Carrie Stephens

wisdom Teeth...

I won't be able to get to any emails for the next few days...  I am getting my Wisdom Teeth yanked out of my mouth tomorrow.   I am recovering from the flu bug too, that nasty 24 hour flu... so,  I will have some catching up to do once I am feeling better.   I have to admit, it will be kind of a relief to have them out and not have any more pain from them being infected. But, I am also nervous at the same time.

Goal setting - self improvement and celebrating who you are

Every day I think about self-improvement and "positive thinking."   Well, with the exception of this week.  I have a head cold that is making my eyeballs feel like they want to pop! LOL  I usually don't take many over the counter drugs...  But, the pressure has been so intense and even rinsing with saline (don't click this link if you are grossed out easily!) isn't cutting it.  It helps for 15 minutes but,  that's not good enough. LOL     

I have read several books on the topic and visit many blogs and web sites on the same topic.  I don't think it will ever sink into my head and stay there.  I know exactly what I need to do but, its trying to find that inner drive to actually do it that is the hard part.  It looks like I will be trying to follow Melissa's advice here on her blog.   If you haven't been to "Melissa Thinks out loud"  before, you simply must go.  I have known Melissa for a couple years now and I follow her blog whenever it is updated through my Bloglines account.   Melissa has found her true calling.  Her advice on how to regain your momentum makes perfect sense to me.  I know what it is that I must do and today, I start trying once again.. That is if i can even get my head clear enough to think about anything! LOL

My Photo Christmas Card...

My To Do List - (From last week)

1. Create and print Christmas Cards  (First i need to talk my kids into letting me take their picture) - Then send them out.    

Okay, this is DONE.  Now I just have to slap some addresses on some envelopes and send them in the mail.    I was so inspired by a photo at twopeas by cbaase .. I finally talked (okay, bribed..LOL)  my kids into letting me take their picture with duct tape on their mouths.  (nope, it didn't hurt them, i didn't press it down, it was just sitting lightly on their faces.)

Here is my Christmas card of 2008

Front                                                                                                        

Back

2. Finish up my new matchbox advent calendar

I WILL take photos of this today. LOL  

3. Spray Paint Vase

Okay, tip... Just incase you ever want to Spray paint in the winter.   Spray paint does NOT work in the cold! LOL   Who knew?   I didn't!  I called my friend and started grumbling about my faulty can of spray paint that i just got all over my hands and she laughed.  Apparently spray paint doesn't work when it is too cold, it just doesn't spray.  Instead it was just pooling and running down the can.   I made a mess, a really big mess.  I will have to paint it with a brush instead. 

4. Paint inside of back door (hopefully it is not too cold to do this?)

Going to wait til spring to do this.

5. Make a few more Christmas crafts, I haven't decided on what yet, any ideas for me?

My DH just went away for 5 days on a work trip.  I have decided that I need to just give up on doing any more Christmas crafts this year.  I don't think I will have time.  I should have started earlier on this.  Live and learn :)

6. Sort and Wrap Presents (We are all done with the kids! YAY!)  This year i am wrapping early!

I got a TON of wrapping done and tonight, I am going to go finish the rest of my shopping.  I have a couple things to get but,  I plan on having most of my stuff wrapped and ready to go by the middle of the month.  :)

7.Finish gathering anything else and figure out what in the world i am going to get my mom!   My mom loves reading,  I have decided that i will get her a gift certificate for the book store.  I think that will be perfect, This way she can just pick out what she would like to read :)  its also really easy for me! Mothers are so difficult to buy for! LOL

Time to get a move on now that I finished my breakfast.  I only have 5 and a half hours til the kiddos come home from school and it is AMAZING how quickly those hours can FLY by! :)

Tahiti Treat! Now only $1.00!

Yes, It is a little out of "season"  My mind was not on the season when I set out to make it  but, it is still beautiful none the less :)

FishScraps.com   I hope you enjoy it!! :) 

*Note - This kit was a former Free sample

Epson Artisan 800 Review

I have been spending time this week playing with my new toy,  The  Epson - Artisan 800 All-in-One Printer.  The newest printer in the Epson lineup! 

This sleek little number has got me excited about the possibilities of digital/hybrid crafting once again.    I really enjoyed my last printer, the Epson RX680  But, I must say that so far, the Artisan 800 blows its socks off with its functionality and style!

There are 2 different models of the Artisan, The 700 and the 800.   Although their is not a tremendous difference between the 2 models,  The difference in scanners made the decision easy for me.  The Artisan 800 has superior scanning capabilities, the 700 model scans at 2400dpi but, the 800 model scans at 4800 dpi.  A great scanner  is necessary for me,  It is a tool that I really use a lot in my graphic design and digital scrapbooking work.    

And talk about that style, definitely not as important as the way the printer works but, it is definitely a bonus! LOL   My kids  instantly noticed the new printer on my desk when they got home from school.  The Artisan is HOT!  With the sleek, low lines and LARGE lcd display, it is a beauty!   I love that it looks less like a bit clunky printer and more like a piece of stereo equipment!  I could totally put this baby in my entertainment unit and use the Wi-Fi  if i wanted to!  LOL

And speaking of Wi-Fi...  I wish everything came with it!   My husband loves that he can  print with ease from his laptop.   It also doesn't bother me when I am working and he is printing as this printer is uber quiet!  Oh and The scanner is also MUCH more quiet than the Epson RX680 that I previously used - another bonus!

Today I decided that I wanted to try out the scanning capabilities further.  I got out some of the albums that I borrowed from my mom.  I picked 2 old photos - scanned them and then printed.  All I can say is WOW, it looks like I have a new project on my hands. 

Those memories are so important and they are getting all faded and because they are in those old sticky albums (I am sure you know the ones I am talking about..ugh)   I have some big plans if I can get my head wrapped around exactly what i would like to do with them.  I would love to make them into a hard cover book.  But, for right now,  I am sure my mom is going to love these pictures that I gave a makeover! 

I took a picture of the old photos and the new prints that came out of the Artisan - side by side.  Again, I am really impressed with the color restore feature on the scanner and the print quality. 

One final word - If you would like your print quality to be superior on the Epson printer, you MUST use Genuine Epson paper.  Trust me, I tried others in my old RX680 and, you could see the difference, it was drastic!

I will be posting tomorrow about my christmas advent - matchbook boxes tomorrow So, stay tuned.