The Friday 5.

It's Friday, girls - and we're all busy,
so let's cut the chit-chat and get straight to it.

Julia Stainton's blog.



Truth be told, I should have had Julia's blog on here week 1. I don't know Julia, don't know which forums she hangs out on, never exchanged an e-mail or posted a message on her blog, but she might be my number one source of inspiration and style since I started making cards just about a year ago now. She's totally vintage, collagey, shabby, whatever the term is - she's it and more. She mixes and matches papers and ribbons and chipboards - she is the antithesis of matchy-matchy and I like her style a lot.

These arrows from Zva Creative.

Now I don't want to bash Zva - I mean they're here on the Friday 5 so there must be something good about them. However, their bling lines are kinda flimsy and I find them hard to work with. BUT!! These arrows are really cool. I love the way they look - and they are nice and firm and adhere perfectly.

This card by Amber Hight.



The pretty Papertrey Green Tea Leaves paper, my favorite color - Ripe Avocado, perfectly-placed pearls around the edge of the circle and in the centers of the pointsettias, Luxe Satin ribbon and a sweet little dove; stunning.


This incredible mailbox by Jamie.

She actually said this was a piggybank. This is way too pretty to be a piggybank. I don't know where people find the patience or just the thought process to turn out something as incredible as this. Those colors are luscious and she's got all different textures goin' on too - breathtaking.

Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake.

Do you have a Cheesecake Factory where you are? No? Oh, the next state over? Go there - it's worth the drive *giggles* I love me some red velvet cake - I do have southern roots, don'tcha know? And I don't like white chocolate. But this is no ordinary white chocolate. It's creamy and sweet and buttery. And paired with that rich red velvet cake: winner. Should I be eating this? No. But the goal right now is to maintain. I really do think trying to lose weight - at least for me - is self-defeating at holiday time. So if I can maintain where I am (super fat though it may be), I'll be happy. And hey look - they're donating 25-cents from each slice sold to Feeding America; there just went all the guilt in my guilty pleasure.

OK girls - no Friday 5 next week because it's Christmas and I was up late last night working on this because I'm super busy right now - who isn't?

Happy Friday!