i moved!!

haha... no really, im kinda over this blog. i never felt very inspired by it, so i started a new one!!! here. im keeping this one because i have cards and a few pictures here, but i think i need a new start!!
~xoxo~

new headline...

as if i needed to point it out!!! its huge!!! anyway, it will do for now... ill be working on a new one... eventually but for now, it will do. im working on fun projects for now and im really excited about them!!! will post more later ` always later ;)

~cheers~

better late than never...

so i know christmas was ~ so last year, but i still have yet to post the work i did over this last holiday season. i plan on eventually posting all of the work that i did, especially our own cards because i have to admit, they were pretty cute ~ if i do say so myself... but for now...

these were invitations for a christmas pajama party.

first of all, what an amazing idea uh??

a christmas pajama party??? who really likes

squeezing there holiday bodies into nylons and

dress shirts with neck ties anyway?? WE DONT!!!

i love the pajama party idea.

the little pajamas and the ribbon are felt, i love texture!!
some christmas cards more on the formal side, you know for a business. here the card is closed up ~ it still came in an envelope,

...and here is the card opened up with plenty of room for all of the employees

to sign their own name

a fun 40th birthday invitation for a black and white affair. i love the pink ribbon,

its perfect because the birthday girl showed up wearing bright pink and

everyone else wore black and white!!

i love this picture from the creating process. remember the buttons candies from the eighties (pink, yellow, blue)?? the rhinestones totally remind me of them, i used to always end up with more paper in my mouth than i wanted though....

anyway, keep checking back... more love and fun stuff to come!!

xoxo

my weapon of choice

over the holidays i wanted to do my part in helping out with the food selection. of course i wanted to go with what everyone wanted, so i took requests. turns out everybody loved my recipe for broccoli salad. since it was such a hit at thanksgiving, christmas eve, christmas day and ricas uncles birthday party, i fell like i should share it. i have to admit, not only is it delicious, but it is actually pretty easy!! having two babies, easy is great as far as im concerned... so, here it is....

salad
one large bundle of broccoli, cut up into small pieces
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins ~ i used craisins
1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
1/2 pound bacon ~ i went for turkey bacon ~ cooked and crumbled into small pieces
blend together all of these ingredients
dressing
1 cup mayonnaise ~ you can totally get away with using the low fat
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
mix salad dressing
once the broccoli mixture and salad dressing and separately mixed, mix both ingredients together. chill for two hours before serving.

i love the recipe, try it sometime!!! ;)

~loves~

IAT birdhouse

just a fun little project i did for one of my favorite scrapbook stores ~ ITS ABOUT TIME cindy bought some birdhouses and some of us got to decorate them. there is a little village at the store now ~ and its so cute!! i had to go for the elise house, cause she is the cutest!! i threw in some diamond dust and a couple little matching birds and ta~dah!! i love it!!!

sorry about the fuzzy photos, not too sure what happened there....

~xoxo~

artwork for sofia

now that i have had a minute to myself ~ you know since this mornin' when i dropped off my last and final order that had been placed. i already feel nice about being finished with work as of right now. after a good work out at the gym this morning, i am able to get going on my home improvement projects. so, anyway, who ever said that baby girls had to have pictures hanging from their walls that consisted of ballerinas and baby dolls?? no daughter of mine ~ thats for sure. although i have to admit the pictures on my walls in my bedroom as a baby were cute, im just not into that myself, and neither is sofia (i know because she told me so). so i made some purchases from the black apple etsy shop and i adore these prints. they are perfect for sofias bedroom. they match her cheetah print and burgundy bedding perfectly!!!

actually these black and white cuties are for mine and ricas room...

i love that this artist ~ emily has captured a girly girl that looks like she might know sofia. so cute, and the best part?? daddy likes 'em too!!!

~cheers~

santa love

like our family photo?? the kids wouldnt take a picture with santa unless mama and dadda did too!! i actually like it!!!

~cheers~

xoxo, ally

just some of my favs from the shoot i did this weekend. such a cute couple ~ and soo much fun!!! i loved this shoot... still wishing my photo shop worked, some of these would look amazing in black and white or sepia.

