Finally 2009

Finally... we are now seeing wines from 2009 vintage. At least we had not seen any yet in Puerto Rico... and we were waiting for them...

2009 is being described as an excellent year in Spain... referring to grapes' harvest. So, I finally tasted a 2009 wine and it is one we've tried before from other years so we were able to compare.

La Planta is from Arzuaga Navarro winery. Not many people know that "La Planta" is the "cosecha" wine from the "Arzuaga" line of wines in "crianza", "reserva" and "gran reserva". Wines usually have the same name no matter the aging, but in this case they use "La Planta" name for the first wine to be bottled and then the rest are named Arzuaga.

"Cosechas" are usually not aged in oak or anything, it is bottled and good to go... but this one has some oak in the process of 6 months.

About the 2009 vintage, the winery claims it "has been the most complete with high quality grapes provided with very good sensory qualities." All I can say is that I was not dissapointed at all. This wine was exquisite.

It has intense cherry red color and great aromas of fruit... As I always say, I am no expert, but this wine is one that has never failed to me ... year by year... and this 2009 seems to be stronger and way more balanced.

I regularly do not like tempranillo by itself without pairing with food. But this is an exception. This wine is 100% tempranillo and it is very enjoyable with or without food.

If you are looking for some wine to start your weekend.. have this delicious red wine that is just out to the market... get La Planta 2009. And don't storage for long time... enjoy it.

(photo from decantalo.com)

Puerto Rico Scrapbook Event

What a great weekend it was last weekend! It was the 3rd year of the Puerto Rico Scrapbook Event... called the Iron Edition.... Get more info at www.puertoricoscrapbookevent.com.

At this event, you don't only get to see your scrapbooking friends, but you also meet new friends, and you take classes, and shop, and shop...

My scrapbooking partner in crime, Vivian, was working at the event... so I managed to be my myself and about 600 other girls from around the World. I met two new girls in the industry, Merari and Noemi. So sad I did not get her numbers but I talked with Noemi about my blog... I hope she reads this... Thanks for your company and the great time we had...

Great teachers such as the Glitz Girls, Margie Romney, Heidi Swapp, Trisha Ladouceur, Ashlee Jorgensen, Donna Downey, Nana Campana and more... were part of this event. And you won't believe it... Tim Holtz in person was one of the teachers at this event!!! Isn't it exciting? I had a great time. Great projects were worked there and beautiful materials and techniques we reviewed and learned.

Thank you Memory Box (local store that sponsors the event)...

Here are some pictures of me with all these very well known teachers...

This is Margie Romney... great personality... great spirit... great gal!

Nana Campana... I din't know about her... and she's Puerto Rican... so energetic!

And... tell me about the Glitz Girls, from Glitz Design.... So beautiful inside and outside... and so talented and sweet. They are like barbies who don't mind to get their hands inked. One of them could not be at the event because she just had a child. Congratulations...

This is Tim Holtz... I was impressed about how dedicated he is and how much he cared about everybody having the complete materials and understanding what he said. He's a pro... and very kind... I really loved his class and his personality...

Heidi Swapp is one of my favorites. I remember one of my first scrapbooking kits was hers. It was from Costco. I told her about it and she immediately remembered what was it. And she gave her class with such a great sense of what scrapbooking really is. I've always said I prefer to do scrapbooking about everyday situations, feelings, moments... and of course about birthdays and events, but it's so much more than that. I felt Heidi feels the same. That great feeling of being documenting something that might become a great memory in the future... or journaling about a feeling you don't want to forget.... Priceless...

Ashlee brought a project from DCWV... very nice... So sad we spent too much time cutting circles... :(.... But it was nice to meet her and learn more about DCWV. I love that brand. She asked about a name of one of the new collections.... I said Endless Summer and she said that was actually an old collection... But then... it's endless, you know what I'm saying? Never old!!! Bah... bad joke. I'm just hurt because I didn't win any giveaway... hahahahaha...

Donna is Donna... She's artistic, creative, happy, just herself... It feels you are her friend for years... And she has that unique personality everybody loves... and also unique talent.

