We interrupt this blog for a burst of creativity

Last weekend, our niece had her first communion and any occasion where there’s cake, there’s me. But we couldn’t go empty handed and therein lay our problem. Or is it lie? Or laid? Lied?

Anyway, there was the small matter of a gift and I mulled over an array of possibilities while eating an entire bag of Reeses Pieces, discarding one idea after another. I mean, how many bibles and angel necklaces does one little girl need? And could Reeses Pieces be any more addicting?

I briefly considered sending Nate out to pick something up, but only because I was under the influence of toxic fumes emanating from my freshly scrubbed bathroom. Luckily I gulped in some fresh air and got my wits back about me. Because sending Nate out into retail land alone, armed with a credit card and no specific plan is like sending Eliot Spitzer to The Bunny Ranch with unlimited cash and one hour: a whole lot is going to happen in a short amount of time and none of it is going to be pretty.

I glanced at a small, bare wooden cross sitting in a box in my office. I had bought it months ago, thinking I could make it look really cool if I put my mind to it, but my mind had other ideas and I just never got around to it. Kind of like vacuuming or dusting. Seems like a great idea at the time but then you get over it.

As I examined the cross, I was struck with a burst of creativity and in my glee, I could have sworn that cross whispered to me: YOU GO, GIRL.

I told my kids I was going to my absolute favorite stamp and paper store of all time, I’d be back in an hour and not to kill each other while I was gone. And in Andrea World, that translates to: I’m going to my absolute favorite stamp and paper store of all time, I’ll be there for at least six hours or until my eyes glaze over and I pass out from sheer ecstasy, whichever comes first. Don’t wait up.

I picked up some gorgeous Japanese paper, some miscellaneous embellishments, some beautiful brown Basic Grey rub-ons and some funky, cool yarn.

The next day, I mixed all the ingredients together, prayed to the mojo gods not to desert me in my time of need and this is what happened:

And if I hadn’t been distracted by a cookie, I’d have taken a “before” photo. Bad cookie.

I know it’s not ALL THAT and Martha Stewart won’t be knocking on my door anytime soon, but I have to admit, I loved how it turned out and so did our niece and her mom. And what’s more, my girls did NOT kill each other while I was gone, I only burned myself twice with my glue gun, and Nate did not wreak havoc in retail land.

Can I get a hallelujah?