13 reasons to become a witch

13. I live for persecution.


12. I'm a night person at heart.

11. We respect our elders... and alders and willows and oaks...

10. I just love explaining that a pentagram is NOT evil.

9. We do more after midnight than most people do all day.

8. Being burned at the stake is a great way to roast marshmallows.

7. We can talk to Elvis (and he is dead).

6. You live, you learn, you die, you forget. Then you come back.

5. Double the deities, double the fun!

4. We get more holidays.

3. Brooms get great mileage.

2. We were here first.

1. BELTANE!!!!

Mother Moon's giveaway

I stumbled across this amazing blog.

mothermoonsmessage

She is truly an inspiration.

Mother Moon is giving away three little gifts relating to mind, body and soul in honor of her first blogiversary.

Go check it out!

Losin weight

I have tried so many diets that I can't even remember most of them.. I have tried everything under the sun and still...nothing..
I'm starting to think my body hates me :)
But I've decided to try one more..just for the hell of it
I'm going to try South beach starting tomorrow. I have to take today to get all my info and menus and food.
But I am going to do it, full force this time. No excuses!
I am going to drink my 100 ounces of water and hit the gym hard core..

I am tired of being fat.
I am tired of being tired.
I am tired of wearing ugly clothes!

So...
Every Monday will be the updates on my journey..

Anyone want to join me??

My new crafty blog

I have made a new blog for my crafts (scrapping, card making, stamping, etc..)
come on over to http://sugscardsnmore.blogspot.com/ and play!!!

ABC toys and crafts is looking for dt members

ABC TOYS AND CRAFTS is on the look out for 2 NEW Design Team Members. If you are interested go to the ABC Toys and Crafts Blog for all the details.


http://abctoysandcrafts.blogspot.com/ their blog..click to get more info and to see the fun giveaway!!

My gardening skills!

I have to share some pics of my skills..lol..

I planted some Tomatoes, peppers and some herbs a while ago...I have a post somewhere around here...here are my babies now....

My herb garden, after I cut some to dry..

Two of about ten tomato plants.. since I took the pic, I have noticed several tomatos popping out!! Yayyyy I grew stuffs!!

My pepper plants..they are also now sprouting lil buds of peppers :)

My sunflowers..they had a hot day but are now perking and  growing bigger!!

My dirty dozen fav's

alex j cavanaugh Is hosting a blog hop today..

we are listing our fav top twelve movies of all time..since you know how random I am, or at least can guess by now..here are mine: (in no particular order because I hate to choose the best)

12. Prince of persia..A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time

 yummyness of Jake Gyllenhaal. It was an awesome movie..I will definately buy it when it comes out on dvd..

11. How to train your dragon.. A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed

Hubby took me and the youngest to see this one..and we all loved loved loved it!!

What a great story and the dragons were amazing!!

10. Avatar..A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home

By far my favorite in a long time! The animation was so great...

 9. Forest Gump..yep..Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him
 still love this movie!! We will pop in in the ol dvd player once in a while.. It has some great moments and Tom Hanks is absolutely wonderful in everything!

8. Harry potter...all of them..does that count as six, because I'm losing my attention span..sorry.. But I truly love all the Harry Potter movies, as does my entire family!

7. Dear John..just for the eye candy of Channing Tatum.. drool worthy for sure! A romantic drama about a soldier who falls for a conservative college student while he's home on leave.

Although..the fact that Savannah that totally let him go...I wanted to kick her ass!! :)

6. The Hangover.. need I say more?

A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him

Um..drunk men, Vegas, tigers in bathrooms and Heather Graham!! yummy!!

5. I'm almost there!!!

The Other Boleyn Girl.. I truly love this movie. I have the book and can't wait to read it! I love the days of corsets, crown jewels and lust!

A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII

Natalie Portman and Sccarlett Johansen are absolutely stunning!

4. What Happens in Vegas.. again... Ashton Kutcher, eye candy! I adore him!!

Set in Sin City, story revolves around two people who discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery.

