kookoo for "coco"

i just wanted to share my love for anything "coco".

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this all started with one of my regular visits to danny robert's blog (igor + andre), and was looking through the blogger portrait series...  i saw an image of coco rocha (see below), which brought me to her blog... and as i was reading, i became smitten!  so, this is how the coco-commotion started in my head - in a good way, of course!

so here's my list of "coco" loves:

"coco"
from igor + andre's etsy shop
the same image featured in the "blogger portrait series".

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coco rocha (isn't she gorgeous?) and her amazing blog.

check out this video she made for her fiance with her friend and roomie.

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coco chanel - an innovator, a designer, a fashion icon.

"a girl should be two things, classy and fabulous!" - coco chanel

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"coco before chanel", a  movie, starring audrey tautou.  

i love her in "amelie" too!

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coco love alcorn - i love her songs!

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coco, album by colbie caillat.  

her songs make me want to go hang out at the beach on a perfectly warm sunny day.

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coco - aka. conan o'brian...  the funniest coco i know!

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coco cake cupcakes
lyndsay sung's brown velour cupcakes, a must have!

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coco(a) puffs (my hubby got me into these) - okay, it's not really a "coco" but it sounds like it!

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...well, anything coco(a):  90% dark chocolate bars, or thomas haas chocolates and cakes!

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coco(nut) juice - reminds me of my childhood, the fresh ones are the best!

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...  because the smell reminds me of my tita (aunt) linda.  i love her sooo much!
... this ad is also a favorite of mine, i heart vanessa paradis!

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coco - fashion illustrator

do you go kookoo for coco too?

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happy thursday!
xo, carla

beautiful inside and out

i just attended my first card class last saturday!  i loved how everything is cut out, so it makes putting the card elements together, a breeze (i wish it was like that, everytime i make a card - lol)!  the class was called "beautiful on the inside out" by alexis easton, held at the precious memories scrapbooking store in langley.  this class caught my attention, because it focuses on decorating the inside of the card as well...  it was a great way to meet fellow scrapbook / card-making enthusiasts, learn new ideas / techniques, and feel more inspired!

i'm a huge fan of decorating the inside of cards...  here's one of the cards i made last year:

the main collage photo (on the left) shows the inside of the card - i made a pocket for a gift card on the top of the inside flap.

the three inset photos on the right are:   

• the front of the card with the envelope;  
• the back of the card with the "bcd" logo (i drew the branch and musical notes in ink);  
• the front of the card showing the raised birds (with the help of foam double sided tape).

i used turquoise card stock, a dcwv embossed blank card and envelope, basic grey patterned paper, american crafts stickers, and uniball signo pen in black.

and, here's what i did in class:

here's the box we made using the scor-pal.

 ... and the cards are made with my mind's eye patterned paper.

card #1:

card # 2:

card # 3:

card # 4:

and my favorite, card # 5:

for the class schedule at precious memories, click here.

hope you enjoyed it!  happy wednesday!
xo, carla

happiness is the key to life!

just a thought...

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happy tuesday!
xo, carla

pattern giveaway

i was searching for cross-stitching patterns on etsy, and i found this amazing shop by andwabisabi!  i love all of her cute patterns!  here are a couple of my favorites:

her blog shows all of her work too, and i was so happy to hear that voleur de bijoux is having a giveaway of 7 of andwabisabi`s cross-stitching patterns!  check out the give away here.  voleur de bijoux makes amazing jewelry too, check out her shop here.

good luck and happy sunday everyone!
xo, carla

my bubby hubby

i just wanted to dedicate this post to my amazing husband!  it's his birthday today!

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i'm looking forward to spending a day together.  he is so wonderful, caring, and thoughtful - he's my bestest friend!  we've known each other since the early 1990's (in high school) - he used to rock a flat top, yes, just like "kid" on kid 'n play - ha ha ha!

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we started dating after high school, got married in 2004, and we're still going strong!  relationships are not without it's lows, but i cannot think of anyone else to be experiencing those tough times with...  he's been my rock, my cheerleader, my personal comedian, and i love him sooo much that words just aren't enough...  so today, i celebrate this wonderful man, husband, brother, friend, and father.

happy birthday to you, bryan, the love of my life...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo, carla

happy earth day

happy earth day everyone!  today we celebrate the 40th anniversary of earth day... it is a day for raising awareness and focusing on issues that affect the earth, our home.  it is also a day to remind us to do something to help everyday of the year - every little bit counts!

if you'd like to read and learn more about the issues that concern our home, click here.

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i also found this link, so helpful:   50 ways to help the planet .

why?  because i want my son's kids to enjoy the earth just as i remember it, or even better than i remember it...

happy thursday everyone!
xo, carla

bento box love *__*

i joined my first swap last march.  it's called, "plush lunch" on swap bot, hosted by the paperista.  my partner is from "hot"lanta, georgia...  so, i wanted to send her something that is very popular in the northwest...  sushi!  my swap partner is an amazing seamstress / eco-warrior! she also has this great etsy shop that features all of her eco-friendly products / creations.  that being said, i had to make sure that i used materials that are earth friendly too.  i found some felt at a local fabric store and guess what?  they are made from post-consumer recycled bottles, by a company called, ecospun! 

i'm a newbie in creating felt foods, so i entrusted etsy to find me a sushi pattern for my swap.  i ended up purchasing a pattern from umecrafts!  you should check out the shop, it has sooo many amazing felt food patterns to choose from, like these dessert items:

here is my interpretation of umecrafts' sushi pattern:

wasabi

ginger

 ebi /shrimp

geoduck (clam)/mirogai

ika /squid

cucumber/kappa maki, tuna/maguro maki, and house rolls/futo maki (both futo maki, on the far right, are designed by me)

scallop/hotate

tuna/maguro nigiri, and salmon/sake nigiri

tako/octopus

tamago/egg nigiri

bento tray and soy sauce trays (the flower applique on both is added by me, and used umecrafts' soy sauce tray pattern to help create a bento tray)

the finished felt sushi bento box:

since we're in the topic of lunch, check out these cute bento boxes (courtesy of www.weheartit.com):

i hope you liked the felt sushi and bento boxes!   i'm contemplating on some cross-stitching in the near future (feeling inspired, because i just acquired some of my mom's cross-stitching projects.  thanks dad!!!)... will share those with you soon!

happy wednesday!
xo, carla