Favorite New Expression

My English friends taught me a new expression – “gone pear shaped.” It’s kind of like our expression, “the best laid plans…” and much nicer than our other expression, when the “you-know-what hits the fan.” Any way, it kind of suits the situation when you have plans or expectations and then everything kind of slumps in on itself (kind of like a 44-and-a-half-year-old-body?).

Here’s a little project to try when you find that things have gone pear shaped. I learned it at a Stampin’ Up party and have had fun making variations.

You’ll need a 4 x 4-in. tile, stick-on felt circles, a background stamp, a decorative stamp, permanent ink in black, and permanent ink in a few colors – optional.

1. Wash the tile to remove any dust, and dry completely.
2. Stick the felt circles on the back of the tile, one in each corner.

3. Stamp the background pattern on the tile with black ink.
4. Stamp the decorative image on the tile with black ink.
5. Use colored ink to enhance the details of the image, if you’d like.
6. Voila! You have a coaster to protect your table from the much-needed beverage you’re consuming because your world’s gone pear shaped. Cheers.