Hello Kitty Birthday

Good grief...I took these pictures with my iPhone and have struggled tremendously to upload them onto my blog...I had to send them to myself e-mail...copy and paste them into being a jpeg....I KNOW there is a way to use my phone...just haven't figured it out yet. You can be sure I will find out....

This card is the one my daughter designed for her sleepover/birthday party tonight. I did guide her with the Cricut...and helped glue the little intricate parts on....but, the rest was really her...she picked the kitty...(I suggested the cloud...which didn't start out as a cloud...it was a background oval to me....looked like it could be a cool cloud)....she picked the papers/colors/etc....my suggestion of course for the buttons....

I really enjoyed this card....it was pretty quick...and making 6 wasn't taking on a never ending project....I will be posting my New Years goals soon....and "making just 6" of this or that will be on the list...not this 20 stuff...that I start and leave 1/2 done when time gets crazy!

Well...party to plan...

Hope everybody's holiday is all they want it to be....I'm still licking some very deep personal wounds....but, I realize I need to see that sun eventually....so....perhaps bright days are ahead!

Toodles, my friends,

Trudi

I'm Still Here

Long time no post! I'm still here! Business is brisk...I sent out literally a ton of chocolate this week....on Monday, one 800 pound pallet, only to follow it up with Tuesday 400 more pounds...this is only ONE customer....and I've supplied to oodles more than that! I'm exhausted...and as much as I luv business...I'm ready to let go of a little of it...just to stay home with my little family.

Thanksgiving...lots of family drama...trying to sort all that out....it's great having a big family...but sometimes communication gets garbled....I'm ready for some alone time too...this year, for Christmas....it's all about our kids...my husband and I are not doing anything for each other...just making it a nice season for our kidlets, who are rapidly growing up....

We also decided, on Christmas Eve...it's about the true meaning of Christmas....so maybe not so much of the presents and stuff...but, the giving your heart and soul for what Christmas is all about.

My state was/is under a blanket of snow and sleet and ice...we rained today, finally...at first it was snow...then rain...just hope it doesn't get below freezing...it was close to 37...so the slippy stuff was subsiding....It's only the beginning of December and I don't like winter already!

Hope all is well...I suspect I'll be a hit and miss for the next few weeks....my hard work is almost done...I almost shudder to say it...but, I have a bunch of chocolate ROSES lined up...yup...Christmas is ALMOST over for the chocolate world...onto the next! And can you believe it...I have a distributor ready to give us EASTER orders! YIKES!

Trudi

Getting in the Holiday Card Making Mood

I'm not going ANYWHERE today...in fact, I'm making a pot roast and spending my day in my studio!!! I see my unfinished project all over the table, and I'm wondering...do I finish it, save it for the next early autumn season to send to my friends...or send it late...I'm thinking save it...but..then I ask...do I finish it NOW or put it off to the side and start something else? I think I want to at least finish the design....the project is time sensitive, and although I could mail it...I'd rather wait when it means more...so RAK group...if you are still in the group next Septemberish....I've started your RAK! LOL!!!

In the meantime....I'm a huge fan of gingerbread houses.....I may have posted this before, sorry if I did...this was one of those really labor intensive cards....but fun to do...

Have a great day!

Trudi

Smack Dab in the Middle of Production

Things are going rather smoothly. I'm in a tradeshow tomorrow, and do not plan on getting any of it ready until tomorrow...beyond that...I'm happy with progress....haven't had a chance to get into my craft room though...another couple of weeks and that will change. November is our busy month as the stores need holiday delivery NOW...by December...we are somewhat back to normal...for now...I'm getting pallets of product ready to go and UPS shipments out the door, all shipped to retailers scattered throughout the country....

Today...this was my fun...about 450 pounds of this....700 bags total...that, plus much more! The ones I am working on now differ slightly, as they have a corporate logo on the bow....it's hard for me to keep my hands out of the taffy...it's so good...and when under stress...I tend to "eat" the profits, so to speak! Sorry about the black "mat"...you see little bits of white chocolate on it...my picture taking is literally spur of the moment...usually for me to have as a graphic to refer to when I receive custom orders....I often photograph chocolate unwrapped AND wrapped...to avoid glare...anyhow...not that savvy with the process, but, I've improved tremendously since my first attempts, 10 years ago...when we got our first digital camera!

How about the recent Gypsy download for those of you who own a Gypsy!!!! That's pretty exciting!!!!! I struggled through the sync...but, well worth the wait!

Trudi

I'm Still Here!

Just been up to the sky in chocolate. Had a little bit of stress today....I'm sure a few people think of me as this! Won't go into details...oh well...it is what it is....Trudi

Cancer Awareness

I have been in huge production mode this week...started a craft project last night, but will finish it off in the next few days. This picture is something we recently did for an event held for cancer awareness.

Trudi

Friends -- Fun!

My card. For some reason, no matter what I did to this card...it was fun. It might be that I'm the only person on this earth that likes the result...but no matter what, no matter how...I had fun. My sewing machine was "catching"...so I have imperfect stitches (gasp)...and I rocked my stamp on one of my cards...so a little brown spot appears in the tree branches on one of my cards(shudder)...my sun has funky strange stitching on it....I couldn't manipulate my circle very easily...(I'm shocked!)...and...I'm sure there are other blunders...but...I still had fun....I grabbed this and went for that...and didn't overthink my card. I didn't agonize over which was the best designer paper for my hills...or background stamp for my sun...or colors for the sun for that matter. I realize my quail have little blue sky bodies because the stamp shows this...and I wasn't about to color them in! At the end of the day....I REALLY ENJOYED making this card...AND THE MULTIPLES I made of it!

I can't wait to mail these out to my friends....this is my first go around with this set...and I knew from the getgo...I was going to luv it! It puts a smile on my face...and hope too, that the recipients can sense that when they receive theirs (sometime next week!) Sorry ladies for the little blurb here and there...all is good...I found my style again while making this card (it was gone for awhile)...so, I thought I better run with it while I could!

Now, I can start my next project...the one I've been wanting to start for a long long time!

FYI: Those little "suns" in the picture are chocolate suns...well, technically not chocolate...I guess orange and lemon flavored fake chocolate....real chocolate has to have cocoa in it...even white chocolate isn't real chocolate. Anyhow...these were an overrun of an order that we shipped out a month ago...I thought I'd add them to my picture for FUN!

Trudi