subway art (MARCH)

Sometimes it is OK to use font's that are not on my APPROVED list. I think this is a good example. Very few of these font's would be graphic designer's approved list. But I do think that it turned out well. Successful lunch break time used wisely, don't ya think?

I made this subway art for my home.

What do you think? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear.

Download this FREE subway art for your Saint Patrick's Day decor HERE!

(Fits 8x10 frame.)

© Christina Marcano. For personal use only.

Oh, and I still have things to post for valentines day.  As well as president's day. I was actually planning on saving this post for the first of March, but I accidentally published it. So, enjoy!

H20! (and Downloadable Label)

Do you know how much water you should drink in ONE day? Do this little quizy and find out... here.

I made this little label for me to remember how much water I need to drink, and how I am doing. I hope to drink 4 bottles of water while I am at work, and then one at home (total of 100 oz). This is possible, but I do have to remember to just do it. This week has been the trial week, and so far I am doing pretty good. Only draw back is that it makes me have to go to the restroom a zillion times. LOL.

{Sorry for these poor pictures... I took them with the cell phone.}

I mark off how much water I drink, to help me keep track. I mark with a pencil, so that I can just erase and start over the next day. I am sure after a while I will need to print a new label... but this has been working good for a while. :) Good idea, don't you think?

{download your own water tracking label, 

by clicking on image above, and zoom in.}

Just a little way to BE HEALTHY this year.

the year of the RABBIT

02.03.2011 was the first day of the Chinese New Year celebration. We had a festive party on the 4th to celebrate. (It's more fun to party on Friday night, than Thursday... since Friday morning you have to get up and go to work.)

I have a lot of Asian decor, since I served my mission in Japan. People will give me stuff that looks Asian, and or that is from Japan.  Aren't these little rabbits perfect, my Friend (from Japan) gave them to my Mom as a thank-you. I had to barrow them.

I made these little favors... "Lai See"  are small red and gold envelopes containing money and are given at Chinese New Year. The envelopes must be red as these signify prosperity and good luck. I put a chocolate coin inside. (yum!)

I also made these paper lanterns, (the red and gold ones, the white ones are store bought) from this tutorial; here. 

I also printed out a little info on everyones Chinese Zodiac sign so we could see what our own sign was all about. My sign is the MONKEY. Cruz's is the PIG.  {Click to see them bigger.}

We had some Chinese-ish food. Grilled Shrimp, Fortune Cookies, Mandarin Oranges, Swedish Fish (It's common to serve the entire fish, including the head for CNY, hence we went with candy ones). 

We also went with some RABBIT food, since it was the year of the rabbit. Some nice veggies, to round off the snacks.

Origami. We folded paper rabbits. Did you know... It began in China in the first or second century and then spread to Japan sometime during the sixth century. I didn't.

Of course we had to have some Chinese finger traps. People were pretty festive and wore red, black, and gold clothing. 

And no new years celebration is complete with out fireworks. We had Sparklers. These photos are us trying to be cool and write the word RABBIT, and take a picture. However, my lack of knowing how to use my camera did not allow for cool pictures. (Thank you Darlene Peterson for answering my plea on facebook and providing the sparklers! Your awesome.)

 We had a great time with reading about our Chinese Zodiac, and also watching Kung-fu Panda. It was a great excuse to get together, and have a party. Thanks again everyone for being good sports.

For some reason the guys got into jumping, and throwing paper airplanes all while they were being photographed. Not sure why... but they did have a good time. Maybe they were trying to be really awesome at hopping like a rabbit.... or maybe they are just boys being boys?

I think this is part of fulfilling my 2011 goal of PARTY MORE.

happy LOVE day!

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am well loved, by family, friends and an incredible husband.

I wish you the very same!

I really do have the best VALENTINE that I could ask for. 

LOVE YOU CRUZ.

Why

      do I

         love you?

These are a 

             hundred 

                     answers

and yet

ONLY ONE:

because 

            I do.

valentine's day decor

I don't really have any decor for holidays except a few random things for halloween, and of course Christmas. So, I tried to go find something cute for Valentine's day. I didn't really have much luck. I was on a budget. I was hoping for something great for $20. Nothing. (Wasn't really wanting to do anything super crafty.) So, I decided that I would just use what I had. I did get 2 things last year for Valentines day a vase, and the placemat.
Here is what I found...

•  2 glass cylinder vases, have had these for years!
•  1 glass cylinder vase that says LOVE on it, in different fonts. Pick up last year from all-a-dollar in orem. (Saw that they had them again this year.)
• 3 red floating candles
• Red bead things... left over from a school project
• White beads... got for a Christmas decor thing
• Pink placemat... a target find last year for something like $1.59
• Black frame with our picture in it (had this)
• Japanese bowl with red and silver kisses
• "LOVE" hanging plastic letters...made with old scrap-booking stuff that is in my closet

I had originally planned it being for the kitchen table, but instead it ended up looking better on the counter. I like it. It didn't cost a cent... who knew we actually had some valentine's day decor just hanging around. 