~xoxo~

picture love

some of the pictures i did of a family last week at the beach... man i wish my photo shop was working right now, but what can you do... here they are anyway, starting with the most fun!!

~xoxo~

i want to do this...

the other day i was logging on to my aol, like i always do, and i was watching the different subjects flash through the screen; entertainment, news, lifestyle etc... i saw this idea and i so badly want to share it because i so badly want to create it for someone. these arent my designs, but love the idea of personalizing stationery for another as a gift. doesnt get more personal and thoughtful than that. so, so cute!!! im lovin' the holidays already!

~loves~

sooo thankful!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
i have to admit, this thanksgiving was one of the best ~ EVER!! i loved it. i have come to realize that it isnt about stressing over getting to where you need to be, its getting there when you can ~ and its about getting there safely. we went to rica uncles house for thanksgiving this year ~ as we have for the past three years ~ and we passed a car accident on the side of the road, thank God it seemed as though everyone was alright, but that isnt the way i would have wanted to spend my thanksgiving ~ picking up the pieces of my car accident on the side of a mountain, but then again who does?? Thanksgiving is all about time with those who mean the most to you ~ although i have to admit, i didnt see my parents today and that was kinda a bummer, but those are the sacrifices that you make as a married woman. we will be with them all day Christmas ~ and i cant wait!!! im over stressing and hustling and all of the pressure that life holds for us ~ if we allow it to enter our lives. the last two family events that we have been to we have been late, and i think that rica and i have both come to realize that when it is the four of us, we will be late and we know that our family will love us no matter what. if they dont ~ then how are they really family?? family loves no matter what. anyway, this is what i truely am thankful for ~ in no particular order;
~ ricardo ~ always and forever. i love his passion for the family. i love how excited he gets around Christmas time and that going to starbucks and walking out the door with a red Christmas cup makes his day. its so fun for us when we are in an area we dont know very well we search and search for a starbucks like its a game. its so fun to watch him being a child all over again through our own little boy. i love how he loves taking daniel to the driving range just to hit some balls. he is such an amazing daddy, hubby, son, brother, son in law, grand-son and friend. i love him more today than yesterday......
~ daniel ~ and every little thing about him ~ minus the whining. i love his big ol' heart and his chubby feet. i love his love for the game of golf and how one day i know he will do something to change the game forever. i love his love for his grandparents and the love they give back to him ~ all four of them. i love him because he loves me and he knows how much it means to me when he shows me. i love that he reminds me of myself. im thankful for his health and that the Lord protected him when we needed him to protect him the most. so much more to be thankful for ~ but im so, so, so thankful for him as a big brother.
~ sofia ~ i love her smile, her hair, her feet (too) and her little butt. i am so thankful that she is just like me so therefore i will be on to her every waking move. i love her love for daddy. i love that she doesnt settle for anything and she knows exactly what she wants. im thankful for her being left handed ~ just like me. i love her for being so sure of herself at such a young age. i love her because she is every little piece of me that went missing ~ she is me all over again.
~ our family, our family, our family... i love my mom and dad, im so thankful for them. im so thankful for my brothers too ~ and that fact that i am the only lady born into the family for well over a hundred years. im so thankful for my mother and father in law and brother in law too.
~ our house ~ and the fact that we have a nice roof over our head. im also thankful that abuelos live right down the street, and abulitos live right across the grove.
~ the kitchen ~ and the fact that we have food to cook inside of it. sound cliche?? doesnt really matter to me. i had such a nice time preparing dishes this morning for Thanksgiving that i literally stopped to acknowledge to myself how awesome it was to be doing what i was doing at that moment and how nice it is that i have a hubby the helps to make that happen. i really, truly love cooking. i pretend like i am on the cooking channel.
~ my craft room ~ need i go any further???
~ sorry ~ i have to do it ~ IM SO THANKFUL FOR VICTORIA'S SECRET PINK!!! ~ i love it, i love it, i love it!!! gimme more!!!
~ so thankful for the clients that have come my way and have allowed me to help them to set the standard for their Christmas party of birthday celebration. i really, truly love what i am doing right now and i couldnt ask for anymore.
~ me ~ is that bad that im thankful for me??? im so grateful for my life and the people that i am surrounded by. i will continue to say that till the day i die. I REALLY TRULY LOVE EVERYONE!!!!!!
~ so thankful for those around us whom have an open mind, and i hope, wish and pray that one would consider me amongst those with an "open mind". it is really important to me.
~ LIFE IS GOOD ~ LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH AND LAUGH OFTEN

