i was {and still am} a scrapbooker before i got knee deep in letterpress and this used to be my paper cutter... pretty and green with a little cute bug emblem on it.  i thought it was pretty nifty that you could cut and score with it.

then, in addition to scrapbooking more,  i started making more cards and invitations for myself, family, and friends...  so i upgraded to this paper cutter.  i thought it was awesome with its heavy duty wood base and handy dandy grid for measuring... i thought i was cool with my big, bad paper cutter that had the capability to cleanly cut less than 10 sheets of text weight paper at a time.

then i got involved in letterpress and realized that the paper i was using was so thick that my big, bad paper cutter could barely cut 2 sheets of 110 lb cover at once.  forget when i tried cutting double-ply 220 lb cover, that nearly broke the darn thing.  i quickly realized i needed yet another upgrade and got myself a guillotine cutter.  behold this beast...

it's made by american machinery & manufacturing company and the only reason i know that is because it's right on the cutter.  i know really nothing else about this guillotine besides that it is really heavy,  it takes 2-3 people to carry it, it's made out of cast iron, and weighs well over 300 pounds.  it cannot score, it has no fancy grid, but it can cut like no other!  

i'm all about supporting other entrepreneurs, especially mompreneurs!  over the weekend i gave a helping hand to my good friend jackie, owner and floral designer of flirtation flowers.  after this weekend, i have a greater appreciation for flowers.  i learned how to process flowers, wire, tape, make a boutonniere, put together a head piece for a flower girl, create a centerpiece, ribbon a bouquet, and learned flower lingo like pit, sprays, and stock.  it is incredible how much time, labor, and skill go into a flower arrangement.  i often times here brides say that they're going to do their own flowers for their wedding... think again...  floral design is a skill and art form that should be left to the professionals.  my friend jackie has been in business since 2004, but only until now was i able to convince her to start blogging.  check out her blog today... she's funny!  if you are local and need flowers for your next special event, contact flirtation flowers!  below are photos taken of the flowers we worked on...

i'm really excited that my new rollers came in for my "penelope" -- my craftsmen superior press.  i used a company out in san dimas, ca called ramco roller products.  ramco is run by a husband and wife team and they are knowledgeable, friendly, and have quick turn around.  i can't wait to outfit penelope and try out her new rollers!

i think and i act like i have so much time on my hands, so of course i added another hobby to my life and decided earlier this year to grow a garden.  so rewarding, but such hard work.  i planted roma, cherry, and beefsteak tomatoes, two types of cucumbers, and zucchini.  the zucchini decided it did not want to grow, but my tomatoes and cucumbers are flourishing nicely.  cheers to fresh harvest and home grown veggies!

happy monday!  over the weekend i finally decided to create a facebook fan page.  click on the facebook badge on the right sidebar and become a fan today!  thanks to my supporters that have already become fans!  here's a screenshot of the fan page...