Card Club: Second Challenge!

Sorry about the crappy quality of these photos-It's cloudy and rainy out, so I had to resort to my desk lamp as lighting-so yellow




The Card Club Challenge for this week was to create a birthday card using primary colors. This was much more difficult than I thought, but I tried to create a lot of dimension with my card. The Happy Birthday is backed with paperboard, making it thicker, and the blue accent strip is very textured like corrugated cardboard. Finally the red backing has glossy polka dots on it-which I felt added to the party theme.

I was down to the wire on this one! Check out the other submittals by SkyleRae (also the creator of this particular challenge) and Dee Dee!

Enjoy!
Rachel May

April Goals: No Candy

So much to update you on, however I just wanted to drop in and be accountable to the blog. So far, I have had no candy this month. It hasn't been as difficult as I thought (although it's only day eleven). The best part about this goal has been that it has pushed me to really look at my eating habits. Here's what I've discovered:
1. I can totally live without candy (although I do crave chocolate sometimes), but without candy, I crave sugar. The addiction is obviously a sugar addiction and not a candy addiction-interesting. Something that really should be monitered.
2. I eat when I'm bored. Sitting at my computer, watching something on Hulu and playing spider solitaire or reading blogs (simultaneously), I need something to do with my left hand-which used to be in a bag of gummy worms. I've got to quit eating when I'm not hungry. That's a big problem.
3. There's still hope! I feel confident in trying something that I was really unsure about accomplishing. I've made it through Easter without consuming any chocolate eggs or bunnies, made it through two weeks of work while ignoring the candy bowl on my desk, and made it home every day afterwards without stopping at the gas station to get a bag of candy (in that sense, it's a money saver too!).

How are your goals coming along? Do you have any in particular that are a struggle, or a pleasant surprise?

Rachel May

Polyvore Rocks My Socks

You should check out Polyvore. It's a lot of fun and faster than Photoshop. If I was as stylish as I am in my head, I would totally try to pull this look off:

Rockstar Look by rachelmaydesigns featuring Helmut Lang jackets

Items in this set:
Yellow double frill sleeve t-shirt, 12 GBP
Crackled leather jacket, $995
Planet Tuxedo Halterneck Waistcoat, Black, 8, 39 GBP
Dolce Vita Flash Bootie - Grey, $190
Women's Clearance - Jeans - American Eagle Outfitters, $30

My favorite colors are yellow and grey, and I only wish I was this hardcore and owned ankle boots. Now I want to go shopping. I wonder how the office would feel about my new look...

Rachel May

I must have been French in a past life

If there's one thing I love, it's homemade baked goods. I made my own french bread the other day and it was amazing! It takes forever to make, but I strongly suggest you buy this book: Artisan Bread Everyday (that's where I got the recipe) and use it.

Here's the very basic rundown (I don't have permission to give you the recipe, you can buy the book for that):

You make the dough and stick it in the refrigerator:


You take it out, preheat the oven, and shape the dough,


and you bake it.


(this all takes days, btw-you refrigerate overnight, set out for two hours, cook for an hour, etc. etc. and it's gone in 15 minutes)

One of these days, I will be one of those people that only eats homemade bread. Until then, every once in a great while, I will make some to counterbalance the store-bought stuff.

Enjoy!

Rachel May