ivyPINK

The Tarantula

Soooooo yesterday

 we thought our 15 yr old tarantula died!!!

We found him upsidedown and we've NEVER seen him like that before!

But to our surprise....he just molted!!!

He's even bigger!

The picture below is his shell ;)

I read aged tarantulas rest upsidedown for several hours because it's very difficult for them to shed &

they could even die from it!

Poor thing ;(

But at least he's still with us ;)

 We've had him since he was the size of a quarter

And now he's the size of my palm ;)

I learn something everyday! :)

 

Come on...GUESS

Want to PLAY?
Can you GUESS what I'm thinking?
Lets PLAY 20 questions :)

Q1.  Is it classified as Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?
Animal
Q2.  Do people own it as a pet?
Yes
Q3.  Can it growl?
No
Q4.  Is it warm blooded?
Yes
Q5.  Do cats like to chase it?
No
Q6. Is it larger than a microwave oven? (or bread box)
No
Q7.  Can it be used for recreation?
No
Q8.  Does it live in groups? (gregarious)
No
Q9.  Does it have striped fur?
No
Q10.  Is it brown?
Sometimes
Q11.  Can it bend without breaking?
Yes
Q12.  Does it purr?
No
Q13.  Is it considered valuable?
Sometimes
Q13.  Do you know any songs about it?
No
Q14.  Is it commonly used?
No
Q15.  Does it swim?
No
Q16.  Does it like sunshine?
No
Q17. Is it heavier than a duck?
No
Q18.  Does it like to be petted?
No
Q19.  Does it jump?
No
Q20.  Does it have a hard outer shell?
No

Did You guess it?



While cleaning the scraproom
I found this toy my friend Ann bought me like 5 Years ago :)
Her son Jack came to work with her one day
 and he said he could guess whatever I was thinking
{as long as its an animal,vegetable or mineral}
at that time I thought artichoke and it guessed it RIGHT!!!
 I was sooooo amazed :)
I never heard of 20 questions before :)
A couple weeks later Ann told me her son Jack said she HAD to buy one for me :)
 She bought me one in PURPLE cuz it was her favorite color
(& it didn't come in PINK)
Anyway when I found it again recently the battery still worked
and I tried hedgehog as my animal
and of course it guessed right!
I'm still amazed :) LOL

Speaking of Hedgehogs
it's time to for an Abbey update :)
She a little over 1 years old now!
I don't think shell grow any bigger
which is totally fine with me
I actually wanted her to stay teeny tiny forever :)
I let her out to play outside with Molly & Earl
and she was super-di-duperly HAPPY





Off Exploring



Sniffing around



More Sniffing



Off again



Her bodyguards watching over her...



I hope you enjoyed the pics :)
Have a good day!

Re-Organizing

I FINALLY cleared out my Public Storage (umm 3 months ago actually) LOL
BUT I pretty much just dumped all my crap in the garage
and I brought some of it up to the scraproom
so pretty much my scraprooms been a giant mess since then.
So a couple weekends ago
I finally decided to put up the Elfa shelves I purchased back in May :)

I figured the addition will be easy
since all I had to do was put up the bar right next to the existing shelf.
When we were designing the space the lady told me I might have a little gap in between
if I wasn't planning to attach to the existing shelf.
I thought...have a gap or take it all apart?!?!
ugh! I definitely don't want to take it apart
So I put all the shelves up
and this was the gap....




Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

I stared at this gap for like an hour contemplating if I should leave it like that or not
I left it for a while, went downstairs ate dinner
 and came back and thought some more...

Conclusion:



I took it ALL apart
and brought all the stuff down from half the other shelf
so I could flip all the shelf connectors

HOLY MESS!



So FINALLY I put it all back together again
and I have to say that I feel SOOOooooooooo much better
without that little gap in between :)

This is how it looks now :)



I'm still organizing so its not fully complete
I'll take another picture when I'm all done :)

I've had a lot of people ask me where I got the pink scallop hat boxes
It's from KIRKLANDS
The PINK shoe boxes is my new find from Target :)
I don't know what I'm putting in there yet actually.
The 3 boxes at the bottom are from
My Sentiments Exactly
It's suppose to be for stamps
and I do have one that I keep stamps in,
BUT I also keep my 9x9, 8x8 and 6x6 papers in there :)

I still have a LOT of work to do!
I want to finish before I go on vacation (JULY 5th)
Crossing my fingers :)

 




 
 

Summer Card Swap

The weather here in Chicago this past Friday
was ridiculous! It was pouring rain and thundering
and while at work we actually lost power for a little bit.
I've been looking forward to our June Summer card swap with the girls
we were thinking it was suppose to be nice weather.
On our way to Lindas house it started pouring again
and all the stop lights on the way to Lindas went out!
Linda lost power at the house too
BUT that didn't dampen our plans to sit out in her patio
which was really nice even with the rain :)
Linda also made us some Yummy Lavaflows (1/2 strawberry Daq & 1/2 Pina Colada)
It was extra yummy with Kristas homegrown strawberries too!

