New York City View from the Top

We arrived in New York about 3 pm on Sunday. The bus ride was not bad. It was a little over 3 hours - comfy and we had internet connection. What more could you ask for! After we got checked into our hotel room (The Wellington - a block from Carnegie Hall), we walked over to the Empire State Building. The lobby is beautiful in itself. The interior is in a 1930's Art Deco style and there is a metal relief sculpture of the Empire State Building (see picture below). After buying our tickets (it's good to have a military person with you for those discounts!), we rode the elevator up to 86th floor. It was quite cold and windy out on the Observation Deck so we made a quick walk around, snapping pictures and trying to see the view through the crowd that was there. But, it was quite breath-taking and fun to figure out some of the other buildings in the view.

(remember - click on pictures to see the full view - then click back button to return to site)

Did you know? The Empire State Building took only one year and 45 days to build, or 7 million man hours. This is still a record for a skyscraper of such a height. The building is 1,453 feet, 8 9/16 inches or 443.2 meters to the top of the lightning rod.

This picture was taken in the lobby.

Next on our agenda was an visiting an Irish bar that we had passed along the way. I tell you, there is an Irish pub on every corner in New York!! We lucked out and found a "locals" hang out. Whenever we travel, we try to find placed where locals tend to go instead of just going to the tourist-y places. This one was a good one. Ashley struck up a conversation with a gentleman next to her who turned out to be an Acupuncture Doctor so they had quite a lively conversation about pediatrics, infectious diseases and the like. Plus, he gave us a list of a few bars and restaurants to try (although we never got to them).

After having a couple of drinks, we were both hungry for some dinner. I had read about a restaurant that was nearby that served French/Mediterranean cuisine. Since this is not a place I would get Sonny to go to, Ashley and I decided to try it out! I had Parisian Grilled Hanger Steak and it was excellent! The presentation of the food was just great. I don't remember what Ashley got but this is what is looked like! Isn't it cool??? Too pretty to eat!

Quilt Cards

Friday was my day to play Mah Jong ... at my house. So, Thursday was spent cleaning - a job I don't relish doing!! But, since it is spring, figured it was time!!

Marianne came over last night "to play." She had dinner with us and then she and I got creative! I had seen these quilt cards on Splitcoast and never made one before. I thought they were the perfect card for us since she is a quilter. Also, she is driving to Florida this weekend to spend spring break with her girlfriend, Sharon, who also is a quilter. I forgot to take a picture of her card before she left, but here are my two. One is a birthday card for a friend and the other is an anniversary card for my dear hubby. We will be celebrating 36 years on Tuesday!

These card are really easy to make. Using the 1 3/8" or 1 1/4" punch (we used 1 3/8") punch 12 squares. Glue them down to a piece of cardstock that is cut about 5 1/4" x 4 1/4" (using glue stick works best - then you can slide them around to get them tight to each other). Then you run them through the Sizzix or Cuttlebug with the Top Note Die. I then cut around the perforated edge and used a coordinating piece to layer them.

This one uses Manchester DSP, Always Artichoke and Kraft paper. I was trying to make it look masculine.

This card uses Not Quite Navy with a pack of patterned paper that was a hostess gift in the last catalog. The sentiment and the one used in the card above are from Hugs and Kisses.

Here is another card I made before Marianne got here. I just got this Butterfly Die and wanted to try it out. I used my Nestibilites to make the circles and the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder on the So Saffron card. The Designer Paper and ribbon is from the Saleabration catalog with a piece of vellum for the small butterfly. The pearl is from the Pretties kit.

Get Connected with Stampin' Up!

During the month of April you can participate in Stampin' Up's special Get Connected promotion and earn free product for purchasing at least $40 worth of products from the Occasions Mini or hosting a $150 workshop.

Connect with those around you by creating homemade and heartfelt items to share with those you love.

Read about the promotion HERE.

Blog Candy

Blog candy HERE

Occasions Mini Catalog Available NOW

You can now order from the Occasions Mini Catalog!! Woo Hoo!! There are so many great things in this mini catalog, you won't be able to help yourself. I know I couldn't....LOL. Check it out HERE.

You can also now order the new pop-up dies from the mini. These dies are way too cool!! There is a Pop Up Three Tier Cake (item 116760 for $39.95). It folds flat for mailing but when it is opened, look out, a 3-D cake pops up!!

American Idol Results

We're going to see if Simon is right. He thinks the ones who will be in trouble tonight are Anoop, Megan and Matt. Hope it's not Matt!

Their Ford video shoot was really cool! Next we get a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes life of the Idol contestants. These guys are living the life.

Here we go - 3 groups of 3 each. My guess is they will pick one out of each of these groups.

• Matt, Megan & Kris
• Lil, Danny & Allison
• Anoop, Scott & Adam

Bottom 3 - Megan, Allison (???) & Anoop

What's up with Allison being in the bottom 3? I think there's no doubt the judges would save her. Megan is about getting on my last nerve! She keeps waving to the crowd and acting silly, like this isn't a big deal. She reminds me of a little wind up kewpie doll - wind her up and she'll perform for you. I really think she wants to go home and be with her baby. Wonder what she will do when they go on tour.

David Cook performed. His debut album has gone platinum in just 3 months. He was great!

Lady GaGa performed too .... not quite in the same league as David! I guess I'm showing my age but I didn't get her performance. What would Simon say to her if she was one of the contestants???? I can only imagine.