3. I wish I could finish...but I'm out of time... I had fun...maybe I'll pick up sometime soon :)

thanks Alex!!

Fabulous contest from Shannon

this is an awesome contest from ramblingsofawannabescribe

Eyes Like Stars

and Perchance to Dream

the Author Lisa Mantchev has signed these amazing books and she will also be sending the winner swag herself! How exciting is that??

Thanks Shannon!!!

First sentence contest

I just found this totally awesome contest from Rashelle first-sentence-contest-turning-up-heat click on it!! you know you want to!!

Give her your first sentence and be entered to win a prize and a thank you card, easy as pie!

*going now*

The winner is chosen!!

After a looong hard time trying to find a name for my character's man, I've found the one!

drum roll!!!





It's coming...



and


the


winner


is


Rowan!!!

Yay!!!! cheers!!!! let the party begin...


Rowan, meet Aislinn :)

yay!

Thanks to everyone who gave me ideas and voted!

Elizabeth Mueller, email me your address, I will send you a prize..prolly a gift card to a book store :)

*goes back to edit name in*
How exciting :)

I got an award!!

Woohoo!!!

Thanks to my great friend waterytart for my beautiful award!
It matches my blog perfectly :)
*giggles*

This is such a sweet award. It is for bloggers who just cheer us up. I think I have to say..I love all my blog friends..not that I stalk anyone.. but I love reading what everyone is doing. Everyone has advice, stories, information, inspiration, and more. I have learned so much from you all and I truly appreciate everyone in blogland!

I am passing this on to just a few of my friends, but I want to give it to everyone..time restrictions and all..

so..

http://merlinsmistress.blogspot.com/

Iva Messy

Patricia Stoltey

The Townscrapper

you have awards!!

Barry Lyga Rocks contest

cAnother post today (sorry..I'm just throwing stuff out there)

Check out this contest..babblingflow
to win signed copies of awesome books!!
Here's what you can win:




SIGNED ARC of Archvillain









ARC of Goth Girl Rising







A SIGNED copy of Hero-Type (We're giving away TWO of these babies!)







Here's how to enter:



You must be a follower here at Babbling Flow, and Carol's blog, and Alexandra's blog!

You must fill out the entry form, found here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHgtVkJjX0tEbjJKa2xqS0otRWRkd1E6MQ

2nd Place Phillies!

This is my second post for the day..so scroll down to see the Tuturial!!

Just wanted to share, Lacey's team (who dad coached) got 2nd place in the championships last night!! Not bad considering we lost to the only undefeated team in the league :)

Lacey got smacked with a fast ball right on her hand, but she hung in there, crying, but got struck out (yeah..bad call by the ump, but that's another issue)

But it was great to see her stay in the game after. I heard some moms yelling to her "let's show em how tough girls can be" lol..it was awesome! (she was the only girl on the team)

We had a great time, the kids were amazing, I just wanted to hug em all!

What a great learning experience for us all, and the gratitude after the double header from the boys, well, that was unbelievable. They were all so happy and so proud of themselves, as were myself and coach. I hope we can have a great team like that next year, and can't wait for football tryouts!

It seems my oldest is a rock star or something. There were two adorable little girls, that kept asking her "Are you from California?" "why are you wearing your sunglasses?" "How did you get your hair that color?" and it kept going, these little girls were enamoured with my teenager. Their mom even came and said, she had to go buy a matching tutu, like my daughter's. It is her trademark. :)  What a great day!

Tutorial Tuesdays

Trying out another *theme* for the day...
Tutorials: I am going to post a new post with something cool I've discovered..Most may or may not already know, but it is new to me, so I will pass along the fun!

Today's Tutorial is about distressing your papers to give your project that aged look.

Sanding works best on CS with a white core, like CTMH's. Then you can ink or chalk the white space if you wish.


You can also distress the edges of your CS by running a scissor blade along it.

