Criminal Grace

1. I had hoped to write this post from my phone, but I have to use an actual computer to change the permissions to allow my WordPress app to access the site.
2. I sent Jon a link to Justin’s Tomato & Vegetable Tart recipe yesterday and came home to find it on the counter. It was a nice alternative to pizza, but I think I would’ve tried mixing up the veggies instead of layering them.
3. I hate to admit it, but I haven’t stamped in over a week. Unless you count the tiny bit I did in my scrapbook on Saturday. I spent a lot of my free time prepping pages for Saturday, which I spent blissfully scrapping away with Amy and Carol in Amy’s mother-in-law’s basement-turned-craft-room.
4. Tom’s baby album was my big project on Saturday. The first eight months are exactly as I imagined them, perhaps even better because they’re all but complete. I plan to use number stamps to add the months and they’ll be totally finished. Sadly, I ran out of paper right about there too, so the rest will have to wait until I can find more.
5. The worst part of running out of something you bought a year ago? The scrapbooking industry rarely leaves any paper or embellishment lines in stores for more than a year. The last time I saw the paper pack I used was early in the spring. I won’t be surprised if I have to resort to begging on a few stamping and scrapping message boards.
6. I love the herringbone flannel sheets I ordered from Lands’ End. I just wish the weather were something less than sweltering so I could justify putting them on the bed.
7. Jon and I celebrate our five year anniversary next Friday. It hardly seems like we’ve been married that long. Then again, it also feels like we’ve always been married.
8. I indulged in a little art last week, ordering this lovely Bear Mountain print from Diana Sudyka. I haven’t found the right frame yet, but I think it will live in the bedroom for now.
9. I didn’t make it to the Newport Folk Fest. Or to see Suzanne Vega in Lowell. One of these days…
10. Tom has been listening to a lot of music and learning new songs at school. I’ve been trying to build our collection starting with songs I know he loves, but I don’t know where to go from there. What are your kids’ favorite albums and artists?

1. I like the new bed, but I’m afraid my knees and shins do not. It’s far too easy to forget about the giant frame in the dark. I misjudged the placement of the footboard last night and nearly took out my kneecap, hitting it hard enough to take my breath away.
2. Something you probably didn’t know about me: despite my propensity to bump into things, I rarely bruise. Unless you looked close enough to see the pale purple cast to the tiny bump on my knee, you wouldn’t know I lost a serious fight with the bed last night. I’m not sure I can count the number of times I’ve caught my hip, thigh, or shin on a piece of furniture hard enough to make my eyes water. Yet I could could the number of bruises I’ve seen from my clumsiness on my hands. I find I can’t wrap my mind around plot points that hinge upon tell-tale bruises when I read, but I’ve never had to worry about hiding a hickey or getting a black eye from my rambunctious toddler.
3. Speaking of terrible toddlers, Tom is in a hair-pulling phase. Whether it’s the cat, his friends at school, or me, he seems to think it’s fun to grab fistfuls of hair and yank.
4. At least it’s not biting. Yet.
5. The local corn we picked up last weekend was more than tasty. The chowder I made with the leftovers wasn’t half bad either. I just need to get comfortable with chowder recipes so I can experiment with success. Alas, my husband does not share my year-round enthusiasm for soups and stews.
6. I would like to ban brazil nuts from mixed nuts.
7. That battery life issue with my Droid X? Turns out the wifi was eating up my battery searching for new signals. Now that I only use it when I need wifi, I can easily go three days between charges instead of 12 hours.
8. N0 new crafting to report. I did a lot of cleaning up in the office last week to swap the folding table come printer-stand for modular book shelves and ended up covering my craft table in debris. It’s too messy to use right now, even for me.
9. I started using overnight pull-ups for Tom instead of just overnight diapers. Since he stays dry most nights, I figured a good first step toward potty training would be to take him to the bathroom as soon as he wakes up.
10. The most daunting part of my plan is being up and ready before Tom.

It’s been ridiculously hot all month and I’m totally ready for some cool treats. Heck, even things that make me think cool, like the Etsy finds below, are awesome in my book.

1. Lickity Split Ice Cream Cone Play Set by pukashell
2. Some Like it Cold 8×10 print by WildLifePrints
3. Push Up Pop Greeting Card by finedaypress
4. Popsicles print by mintbuttercup
5. Soapy Pop Party Pack by SoapyLove
6. Ice Cream Sandwich felt play food by jdensing

1. I can’t believe how quickly my new smartphone plows through a battery. Gone are the days of charging once or twice a week.
2. I need to find a better workflow for editing and uploading photos with a toddler around. Last week when I was trying to find a few photos to share here, Tom climbed onto my lap and insisted on driving the Macbook. He liked seeing photos from our trip, but things got ugly when I asked him to stop poking buttons that open apps and delete said photos. Not the best assistant.
3. I also just need to take more photos. I don’t think I got my camera out last weekend.
4. Tom’s vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds. New additions are bubble, bear, keys, baby bumblebee, and goldfish. I haven’t been very diligent in writing them down, so I started a little Twitter account for him that I can update from my phone when he picks up new words and phrases.
5. Not looking forward to the day when he starts repeating his parents. We’ve been trying to reign in our language, but it’s tough sometimes. And it’s not just swear words. I don’t want my kid to call his friends stupid because he heard his mom say it about his favorite kitty, so those kinds of words are being scrubbed from my vocabulary too.
6. This weekend’s plans: folk fest or a friend’s brewery grand opening. Either one sounds like fun.
7. After pining after it for six years, we finally bought the Sumatra bed from Pottery Barn. It’s being delivered later this week. It’s not at the top of my list for aesthetics, but I don’t trust an antique cannonball or modern upholstered frame to hold up when Jon flops into it. But I have no concerns about breaking a leg on this massive bed:
   
8. The new bed has me thinking bedding refresh. Except that I’m struggling to find what I want. It’s an awkward time to buy bedding because it seems everything is either the old standbys (read: solids), intended for college-bound kids, or on clearance (and therefore not in the sizes and quantities needed). I’m willing to bet that in three months I’ll be rolling in the menswear inspired bedding I want right now.
9. I’m being indecisive about the whole thing anyway. I can purchase all kinds of things on a whim, but now that I feel like I have time to make a choice I’m paralyzed with indecision.
10. I still think everyone should try this broccoli recipe, pronto.

stamps: seahorse by A Muse; Warm Words by Stampin’ Up!; paper: unknown white cardstock; ink: VersaMagic wheat, lulu lavender, sea breeze, aloe vera, pixie dust; Brilliance starlight silver; other: stardust Gelly Roll pen

There was a lot of inspiration to be had in this week’s EtsyInspired challenge shop: Mermaid’s Tears Jewelry. So much beautiful sea glass, set in silver, and embellished with a nautical charm or two. I was inspired to create my card based on these two pieces: Pastel Sea Glass Stacker Pendant and Sea Foam Green Sea Glass and Seahorse.

I tried to create a paper pieced background using pastel papers with white inked edges, but chucked it in favor of a one layer card with stacked seahorses. I incorporated a touch of silver with the sentiment, stamped multiple times to hint at waves and the swirls of silver used in the jewelry. There’s also a bit of shimmer on the seahorses to keep it from looking flat. I still think there’s hope for a paper pieced version, don’t you?