Megan is the lowest vote getter. Finally!! So THANKFULLY Megan is on the chopping block, and Simon doesn’t even bother to lead her on. He informs her that she won’t be saved, but she puts us through the torture of her final song just the same.

Diva Challenge

I've been on a roll the past couple of days!  I missed a whole week of card making, so I'm making up for lost time now.  Monday and Tuesday I made 8 cards!!  I decided to make a few to submit to a magazine.  I've had 2 cards published before, but it's been a while.  So, I decided to get cracking and see if I can get published again. 

Today, I only got one card made.  I had other things to do today!  But, decided to do a card for the Diva Coffee Break Challenge.  Here's the sketch -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been going through some old stamps that I am going to put in the used stamp sale at Stampers Alley (May 2).  I brought a bunch of stamps back from Ashley's - mostly non-Stampin' Up stamps that I had given her when I started with Stampin' Up.  Now, she, like me, mostly uses Stampin' Up.  Of course, I had to go through the old stamps and pull out a few that I think are "keepers" and this is one of them.  The stamp is by Inky Antics and I think it is so cute.  I used my Copics to color her - note, I tried to make her  shoes a little scuffed and worn at the toes. 

 

American Idol Top 9 Perform

Tonight the top 9 are singing tunes from I-Tunes Top 100 Downloads. Guess the field is wide open for them tonight. Let's see how they do -

Anoop - Usher song - I hated the song! Randy like the vocals but didn't think it was the right song. Kara thought he played it safe and said she thinks some frat boys dared him to do Usher. Paula thinks he needs to work on stage presence. Simon nailed it when he said "it was a mess!"

Megan Joy - Bob Marley??? Maybe her voice is reggae?? It sure is strange. I think the judges are going to tear her up. And .... I'm right - Kara 's says she's in trouble!! Wrong song choice. Even Paula didn't like it or Simon or Randy. Think she's sang her last on Idol.

Danny - Rascal Flatts - What Hurts the Most - Finally - a good one! He was great. Paula's on her feet - a good sign. Simon says it's his BEST performance. All the judges agree!! Randy wants him to take the mike off the stand and rock it. Kara had goose bumps.

Allison - No Doubt - Don't Speak - Her hair and her outfit are something out of a science fiction movie or as Simon says, The Adams Family. Maybe a little Janis Joplin?? She doesn't need that. Randy agrees with me and wanted to know what in the world she was wearing. The judges thought her outfit was a little distracting and unnecessary. She played the guitar tonight and did a good job with the vocals too.

Scott - Billy Joel - Just the Way You Are - Great song but I wish he'd sing something a little more lively. He always does slow songs. And his hair??? Last week they dressed him up in pink pants and this week they "poufed" his hair up! Poor guy. Kara loved it all - the new look and the performance. Simon thinks it's his best performance - by a "country mile!" Randy says - one of the best of the night too.

Matt - Fray - You Found Me - He's keeping it current. I'm not familiar with the song, but I thought he was good. Paula doesn't agree with me - she thinks it wasn't a great performance. Simon thought it sounded uptight and wasn't a good commercial song. Again, the judges think it was the wrong song for him. Kara does not believe he deserves to go home. I AGREE! He should not have been in the bottom 3 last week.

Lil Rounds - Celine Dione - I Surrender - Wrong song choice - again! The judges don't usually like the contestants to do Celine. In my opinion, she was ok - not great. The song was too old fashioned for her and the judges agree. It didn't show her personality. Ryan interviewed her kids - how cute! The little girl was hugging on Randy!!

Adam - Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music - He's looking more & more like Elvis to me! Well, Paula likes it - she's on her feet and dancing. Too much screaming for me but everyone else seems to like it. True genius is what Paula tells him. Simon thinks it was original. Randy loved it - in the star zone, hands down. Isn't that nice (or kissing up?) - he thanked Ricky Minor and the band!

Kris - Ain't No Sunshine - Kara is clapping during the performance - she must like it! I thought he was great and made the song his own. Randy thinks it's one of the best of the night. Kara's three words - That Is Artistry! Simon said he showed confidence tonight and it was his best performance.

My fav's - Danny, Matt, Kris

Bottom Three? Anoop, Megan, and maybe Lil Rounds - I think it's time for Megan to GO!

Monday Mailer

Here is the Monday Mailer I received when I returned home from my trip.  Isn't it great?  There is no stamping on this card .... makes it so easy!  She used Tea Party designer paper.  (Guess I'm going to add that to my wish list.)  She cut 3 of the flowers out of the paper and adhered them with a blue brad.  Such a spring-y card!

I'm Back!!

Well, I'm back home. Wow! Did we have fun! Everyone should have a daughter that is also a best friend. Over the next few days, I'll be sharing pictures with you of my trip.

When we arrived in DC, we took Mom and Angela downtown DC. We did a few touristy things - Smithsonian's and statues - as I described earlier in THIS post. Here is a picture of the 4 of us with the Capitol in the background. (you have to click on picture to see all 4 of us!)

Here's a picture of Mom and Angela with the Washington Monument behind them.

Here's the Hope Diamond - although this picture does not do it justice. But, you get an idea of how huge it is!

I love beautiful flowers - just not the work that goes into growing them! These are some of the gorgeous orchids that we saw in the Orchid display in the Smithsonian.