Apply ink directly to paper by running your pad lightly over the parts you want distressed. This looks good with any color of ink, but browns in particular.

A water and reinker mixture (experiment until you like the results) in a spray bottle and spray your CS.

Tearing also gives that aged look. For extra shabby chic, ink the edges with a similar-colored ink
 
Another idea from Tim Holtz
 
Tim Holtz distressing inks Tim Holtz's Tips and Techniques




STAYS WET LONGER - (allows you to blend and shade on photos and paper - also emboss) other dye inks dry too fast especially on photos so you end up with lines and marks if you go direct from the pad.



COLOR WICKS OR SPREADS OUT - (these inks will travel across the surface of your paper when spritzed with water) other dyes do not travel as much although they might bleed a little when wet, the Distress Inks actually "wick" or spread out much further creating several tone on tones.



COLOR STABILITY - (the colors of the Distress Inks will not break down when wet or heated allowing you to have more color control for the finished look) other "brown colored" dyes will break down when water is added leaving a pink & green hue.



COLOR PALETTE - Well these are unlike ANY other colors of inks you've seen. The color palette of Distress Inks is:



* Antique Linen -the color of aged lace or linens found in the cherished heirlooms of grandmother's trunk



* Old Paper -the color of weathered and timeless book pages tucked away in the attic for generations



* Tea Dye -the orange hue of saturated tea bags with the results of dying in a tea bath for days



* Vintage Photo -this color is captured right out of the photographs from times gone by



* Walnut Stain -a rich, dark stain of and old walnut tree perfect to create a dark wash of color



* Black Soot -from the depths, a black like no other - this is the one you've been searching for



*Fired Brick -the look of charred cinders from an old camp fire



*Weathered Wood -taken from the patina on a dairy barn’s window frame



*Mustard Seed -the rich, warm taste of spicy Americana mustard



*Peeled Paint -the color of the flaked green paint on Aunt Sadie’s porch

furniture



*Tattered Rose -grandma’s cabbage rose wall paper, faded and stained to

perfection



*Milled Lavender -a veil of pale lavender sachet tucked into mom’s lingerie

drawer

*** and a few more***



TO DISTRESS: I like to use water when I am distressing. I think it gives the papers more of a weathered texture, so here's how I start. Working on any type of paper (manila, cardstock, or text weight), crumple the paper up - always press in the center of any heavyweight cardstock or manila stock - this will break the surface tension of the paper and allow you to crumple up the paper easier without tearing it. Next rub the Distress pads over the surface - you can work with several different colors or just one - WALNUT STAIN IS IDEAL FOR THIS. Then spray the inked surface with water (you will immediately notice the ink "travels" outward when water is applied as these inks are designed to react with water). Heat the surface to dry - and here's why... Although you don't have to Heat Set these inks for any reason, I like to dry the water using either my Heat-It Craft Tool or an iron. This will allow for more tone control and keep areas dark and others light. Ironing the paper will also give you a much smoother surface to stamp on without compromising the aged finish. *If you allow the surface to air-dry most of your color will end up on the edges only because the paper will bend and buckle when wet, forcing the ink and water to the edges. Notice that these Distress Inks retain their color value even when wet and dried. Other brown dyes will break down in color (sometimes leaving a pink and green hue).



DOUBLE DISTRESS TAGS: Crumple tag and apply 2 colors (one new tone and one original tone) of Distress Inks directly from the pads to each crumpled tag. Spray with water and dry.



"WRINKLE-FREE" DISTRESSING

To create the look of aged papers, from times gone by, without all the lines

and wrinkles - give this a try. Working on your non-stick Craft Sheet, begin

by directly applying various colors of Distress Ink Pads to the surface of the

Craft Sheet. A couple of swipes of a color or two will do the trick (you

might also try using an original color of Distress Ink along with a new one!).