Trisha had such great projects... Unfortunately I was in her first class and there were some time constraints, so I will email her to get the detailed instructions and get ready to finish the pages before I want to use the beautiful materials in some other way... hehehehe... She is a great teacher too... she explains details very well.

Well...hope you enjoyed the photos. Maybe I helped to put a face or impression to the names you sure have already heard before.

Were you at this activity? Can you tell me how you like it?

Have you been in any other similar conventions or classes around the World? Please share your experience here... I would love to hear from you...

Teaser

Oh... yes... I've been quite in silent mode these days...

I've been very busy at work and planning a lot of stuff... and went to the 5th. National Dog Day (celebrated locally by a sponsor brand), and I also was participating in a great local scrapbooking event last weekend with teachers such as Donna Downey, Tim Holtz, Heiddi Swapp, the Glitz Girls, Margie Romney, Nana Campana, and more... which I enjoyed a lot... and there was also my husband's bday... and my mom's... and this and that... and a lot of raining here...

But don't get used to my absence... I will be posting photos and will share some insights from the event I went to, ideas and projects I've been doing... and again will get you to think about how cool is to be imperfect...

In the meantime, just wanted to say hi... and remind you about how beautiful life is... the simple fact of being enjoying love, nature, and friendship everyday... is great. So enjoy it now...

Leave me a comment about something you feel is the simplest but you love and enjoy the most...

Will keep in touch.

FELICIDADES ... for what?????

Wooo hoooo!!!!! Today is Friday! My favorite day... It's a schizofrenic day.... It really is the last of the weekdays... but it thinks it is the first day of the weekend. What is it for you? hahahaha...

Anyway, I know that Fridays just give me more energy, thinking I'm about to complete a week full of work, productive tasks, projects completed, and active performance... and at the same time I will start the weekend to dedicate some time to family, relaxation, scrapbooking, and other activities...



So, that's what life is about... tasks, roles, achievements.

I made this card a few weeks ago for a little girl who graduated. I wanted the card to be girly but to give the "Congratulations" message in a sweet presentation... because she is sweet....

So I used these great patterned papers and tag from Sassafras and We R Memory Keepers to create this card.

I also used a Spanish Memories stamp for the word "Felicidades" which is "Congratulations" in Spanish.

I added some interest and dimension to the already printed dots in the patterned paper tag, by putting some Glossy Accents on them.

And finally, the touch of a ribbon to "disbalance" (it this word exists in English) the card. I usually don't like cards or layouts to be too "symmetric" (although I understand sometimes symmetry rules).

So this is the result... of course with some ink all over the edges... hehehe

I hope you like it... and tell me... please... write a comment and tell me... What reasons to congratulate someone you have had lately? Is it a graduation? Birthday? Mothers' Day last month or Fathers' Day coming up?.... Or something less traditional...? Like for example, have someone made a step he/she was thinking to do for a long time? Did anybody stood up and defended a point of view? Have you congratulated someone just because he/she has helped someone else without having interest on getting something back?

How about you? Do you congratulate yourself for your achievements? Do you realize how far you have become achieving your goals and that you deserve to be congratulated by yourself?

Come on! There are so many things we do everyday that should have merit and deserve to be congratulated for.... Think about it... and don't be shy... share it here... Be imperfect come on. I'll be waiting...

(patterned paper: Sassafras, We R Memory Keepers; stamp: Spanish Memories; ink: Color Box; adhesives: Scotch; miscellaneous and others: Glossy Accents, ribbon, ribbon brad)

A good thing... a good Dog!

I cannot get tired of thanking God for letting me have the great experience I'm living with our dog, Malbec. I don't know if I have told you about the fear I had to dogs. For years, my husband waited for me to be ready to allow a dog in our lives. I once said to myself I needed to change and understand why I couldn't be "normal" and love dogs.

The thing is my husband was willing to wait and even to resign, but if I decided to give in, the dog was to be a Rottweiler... oh yeah!... a little Rottie.

Well, long story short... I've been in TV shows about how you can lose the fear to dogs, our story has been published in pets' magazines, our dog has won competitions of obedience, and I am the happiest Dog Mom in the world.