~peace~

here we are

so i have only seen three of our pictures from the beach so far, and seeing as though our babies were crying like i havent seen them cry in a long while, i kinda like these shots. i guess when you have two babies, your Christmas card photo isnt like the photos you see on the wall at the portrait studio ~ this ~ is life, and i wouldnt change it for the world!!!

p.s. mel ~ i love you!! thanks for your help ~ always!!!! xoxoxo

~cheers~

whoa ~ can somebody stop time?!?!

PLEASE??? man oh man, i cant believe we are going into Thanksgiving week!! i have been so busy lately and i have to admit, i kinda likey!!! i have been working like a busy little bee trying to keep my cards up to the promised deadlines, while picking up a few more orders along the way, oh ~ yeah and taking a few family portraits for the upcoming holidays. i was trying to upload some of the images, but surprise, surprise ~ mama couldnt master it in time (time to go to bed that is). i will be uploading them in the next few days, but i had a lot of fun taking them. ricardo, myself and our babies also took our family pictures over the weekend at the beach. the kids were pretty bummed to be at the beach. they dont like the sand, so i dont know what we have to work with... makes me sad, but what can you do??? anyway, im out!!
~peace~

some esty love!!

so i guess i havent been up to much of anything exciting or out of the "norm" as of lately... well this is how i feel ~ but ~ when in all reality ~ i guess i have been working as hard as i can getting cards ready to go for christmas this season. im pretty excited, so far i have a good amount of card orders in for this year ~ but i have to admit, i wouldnt mind a few more... also ~ i have been working as hard as i can on getting my own etsy account set up. as for now, i have to admit ~ etsy is my new "go to" stalker site. i love it!!! so, i have a question ~ if i just bought this print online, do you think its in my mail box yet?!?! i dont think that i can wait any longer!!...

another fun find from miss elsie flannigan ~ one day i will meet her and tell her how fabulous she is!!! until then i will just patiently wait for more of her product to hit the scrapbook stores and more prints or goodies to buy on etsy. seriously ~ how cute will my pirate map look next to my pirate ship and skull prints i have below?.?.?.?...

~cheers~

love bundles

a few more of my favorite works from the past that i would love to share...

here is sofias birth announcement. i was stuck on the idea of having a window on the front side of the card so her picture could show through. to be completely honest, i didnt know what i was getting myself into!! this card was a challenge to me, but i have to admit ~ i love the way it turned out. another interesting part of this card is that i actually had to use my acrylic stamps to hand stamp the phrases on the card. needless to say, this card took me a while...
here is the inside of the announcement.

sofias baptism invitation from the outside. as you can tell, i love vellum ~ it just seems to work with every project that i work on.

and with the "doors" open.

this was a fun project and thanks to my spanish speaking hubby, it came together much easier for me. i printed the invitation in spanish and i thought the spanish and english "thank you" on the thank you cards gave it a more completed look. i love the stitching stamping technique that i used here.

and this is just a fun valentines day card that i put together ~ hey any occasion works for me!!!

~cheers~

love bundles ~ christmas

this was my in~laws christmas card from 2006 (my babies also in the photo), and an invitation to one of famous christmas parties.another christmas card from 2006. i love the way the gold embossing sparkles when you see the card in person.

this was the outside of another christmas party invitation. it had a magnet that made the flap "snap" shut. this is a really fun card, a big hit with the people on the receiving end. =)

and this is what the card looks like when it is folded open. i like this card so much!!