Get out your Distress Re-Inkers for this next step as you want to add a bit of

intense color for the ultimate vintage look. I like using Walnut Stain or

Vintage Photo for this, so remove the glass dropper from the bottle and drag it

across the inked Craft Sheet - do not squeeze any drops of ink as it will take

over everything! Next mist the Craft Sheet with water to allow the inks to

begin mixing and blending - usually 3-4 sprays is plenty. Then take your paper

or tag and place in directly on the inked Craft Sheet and lift it off. If you

have any un-inked areas simply place that area of the paper on any left over

inks on the sheet. Finally dry your paper or tag using an iron or a Heat-It

Craft Tool ( if you allow your papers to air dry they will curl and force most

of the ink to the edges so I prefer to heat them to dry.). To finish your

attic-fresh look, ink the edges with Distress Inks using a piece of Cut n' Dry

Foam.


FOR STAMPING: What can I say about the many stamping applications these inks can achieve. Once again the special formulation on these Distress Inks provides a versatile finish on papers yet still allow for "normal" stamping applications. I like to stamp on uncoated (matte) papers and immediately rub the image with a cloth - this will soften or shadow your image WITHOUT smudging any detail - VINTAGE PHOTO, WALNUT STAIN, TEA DYE, BLACK SOOT - wonderful for this one! Another surface is glossy cardstock - keep in mind this is a different type of dye ink so when you stamp on glossy, certain areas of your image will "bead" up, once again providing a Distressed look without you doing a thing (this is probably one of my most favorite looks) - some areas of the image appear "pitted". Brayering on glossy cardstock is also wonderful because you can still manipulate the inks with different tools, brushes, your fingers, whatever. Even after the ink is applied you can achieve amazing texture and color shading.


ON PHOTOS: FINALLY an ink formulated for photos! Whether you're a scrapbooker or not you can use all types of photos (vintage or new ones) on your cards and pages. The Distress Inks work on all types of photos - inkjet, laser, toner copies, regular photos (matte or glossy) and even color photos! Start by using the lightest colors ANTIQUE LINEN or OLD PAPER with either a brayer or DTP (direct to photo). Cover the photo in the lighter colors, blend the colors with

a small piece of Cut n' Dry Foam after you apply the inks - these inks stay

wet long enough for you to blend out any lines or marks other ink pads leave on

photos. Next age the edges with VINTAGE PHOTO or WALNUT STAIN by applying the pad directly to the edges - soften and mix the tones with a small piece of Ranger Cut ‘n Dry™ Foam. Of course to complete the aged process lightly sand - YES SAND - the photo with medium grit sand paper. Don't go over anyone's face, but just make a few scratches here and there.


PHOTO TINTING:

Distress Inks acid-free, easy to blend formula makes them your best choice

for photo tinting. Make a black and white copy of your favorite photo onto

Ranger Gloss Paper. Select areas of your photo to colorize. Pick up ink directly from the Distress Pads with Cut n' Dry Nibs and color. It's that easy! Cut n' Dry Nibs provide the control you need to place colors exactly where you want them. Distress Photo Edging Make any photo look antique. Cut a small square of Cut

n’ Dry Foam. Ink the foam on one of the Distress pads. Rub the inked foam

around the edges of the photo for an aged effect.


THE RE-INKERS: The Distress re-inkers are so versatile and fun, especially the bottles they're in! These vintage looking glass dropper vials are perfect for aging a "batch" of tags, fibers, linens or whatever, in baths of Distress Inks & water. You can also create your own palette on your craft sheet using the re-inkers and hand tint any black and white photo color by color (very fun thing to do). I also like using the resist ink or Perfect Medium and the re-inkers to create amazing stained backgrounds on papers. Enjoy the journey…

Tim Holtz

So..have fun!! I can't wait to use some of these ideas :)

Update on Naming my character

I had issues with the poll gadget..so here is the list again..I will leave it up until Wednesday, because I won't really have time until then to add up all the votes and suggestions... then I will let the winner know when I get the total :) I might have a surprise prize for a random voter..If, you're a follower.. *sly smile*
If you've already voted on my other post, I have it counted :)