Heres the pics of our "Summer themed" card swap




Lindas Card


Julies Card


Jens Card


Chrissys Card



Kristas Card


My card


I hope you got some inspiration :)

Wilton Sale

HOLY MOLY Macaroni....
I wasn't really sure what to expect
going to the ANNUAL Wilton TENT Sale

I knew a lot of people who went the past years
and always heard good stuff about it
So this year I decided to drag my momma with me :)

We went 2nd day of opening, got there around 10:30am
 my friend JoLynn went earlier around opening & she was outta there by 9:30
By 10:30 there was absolutely no place to park,
The Wilton parking lot was super filled!
We parked about 2 blocks away...

There was a (what I thought then was RIDICULOUS) Line just to get in....



My friend JoLynn said make sure you get a cart...
a cart was a hot commodity
 I had to practically stalk someone to their car just to get one :)
So FINALLY we get inside and its CRAZY
there was so much stuff my head was spinning!
getting around with this cart was a mission
but JoLynn was right it was totally worth having a cart :)
{I'll show you why a little bit later}

This year Wilton had a TON of SCRAPBOOKING goodies :)
Yahooooooo!
a TON of Martha Stewart stuff
and everything was 50% or more :)
I've never been to a WILTON sale
but people that have gone told me this is the first time they had scrappy stuff :)

It was mostly ALL EK Success Branded items
which included Martha Stewart.
They also had a LOT of K&Company goodies :)







Theres me thinking WHAT THE?!?!! I love this place :) LOL



I shopped the Scrappy & Cupcake section :) heehee



& my momma shopped the kitchen/baking section



ALL this time I'm thinking WHOA this place is awesome :)
That ridiculous entrance line was totally worth it!!!!
Now time to pay for all these goodies!

We wait in line which started inside the tent....(WAITING LINE inside: 25/30 min.)
we get closer to the cashier and the line is still going
I'm thinking where does this line end?



see the tent all the way at the end?
YUP the line started inside that...
& led outside going towards the end of the building
& WRAPPED around again this time going back towards the tent
(WAITING LINE outside: 1 hour & 15 min.)
BUT the lines didn't end there :)
It wrapped slightly on the side part of the tent outside...
you go back inside and there's YET another line
that wrapped like a small snake
& after that is when you finally get to the cashier!!!!
HOLY CRA-MOLY!!!!

{I drew you guys a picture just cuz I'm crazy like that and
I really want you guys to visualize the craziness! LOL}




I'm sure it was really busy because it was a Saturday
it was the first weekend opening
and supposedly they had a TON more items this year than past years...
If I would have known it was gonna be this crazy
I would have came earlier or came during the week...
I wish it was a little more organized
I would have preferred a longer entrance line
cuz at least when you get inside its not super crowded
 and you can actually move and/or breath & not feel like peoples
giving you the evil eye for taking a little bit longer to decide
if you need this item in your life...
and more cashiers!!!!


In conclusion....
After all that rambling
If you live in the area its definitely worth a visit :)
The sale is open till June 16th
and the hours are pretty convenient:

Opening Day: Friday, May 29  4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Weekdays: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Weekends: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

I would suggest going during the week

I'm sure it'll be a better shopping experience

cuz I don't think it will be as crowded :)
Have a GREAT Sunday!

CURRENTLY:

My Sunday is consisting of purging, pricing & putting together some scrapping & card kits cuz my mom wants to have a garage sale this coming Friday & Saturday :)
Its good timing cuz I'm putting up the addition to the Elfa shelving in the scrap room & there's some stuff I need to get rid of.

:) Tootles!

xoxo

ivy

Cumberland Falls

I'm back :)
I went CAMPING this past memorial day weekend
in Corbin, Kentucky
we stayed at Sheltowee Trace Outfitters




It was quite an experience!
LOTS of BUGS at this camp place in comparison to the one I went to last year
the camp itself was deep in to the woods
where you're pretty much surrounded by trees
there was a trail (about an 8 min walk fr our camp) to get to the bathroom
(the bathroom & shower was super nice & clean for a camp site)

 
{Like my PINK captains chair? heehee}

On Saturday we took a hike to get to Cumberland Falls




I found this little guy on the way



Take a look at this Beautiful waterfall :)
It made that 8 mile hike all worth it
LOL



Our GROUP Pic



On Sunday we went White Water Rafting
10.4 miles! class 3/4 Rapids
It was actually raining for the first few hours
and it was a gloomy day
the sun really didn't peek through
I didn't think I was going to get any tan....
BOY was I wrong!
I was super burnt by the time we were done!
The water was kinda cold but it was refreshing :)
I don't have any pictures yet cuz I used a water camera & I have to get the film developed
I promise to share the pics though as soon as I get it
Rafting was soooooooooo much fun
way better than my Fun-yak moment from last year :)
I wish I had a fun river closer to home!
 

OPRAH Experience

So on Friday I went to see a taping of
OPRAH!
It was totally last minute.
My friend Melissa asked me to go with her
since her friend couldn't make it.
I was jumping for JOY!!!

