds me, I need to take a picture of the material I chose and email it to my mom.  She wants to see.

So after Men's Wearhouse, I'll be stopping by my LSS, Scrapbook Oasis.  They recently put out a call for help to their customers to have some sample layouts done for the store.  I emailed with a few samples of my stuff and they asked me to help out!  So I got some Hambly rubons, and a few sheets of the new Fontwerks paper too!  I got to pick out a few more pieces of paper to work with too and my layouts are done.  I only did two but I'm hoping it's okay.  I was having a bit of scrapper's block when I was doing them.  so for those who don't get to see them in the store, here they are:

 

sorry about the pictures.  I'm too lazy to scan them right now.

alright, gotta shower now.

and another thing...my HI friend is going to be here, in the OC, tonight!!!  We're gonna hang out tomorrow, maybe even meet up with Linda and Michelle at the Oasis tomorrow night during Kristi Contes' class.  4 CJ girls all in one room!!  oh yeah...

I cannot wait...

...until we get our proofs back from Bob.  We met up with Bob in Downtown Fullerton, where the buildings and architecture are older and really pretty.  Think brick buildings and peeling paint and so much like an old college town.  A lot of the businesses in the area were closed so we didn't have to deal with a lot of people being around.  But with Bob, he made you feel so comfortable and totally unaware that there may have been people watching.  And his eye for those special backgrounds and textures really got me.  For one set of pictures, he had me climb on top of a water meter and sit on a window ledge that had bars on it.  Wouldn't have ever thought about using that as a backdrop but it worked.  He told us later that he had an affinity for brick buildings since they add so much texture.  He showed us some of his shots while we were waiting for the sun to go down a bit more and I couldn't wipe the huge grin off my face.  They were so good.  Mike and I dressed like twins with jeans and black V-neck sweaters.  And guess what??  I put make-up on too.  that hardly ever happens with me.

Our session with him last about 30 minutes, but I think he got a lot of good shots.  He said he'll be mailing them to us in about a week and I seriously cannot wait.  Just seeing what he could do in 30 minutes makes me really really glad that we chose him to shoot our wedding.

after the shoot, we had dinner with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Diamond Bar.  My brother came up too.  it was between shabu shabu and Korean BBQ, so we chose KBQ.  We're used to cooking our food when we eat KBQ, but this place does the cooking for you.  Most of us had a tofu soup and meat combo, but Mike had the bibimpap.  My aunt is one of my dad's younger sisters, and she's the closest relative my brother and I have down here, yet we don't see them as much as we should.  So having dinner with them was nice.

once I get the proofs back, I'll post a few here.  so stay tuned!

in a nutshell

We now have our flower girls and ring bearers!  Mike's two nieces, Ashley and Nicole, and my cousin Robert's two sons, Riley and Spencer, are now a part of the weddinng party.  Mike and I have been waiting to ask because we wanted to make sure that Ashley wouldn't freak out being in front of a large crowd...we used his brother Peter's wedding as the test.  And she performed well.  Nicole wasn't feeling well that day, but she did fine too.  We knew the two girls would be a good match-up with my cousin's kids, so we asked them this weekend too.  Riley and Spencer are acting children, so we know they won't have a problem at all.  They're going to look so cute in tuxes!! 

oh yeah, just want to say hi to my cousin-in-law Gina.  Sometimes I think no one other than a few friends read this blog, but Gina told me last night that she reads from work.  so HELLOOOOOO Gina!!  she's Riley and Spencer's mommy :).

We will be ordering our invitations really soon.  I got a catalog in the mail the other day from Rexcraft and found some that I like.  And they don't cost as much as the other ones we found at Party City.  According to the catalog, it only takes about 2 weeks to deliver once they receive and complete the order, so we should get them before my target send out date of early March.

And for saving the best for last, we're taking our pictures today!!  I just hope that the weather holds up and stays nice.  The weather here has been weird lately, not feeling much like winter.  But as long as it doesn't get really cold, which will kick up the cough, I should be fine.  I just need to go out and find me a black sweater to wear.  I can't seem to find the one I planned on wearing, it's disappeared off the face of the earth.  so I must venture out and...go shopping.  oh darn.  I don't know how quick Bob is with getting the pictures proofed but I just can't wait.  I know they'll be awesome.  maybe I'll be able to post a few (with his permission) when we get them back.

have a good one!

we "talked"

I don't even know where to start.  and I can't believe that after all this time of "knowing" each other, that we've only just "talked" now.  After getting her IM name today on email, I added her to my list as soon as I got home.  And low and behold she was online via her Sidekick.  So of course I interrupt her lovey time with the G but she said it was okay.  I don't know how long we talked for but I found out so much about her...and her about me!

We're both in interfaith relationships...one is Catholic, the other is Christian.  I found out her ethnic background...G's too.  she's never submitted to pub calls before (MG, I'm getting on her about that one.  I said her goal for this year should be to submit at least once this year).  there is a whole 12 inches in height between her and the G (there's just 3 inches between me and the Mike).  And she said she's going to wear wedges when we see each other next week.

yup you read right.  SHE'S GOING TO BE HERE NEXT WEEK!!!  Granted the circumstances aren't the best, but she will be in the Los Angeles area and I will most definitely be driving out to visit with her if even for a minute.  I just can't wait.

I wanted to paste the IM conversion here on the blog...or rather a snapshot of the IM window, but Mike and I couldn't figure out how to do it.  but you can bet I saved the convo for later.  I'm thinking I'll scrap it or something.  yes you can call me a dork.

I'm currently watching Top Chef right now (its on Bravo).  I love this show.  and so does Mike.  it's one of the very few reality type shows that he doesn't mind me watching and will watch with me.  it's in its second season and someone is about to get thrown off for physical violence.  the little weasel Marcel got manhandled and now Cliff is gonna get booted.  at least that's our guess here in the Tustin household.  I hope Sam wins though.  He reminds me of a guy I went to school with and actually "went out" with for all of 9 days in elementary school.  Sam's hot.  Makes me want to go to culinary school.  he's got curly hair that he pulls back into a bunch, but it doesn't look dorky at all.  it looks hot.  ooh, i could so eat whatever he cooks, even if it's crap.  okay maybe not.  but you get it right?