Here goes:
Christian
Slate
Kyle
Grant Anderson
Doran
Cullen
Alastar
Rowan
Torin
Alex
Caleb
Ethan Murphey
Brayden
Shea
Sheridon

I'm leaving the fate of my main man, handsomely adorable and sexy name up to you! (this sentence totally doesn't make sense)

Pricilla Styles midnight madness # 57

I made this Easel card for midnight-madness-sketch-challenge-57 From Pricilla Styles

Burtonesque dolls challenge card

I'm feeling creative today, so tried a couple new cards.
This one is for challenge-6-sweeney-todd I distressed the edges of my card used lots of stickles and I hope this is just one of many wonderful challenges from these ladies I can join in.  It was fun making a totally new card, at least new for me :)

The inside..

Townscrapper's challenge Friday

Here's a card I made for this challenge..
it is a Father's day card I used the stamps I won from Victoria case!! Thanks!!! I love them!!
The inside says
My dad rocks :)

Off the wall challenge card

Here is a card I made for Off the Wall's Challenge here

the inspiration photo

Signs you might be a pagan:

I am trying to figure out which day will be for my Pagan posts..but for now, I thought this was cute :)

Thanks Gregg @ thebookofshadowsblog for this list!

I promise I don't intend to offend anyone, if you may find it offensive, please check out my other posts on scrapping or something. It is just a list for fun :)

1. You know the term "fluffy bunny" has nothing to do with Easter.


2. When you are sworn in in court, you bring your own grimoire.

3. You've been seen talking to cats. They talk back, and you understand what they are saying.

4. When asked if you believe in God, you ask, "Which one?"

5. You know what "widdershins" means. You apply it.

6. You have an entire spice cabinet and you don't cook. You know that Laurel and Bay Leaves are the same thing.

7. You have a frequent buyer card at the local antique bookstore. The proprietor of said bookstore picks out anything to do with Celts and saves it for you.

8. You think Mercedes Lackey should be a cultural icon.

9. You know that there are exceptions to the laws of physics. You've caused them.

10. The first thing your guests say is, "My, that's a nice... altar ... you have there.

11. On Halloween, you yell "Happy New Year!" at passers-by.

12. You know that Christmas trees were originally Pagan symbols. Thats why you bought one.

13. You have friends who say they are elves. You believe them.

14. You commit blasphemy in the plural.

15. Upon dying, your first thought is "Damn it, not AGAIN."

16. When you say "Mother Nature," you don't mean it in an anthropomorphic way.

17. Gaia is NOT the lady on Captain Planet.

18. You think "The Mists of Avalon" should be a religious text. You use it as such.

19.In religion 101. you were disappointed because they didn't cover YOUR Gods.

20. You know that there is a right way and a wrong way to draw a pentacle, you can explain the difference.

21. You've spent the last year and a half looking for a familiar.

22. You talk to trees, they talk back.

23. You KNOW dragons and fae exist. You've seen them.

24. Painting yourself blue, spiking your hair, and dancing naked around a bonfire sounds like large amounts of fun.

Time for Fit Friday's

Ok..so I'm starting this new thingy with my bloggin...
I am going to have "theme" days..when I can ..
I recently signed up with summerslimmin to support, cheer each other on, get ideas, etc for slimming down in summer. I need to do something, cuz, well..I'm lazy :)
So starting today..I am nominating Fit Fridays here!

My goals for this challenge are:
1. get my 100 ounces of water every day.
2. Eat more veggies.
3. get back into my workout routine of at least four times a week.
Sounds easy enough to start.. yep!

Thanks ladies for the challenge!
If you want to join in, click on the link above and lets get skinny!!

followers

I am thinking of something to get new followers.. Not that I don't adore each and every one of my friendies already following me :) I do!
I am following like a bazillion peeps..yet..only have *looks over -------->* not even 50 devoted stalkers :(

What can I do to make myself more, er, appealing?

any suggestions?