...stay tuned... more to come....

xoxo

thanks to our fire fighters

well, after trying my hardest to bring some of my card creations to my page, im giving up for the night. but not without one last thought. its so nice to be back in our own home. even though we were only gone for one night, there is just a different feeling that when you leave your house, there isnt a one hundred percent guarantee that next time you drive down your street, your home will be waiting for you as it always has done in the past years. and there is something different about standing in your home, looking around at all of the different "things" you have collected through the years, thinking quickly which one is your most precious and which one have you been wanting to throw out, but havent had it in you to do so. such a strange feeling. but the strangest feeling is knowing that in the fires in the past, all you know is there are a bunch of men and women out there (strangers) putting their lives on the line to save your home, your pictures, memories and the bed you sleep in every night. but this time around it wasnt that way. my brother in law and two very close friends were among those men and women fighting for us. im so proud of them. its times like these that you realize that these people really are something special. it takes a certain someone to choose a job that in case of an emergency, they put a strangers life in front of their own. yes, thats what they are trained to do, but they also have it in their blood because they have chosen to put themselves in that position. the past four or five days, these fighters have been up almost non-stop. and thats if you want to count laying in the street, still dressed in your turnouts catching a few minutes of sleep using the curb as your pillow. my brother in law finally got off of work this morning, but doesnt get to go home. he is back at the station for his day off, waiting to see if he is needed near by. my heart goes out to these people and again, im so proud of what they do. i cant wait to see them again and give these boys hugs!!
~peace~

love bundles ~ birthdays

so i have come to the realization that my blog will not allow me to make albums. because of that, all of my cards and photography will have to posted in this form... bummer... so here are a few of my birthday cards. oh yeah, to be completely honest, this is my third time trying to make this post happen tonight ~ so i will have to post the rest of my cards another day ~ maybe tomorrow?? enjoy...

sofia had a hula theme birthday party. the invitations have this textures paper i found that resembles bamboo ~ it really gave the card a lot of extra character. here it is with the matching thank you cards. a lot of times, i make several examples for myself ~ or my clients, and often i fall in love with at least two. what i usually do in that situation is ill make half of one style and half of the other style. so people dont always get matching cards. but its okay that way, thats the beauty of "handmade cards". in this example i just used different papers on the thank you cards.



i loved working on these, seriously ~ how could i not??? my favorite colors!! i made two examples from what my client had told me she had in mind, then the two of us came up with an invitation together and that is the one she used. dont forget the matching thank you card!!!

my little mans second birthday party ~ cowboy theme of course. i love the beads in used for the invitation. then i used a picture from the party to create the matching thank you card.

the inside of the invitation. the thank you message was written on the little tag that pulls out from behind the photo that i chose to print in sepia tone.

the next invitations were inspired by the one and only ~ captain jack sparrow!! so much fun.

i mixed a lot of different paints; reds, blacks, browns and of course gold!! i love how the beads are dangling from the dreadlocks just captain jack.

~hugs~

i kinda like my new name...

so, since i have been spending most of my days as of lately "resting" and blog stalking (a term i totally stole from mel) i have come across a fun name generator. and because halloween is creeping up on us ~and because I LOVE HALLOWEEN ~i thought it would be fun to share this fun find ~ that someone else found ~ and i "borrowed"... anyway go here http://www.necroticobsession.com/gothname.html and find out through the name generator your hallwoeen name. mine you ask? poison passion ~ ive got to admit, it kind of fits ~ kind of....
~hugs~

loves photography

So, I totally love photography and the more I do it, the more I loves!! Just thought I would share some fun pictures from earlier this year that I still really love. Of course, these are just the "raw" files... I have yet to master photoshop!!
Oh yeah, and I'm hanging in there from the whole "my tonsils got taken out" thing. I have an amazing support team of a handsome hubby, mom, mother in law and good ol' Lolita. Thank God for all of them. Although I have to admit, I'm going through "creating withdrawals".
Let me know if you're interested hiring me for your family portraits. I have more photos coming soon...
XOXO