We we're instructed to get to the Studio by 12:00 they close the doors by 12:30
we left around 10:20 we we're worried about the traffic
surprisingly we got there pretty quickly
around 11:15
I was taken back for a minute when we reached Harpo studios...
there was a line of animal cruelty activists in front of the building
they we're unhappy about Oprahs KFC giveaway :(
{not cuz she gave a free meal...BUT because she supported KFC}

We were in the waiting room for about 2 hours
before they brought us in to the studio.
The studio looks so much bigger on TV than it does in real life

The taping we went to would be her last taping for the summer :)
Shes taking her crew to a 2 week cruise vacation! {Lucky Duckys}

Our show is airing this Monday 5/11/09

The show is called "The worlds got talent with Simon Cowell"
{the link has a video preview}

The section I was in was behind Oprah so I doubt
well even be seen :(
I wont be able to watch the taping till I get home from work at 8:00pm
so if you guys are watching tomorrow keep an eye out if you see me
I was wearing a PINK dress :)
 
I was asked how does Oprah look like in real life?
How did Simon Look like?
They LOOK EXACTLY like they do on TV
and I don't know why I thought they would look any different :)

Overall it was such an AMAZING experience :)
My moms DREAM is to go see Oprah
my new goal is to get a ticket for her and my grandma.
My friend had to write 1,000 word essay to get her tickets!

We couldn't bring our camera or our phones
so I have some pics from outside the studio





After wards we shopped at the Oprah store



It was super cute in there :)
Look at the cashmere section
I wish my initial started with an "O"
everything had an O it was awesome!





I bought my mom an Oprah shirt
and they wrapped it up for me
I LOVE her color combo!



Thats about it
for my Oprah EXPERIENCE :)

I hope all the Mommies out there have a WONDERFUL Mother's day today.

It's also the last day for the ELFA sale
so I'm on way out to the container store
I'm adding an addition to my scraproom wall unit.

and if your a FAN of AMAZING Race
tonight's the season Finale
I'm cheering for
Margie & Luke.
I cant wait!

Happy Sunday :)

*Sigh* I can breath now :)
I've been planning a surprise Birthday for like 3 weeks now
and It was sooooo hard for me to keep it a secret
It was so much fun!
It was held at LUCKY STRIKE in Yorktown
for Miguels 26th GOLDEN Birthday :)





I LOVED these COMFY chairs :)



the GIRLIES



the GUYS



and afterwards we ate at Kona Grill

YUMMY sushi!!!








Miguel Blowing out his candle :)

{dont mind his shirt the sushi jumped in to the soy sauce and splattered him LOL}



and of course the party favors :)


Chipboard is by K & Company
Kraft Boxes by Martha
Ribbon Papersource
and Happy Birthday Rub on is Stampin Up doodle set :)

Have a GREAT week :)
Its almost the school start again
so I might be missing for a couple weeks....
I'll try to post though :)

Stampology Chicago

I remember EXACTLY how I first came across STAMPOLOGY

I was working at Archivers and I had a customer who came in with the CUTEST STAMPS and it came in the CUTEST bag & I was immediately Intrigued :)

ALTHOUGH she told me it was in CHICAGO & I'm like eeeeek CHICAGO?

I HATE driving! still do. BUT I missioned my way to STAMPOLOGY anyway & fell in LOVE with DAVE and Sues DAD Jim immediately!

Of course I became a loyal customer and eventually an employee :)

I've met the MOST AMAZING people at Stampology some of them I even consider my second FAMILY

I feel so Blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such TALENTED individuals :)

With that said

I unfortunately have some sad news to share :(

A letter from Dave:

As most of you know. me, Sue, and most of our staff work other jobs in addition to working at Stampology Chicago. Sue and I have been talking about our future and that of the store.

Needless to say with Sue and me working other jobs and running Stampology, it has taken a big toll on my health and our relationships with families and close friends. Sue and I are very close to our families and friends and since Stampology Chicago opened 6 years ago, we haven't had the opportunity to nurture and grow these relationships because of our commitment to the store. We attempted to cut back on store hours, but in the end this hasn't helped as much as we had hoped. I recently had my annual check-up and my doctor has advised me that I need to change the way I am taking care of myself, if I wanted to have a myself to take care of much longer.

It is with sadness we inform you that Sue and I have started looking to sell the business. It is our hope someone with the same philosophy and attitude of care we have for our customers will purchase the store and it will continue to be a place of enjoyment to you. In the unlikely event that we are not able to sell the store, Sue and I have come to the decision that we will close our doors in order to pursue our other goals that we have put on hold these past 6 years.

Making this decision was very hard for us, because we truly enjoyed each of

you and we have made wonderful friends over the years. We wanted to

communicate this information to you personally so you understood the reasons why we have decided to close this chapter of our lives.

If you are interested in purchasing a hand-made business, please contact me.

Thanks,

Dave

 

 

Crop Chocolate Deal

Ooooh awesome deal @ Crop Chocolate today!!!

 

 

You guys know how in LOVE I am with the Passport Line ;)

 It also comes with passport paper

 And only $3.99 for shipping!

{SWEET}