Mrs. B has a giveaway

Go confessionsofapagansoccermom here and check out the awesome giveaway Mrs B is having.

She is giving away a copy of

Looks awesome!

The body finder

I just found this most awesome contest from Shannon Whitney..(love her name btw)
she is giving away a signed copy of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting..
Go ramblingsofawannabescribe here and check it out!!

Thanks Shannon!!

Book Review

I recieved my very own copy of Android Karenina from Quirkbooks. The book was amazing. I recently finished the original Anna Karinina and loved it.

The comparisons are great, I loved the theme of the book. I loved the robots, the little mechanical butlers, how they seemed to truly care about their masters. The story is truly a masterpiece, and this was a brilliant mashup! Great job!!
 Go here http://www.quirkclassics.com/index.php?q=node/244 to enter to win a prize pack and mention my blog on your comment!
Doing so will automatically enter you to win one of 25 Quirk Books Prize-Packs worth nearly $100, each of which includes:

o Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

o Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal

o How to Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith

o Dracula’s Heir, an Interactive Mystery by Sam Stall

o Extreme Encounters by Greg Emmanuel

o How to Tell if Your Boyfriend is The Antichrist by Patricia Carlin

o An Android Karenina poster

o A Night of the Living Trekkies poster

Contest closes at June 14 at 5PM EST

Just a quickie

I'm strapped for time for some odd reason..so I'll make it short n sweet today! Hopefully soon things will be back to normal and I can ramble on about nothing all I want :)

My baby, Max has, well, bum issues..without going into too much detail, his anal gland is absessed..so he has to have meds and a cone on his little head until it heals..
Here's my poor baby in his cone of shame:

I am so far behind on my writing, it's not even funny...I have five or six scrapping projects to get done, and I planned a day of fun with my girls on their first day of summer vacation. Dad is coming home from the rehabilitaion facility, with home health care (whoohoo) on Tuesday, so have to get his apt ready, a baseball game or two next week,...so....yep..I'm kinda busy...

Where's my other five wives when I need em?

I love you card for ABC toys challenge

Here's another card I made for a challenge from abcdesignblog's sketch challenge

Book giveaway from T

Ok kids..check out this wonderful lil cutey over http://stiryourtea.blogspot.com/2010/06/are-you-there-jandy-its-me-tahereh.html She is awesomeness with a capitol A!!

Give her a quick recommend for a book in her post,  she is giving away a book!!!
Squee!!!
 I think the one she is reviewing sounds amazing..The sky is everywhere, by Jandy Nelson..

run.
now.
go!

stupid gadgets

Ok..so the poll thingy over there--------> isn't working..SO....just leave a comment somewhere on what name you like and I'll make a (tart's gonna love this) spreadsheet!

thanks everyone!!!

BTW, I may need some help naming my fairy...wonder what I can do for that..I am so unimaginative!

Oh yeah...It seems Blake Standish is out of the running...don't want to get sued!!
Thanks sister!

Check out this awesome contest!

Go here!! babblingflow.blogspot NOW!!! Check out this contest that I sooo want to win!!! :)

Thanks

Voting is up

Ok friends... I have put up a poll for you to help me decide on my hunky character's name. I have put up everyone's suggestions, but did omit a few that I just couldn't see him as..I will send a prize..not sure what, maybe a gift card to a book store to the person that gave me the winning name :)
so..vote away...
I will keep it up for a week or so..
Maybe I should give you some goods on him...
He's tall, dark, very handsome..I know..cliche..but it's true
he is athletic, caring, sensitive, witty, oh..and magickal! :)

I am going to be a little pre-occupied with writing this month..but I hope to keep you updated on that progress..I have to write 50,000 words this month..that is 1,666 a day! eeeeek!!! What have I gotten myself into??

But the name will go into my book, so wish me luck.. I have lots of supportive blogger friends and I love you all!!!