I am excited for VALENTINE'S DAY, it is a holiday that I love since being married. (: It is fun to have a day to celebrate our relationship. I actually already got Cruz some little things for his gift, I just need something great to top it off with. Good thing I have a just a little less than a week, I'll for sure find something.

Turning the big 3-0!!

Do you remember last years birthday... when I turned 29? See here.

I was wondering how my fantastic husband would make this birthday just as great...

well... he managed to do just that!

Cruz said that he was thinking "COME ON" when I counted wrong. LOL.

On Friday (01.28.2011) we had some friends over for a little gathering of birthday-ness. It was a lot of fun. We did a chocolate fountain, and everyone brought a treat to dip in the chocolate goodness. Thanks to Ashley who saved the chocolate, and made it all work. :) Good times with good laughs. It was a great birthday.

On Saturday we met up with my family at Malawi's Pizza, and it was oh, so good. Seriously I liked it a lot. Their slogan is "Pizza with a purpose" and donates the cost of a meal for an orphan in the southeast African nation of Malawi every time it rings up your order. We even ordered a few of the dessert pizzas, and they were also yummy. I think I will visit again soon. 

I did have a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY indeed. I consider a birthday a holiday, it's your own personal holiday. (If only we could have PTO for it.) But this year I did turn 30. 

Questions that people asked...

• Q: Did you do everything that you wanted to do in your 20's? 
• A: Yes, I guess so. (Is there some stuff that you CAN do in your 20's that you CAN'T do in your 30's that I would want to do? Is what I was wondering.)
• Q: Do you feel like you are now OLD?
• A: Not really, I think you feel as OLD as you want to feel. When I am sick, I feel 90ish. On a normal day I feel young. Not like 7 or something but I feel pretty good. It's not like I plan on dying in my 30s.

But, on my very BIRTHDAY I did make this LIST...

30 things to do while I am 30:

1. Go to a foreign country 08.2011 England, France, Italy, Switzerland....
2. Read an entire book in ONE week
3. Have a garden of some kind  Summer 2011, potted plant... it is a start.
4. Go on a road trip 07.24.2011 Weekend Vegas, and on to California.
5. Give something away on my blog
6. Run a 5k (already signed up for one) 03.2011, my husband made this my best run ever. (not in time, but in LOVE.)
7. Go camping  07.24.2011 Went to payson lakes.
8. Ride a roller-coaster 07.2011 Roosevelt fair grounds
9. Donate to a charity 07.2011 Took 2 big bags of clothing to drop off center.
10. Watch the sunrise 08.2011 in Monaco France... AWESOME
11. Try a NEW food 08.2011 in France we ate frog legs and snails
12. Swim in the ocean 07.24.2011 Long Beach Cali. (08.2011, plus in Monaco France.)
13. Decorate my home office 
14. Do something out of my comfort zone 
15. Give blood or plasma 02.12.2011, plasma
16. Surprise my Husband 06.2011, b-day camping trip
17. Double my Spanish skills
18. Ride my bike to work 04.2011 Not exactly to my full time job, but to my photoshop class I taught. I would have rode my bike to Covenant, but geneva road is taken over by construction.
19. Write a letter and send it via snail mail 
20. Make a photo album (not just a digital version) 
21. Buy a fancy dress 
22. Make art and sell it (or a craft) 07.2011 Friend asked me to make a family rules subway art for her. It was fun, and she was great to work with. 
23. Learn a new photography skill 
24. Give someone a gift just because 10.2011 fun! I'll keep it private. 
25. Celebrate a random holiday 02.02.2011 chinese NY
26. Have a BBQ in our backyard 
27. Make something I've never made before 10.07.2011, made Thai curry for the 1st time. 
28. Send out Christmas cards (we made them last year, and never printed or sent them) 12.2011, done and in the mail. :) Merry Christmas.
29. Have someone over from our ward for dinner Mckenzie and Greg
30. Get a message 10.01.2011 fantastic.

I am not stressing over this list. It is just for fun. It has somethings that will be a challenge like #3, #6, and #14... but mostly these are good things, fun things... so let's see how many I do, I think I can do most of them sooner rather than later, I guess we will see. :) Cheers to being 30. So far so good.

Friends and Taco Salad

These are the girls that I grew up with, and happy to say that we are still friends. We are all kinda doing our own thing... but still try to get together at least once or twice a year. We made a yummy taco salad. Which works great to have everyone bring a little something. Hope that we can do it again soon.
HUGS!