More than just a dog, Malbec is family. He's kind, delicate and loving...

He is the best dog...

And a good thing is that he's so good to everybody. People who (contrary to old me) are not afraid of dogs, always ask about him, and want to be near him... they notice he is such a good dog. Some call him the "buenazo" just by looking at him (that means something like "the good one").

Since he was a puppy, we've made him socialized with people, and especially children. He knows how to treat kids...

I love Malbec very much and I cannot get tired of saying how lucky I am!!!

Do you have a dog? Do you have more than one? Do you think dogs are family? Tell me about your story with dogs...

(No Pets Allowed Layout: cardstock: Bazzill; pattterned paper: DCWV; chipboard accents: We R Memory Keepers and unknown; ink: Color Box; adhesives: Scotch, Generations; Cricut cartridges: Graphically Speaking, Opposites Attrack; Plantin Schoolbook; A good thing Layout: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Sasafrass Lass; letters: American Crafts; rub ons: DCWV; pen: Sakura; adhesives: Scotch)

Race for the Cure

Cancer sucks... Don't you think? I know it sounds crazy but it is true. I pray to God to protect us all and that we can find a cure.
Last October my husband and I participated in the Susan G Komen foundation's Race for the Cure. It's a 5k race. My husband ran it; I combined walking with some jogging (yeah right...)... but the thing is we finished it.



Even though the activity is to solidarize with victims and survivors from breast cancer, we wanted to participate for other types of cancer too. There were 4 people for whom mainly we ran/walked. One is Susan (the person for whom the Foundation exists). The other one is my father in law. He died from liver cancer. We also ran/walked for Nancy, who is a friend a coworker who is surviving cancer. And finally, Maribel, another coworker who unfortunately did not survive and went away about 3 days before the race.



I still haven't wrote the journaling for the layout. I plan to place it at the left of the photo. But I was sure I wanted to have a page about this day. It feels so good to do something like this thinking of someone else. It's a feeling I can't explain quite well but it's good.

I do not pray asking God to change whatever plans he might have for me... I pray asking for understanding to accept it and courage to face whatever God wants to give ... But... nobody is ready for something like cancer.

Have you had a loved one suffering from this? Do you know any or are you a survivor? God Bless us all...

(patterned paper: We R Memory Keepers; letters: American Crafts; ink: Color Box; adhesives: Scotch)

More Mothers...

Still celebrating? Well.... Mothers' Day is everyday... even though this day was special anyway. We had most of the family at home and had a good day. We laughed a lot and celebrated together. I hope you had a wonderful day too and that you are still celebrating.



Here are some additional cards I haven't shared with you...


I used some scrap papers I had left from old projects to place a patterned paper base and a big heart on that base. Then I punched the border of a strip in solid color for the top. A stamped image in a matted rectangle and then rub ons for the sentiment/message.



A friend at work saw the card and he liked the stamp showing the mother with a girl ... so he asked for a card with that stamp but wanted to feature the name of his wife and the Mother's Day message in Spanish.

So I created this card...
I made a banner with half circles, painted the edges, rubbed on the letters for the name, and joined to each other with eyelets.

I stamped and cut a bird to make the impression it was holding the banner.

I tried to give a maternal delicate look to the card using the dolly and the lace ribbon.

The Spanish message was then inside so the name on cover/front was the main attraction.

Finally, this card was the one we gave to our mother in law last Sunday.

I placed a patterned paper with dots to make a background...

Then I used a chipboard swirl with painted edges, tied a knot with ribbon and placed a flower sticker in coordination.

What about you? Did you make your cards for your mothers? Did you make for others to give to their mothers? Please share with us...

(patterned pater: Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye, Hot Hues; chipboard: Fancy Pants; inks: Staz-On, Color Box; stickers: EK Success; Rub-Ons: Fancy Pants; Dollies: Paper Lace; stamps: Inkadinkado; adhesives: Scotch, Generations; Miscellaneous: eyelets, paper punches, ribbon, computer, markers, color pencils)