:/
i kind of suck at blogging. if you’ve ever gone through my blog history you will know there are just periods where i stop writing stuff. i guess those are the times when life catches up with me, and i prefer not to be overwhelmed so some things just end up falling by the wayside. blogging is always one of those. so my sincerest apologies to those who visit regularly, i have just had a lot of craziness going on lately.
now on to the updates! yay! lots of stuff has been going on around here…
1. PROJECTS
i have worked on a few things for The Sampler using this month’s kit. i really love the kit – very boyish but still very versatile. there’s a lot of goodies from the American Crafts “Chap” line, which i am in love with and would love to have more of.

“miss u” card – The Sampler March Card Challenge
The Sampler is running a card challenge through April 19th at 11:59PM EST, and this month we are featuring a sketch from PageMaps as the inspiration for the challenge. head over to The Sampler’s blog for more info, the sketch, and our inspiration for you. a prize pack from The Sampler is at stake, so don’t miss out!

“slip & slidin’” – The Sampler March Sketch challenge
our two oldest, and my youngest cousin. i hate the fact that i don’t journal because i could share so much about this event. ::sigh:: maybe i should just write it on the back. our oldest (my stepdaughter) had never played on a slip-n-slide before because in Texas, at least where we live, there isn’t really room in your yard to do this. i mean, our backyard is literally like the size of a small animal enclosure. so when we visited Ohio last summer, my uncle got this out for them and they had such a blast! i actually had fun taking the pictures, too, a bit scary at times but i got a TON of really amazing shots. i made an 8.5×11″ version of this month’s sketch, which you can see over at The Sampler’s blog, as well as enter for your chance to win a prize pack from The Sampler! the deadline is also April 19th at 11:59PM EST, so you’ve still got a bit of time! love to see other takes on this sketch – it’s a really interesting sketch to work with!

Kellan’s shadowbox – The Sampler March kit
i couldn’t resist these die cuts for the Silhouette as soon as they came out!!!! i had to make one!!!!! Lori Whitlock has been releasing some fantastic 3D die cuts lately, among them this cute 3D shadowbox (8×10 version). she has a really great series of videos on her YouTube page as well, that guides you through the process of assembling, which i found to be very simple thanks to those videos. about 97% of this stuff is The Sampler’s March kit, minus the truck, sailboat, yo-yo, felt corners & red heart. there are other pieces that came from The Sampler’s January kit as well. i really love how it turned out – but i need to get a bigger easel for it!
2. Tattooed. Again.

just randomly. i’ve wanted to get it put on me somewhere for a while, so it’s on my right wrist opposite the stars on my left wrist. it was pretty awesome. courtesy of Ink Pit Tattoo on Beach Street in Ft. Worth.
3. Reading List.
figured i could update this as i go along. i have polished off three of the books from my “100 Books to Read Before i Die” list. and really, thoroughly enjoyed all three of them despite the fact that i would probably have never selected them if i weren’t sticking to my list of “classics”. i’m glad that i read them!

“Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen
okay, i admit it. sometimes i try to put off a tough chick exterior, but i’m completely a sap for this kind of stuff. i just hate to admit it! this book was so awesome, i’m telling you, if you like to read books and haven’t read this book, put it on your list! this is my type of romance novel – i love how gritty Eliza is, i really can relate to her character a lot, and i find myself falling in love with Mr. Darcy in about the same fashion that she does. i also have to say that the dad is my favorite character… but i’ll just leave you to it!

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
i know that March seems a pretty weird time to read this, but i thought, why not? a good way to bring Dickens into my book world. i learned pretty quickly that i know this book almost word for word, despite the fact that i’ve never read it but seen so many movie versions that don’t leave any piece of this out, so i wasn’t surprised a bit by anything. it was pretty fun to read, though, it’s a lot different reading a story then watching a movie, and i liked how this was pretty short and light throughout so it was a really easy read.

“Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne
LOVED IT. so much. i was actually pretty sad when i finished it last night. i loved all the characters, and it was a really crazy interesting story with lots of twists and turns, and i was always thinking “what’s next?” this book wasn’t originally on my list, but it was one that i considered a “classic” that should have been on my list when i was browsing the free books, so i settled on it immediately. glad i did. it was fantastic. – BFF SHANNON: you really should read it! you will def like it!!!
i started on “The Scarlet Letter” last night, but… well… i’m sure it’s a good book, but it’s really depressing so far, and i passed out reading it. i think i might take a break from the list for a while and read the “Hunger Games” series, since everyone is raving about it. i hate falling into those trends. but i’ll give it a shot.
one more thing before i take off…

“droids in love”
i haven’t been crocheting a lot lately, these have actually been done for a while… just kept forgetting to take pics of them! made the Artooie for Travis for Valentines/celebrating his new office, so he could add it to his collection of crocheted guys i have made for him. then i got the idea to change up the colors and made the pink one – she’s really cute
(and mine!) i have a few more of these in the pipeline that i would like to do, just need to stop creating more projects for myself! the pattern is FREE, by the way, which is really awesome, courtesy of Penelope Senior @ peneknitcrochet !!!
besides the fact that Game of Thrones has started back up again (YESSSS!) i have nothing else really exciting to report for now. but i’ll be back later in the week with more to share, i’m sure, i know i always say that but i’m definitely going to try
have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!
peace, love and stickers -
shaunnaRooskie
SUPPLIES:
“miss u card”
* Cardstock – Bazzill? (white, light blue) from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Patterned Paper – American Crafts “Chap – Richard & James” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Felt – Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Diecut – My Mind’s Eye “Lime Twist – Out of the Blue – Family” Balloon diecut from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Alpha – October Afternoon “Mini Market – gray & cream” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Bling – Doodlebug “mini jewels – bumblebee assortment” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Black fine-tip Sharpie
* Foam squares
“slip & slidin”
* Cardstock – Bazzill? (white, grey) from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Patterned Paper – Echo Park “A Boy’s Life – Imagination” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Transparency – Hambly “Mini Bicycles – yellow” 12×12 from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Alphas – American Crafts “Meadow” Thickers; October Afternoon “Mini Market – gray & cream” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Bling – Doodlebug “mini jewels – bumblebee assortment” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Flair, Tab – American Crafts “Chap” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Foam squares
“Kellan’s shadowbox”
* Cardstock – Hobby Lobby “The Paper Studio” (kraft)
* Patterned Paper – American Crafts “Chap – Richard & James”; Echo Park “A Boy’s Life – Imagination” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Transparency – Hambly “Mini Bicycles – yellow” 12×12 from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Felt – Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Alphas – American Crafts “Meadow” Thickers; October Afternoon “Mini Market – gray & cream” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Wood “K” – Pink Paislee “Wood Shop – Wood Chip” alpha from The Sampler January 2012 kit
* Chipboard – My Mind’s Eye “Kraft Funday Everyday Fun” chipboard – from The Sampler January 2012 kit
* Truck, Yo-Yo – Paper Bliss
* Sailboat – Jolee’s
* Heart – misc felt from Paper Lovelies March 2012 kit
* Felt corners – Pat Catan’s
* Silhouette SD
* Die cut – 3D 8×10 Shadow Box by Lori Whitlock, Silhouette Online Store
“droids in love”
* Yarn – Red Heart Super Saver in Skipper Blue, Grey Heather, Soft White, Hot Red, Turqua & Pretty n’ Pink
* Hook – 3.75mm (F)
* misc buttons
* polyfil stuffing
* Patterns – R2-D2 by Penelope Senior; Corazoncitos amigurumi hearts pattern by Mia Zamora Johnson