TAKING IT EASY

I've been taking it easy this past month where my shop is concerned. December is crazy for us here; 5 birthdays, 2 anniversaries and all things Christmas & New Years. CRAZY.


So, I was so excited to open the first of two old LPSC Kits and get scrapping! I made some pages of our farm trips this Fall and I made a mini book for sale. I even got my example done for LPSC Crop Challenge!


The Life Preservers Club is hosting our first crop of the year on January 2-4, 2009. There will be fun challenges and games and even a prize or two! The crop will be hosted by both the outgoing and incoming DTs, so, be sure to stop on by and check it out. Chat with us while you're there. You'll find lots of inspiration and the sweetest bunch of ladies anywhere.


I'm off to open a third kit (can you believe it??), so I'll leave you with some of my most recent creations :)

I MADE IT!

My current term on the Life Preservers Club Design Team is up on December 31st and I'd decided that I wouldn't try out again. I've been overwhelmed with trying to keep up my shop and life here at home. But then as the submission deadline approached, I changed my mind! Hey, I'm a girl & that's what we do ;). I submitted my entries on November 30th - the very last day - and I'm so PROUD to announce that I was chosen to be on the Design Team for a third year!!!! I am ECSTATIC!

There were so many determining factors in deciding to try out one last time - not the least of which was my personal scrapbooks. Being on the altered arts side of the DT this year, I wasn't required to produce any layouts with my kits so I found myself making stuff I could sell and NO pages for my own books. I figured, the best way for me to get my own stuff done is to be held accountable :) How will I manage when my 9 month term is up?? I don't know. Hopefully, I'll be disciplined enough to keep it going. I've decided that my scrapbooks will take priority over making stuff for sale. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not trying to build an empire here - just trying to do what I LOVE and share it.

So, here's to the FABULOUS LPSC DT 2009! I look forward to working with everyone - truly a talented bunch. CONGRATULATIONS ladies!

If you are not yet a member of the LP community, sign up already! There is NO COMMITMENT to buy any kits. Just join to chat and get some inspiration.

13 DAYS

That's all that's left before Christmas arrives. Can you believe it? It'll be a quiet Christmas at home (hopefully) as all the out of town relatives have come and gone and come again (but will leave soon). I'm just about done with all of my shopping. I've got little things and stocking stuffers to get but the big stuff is done. I didn't think I'd make it!


I have to start thinking about my New Years resolutions. I've been meaning to go back and see what my goals were for 2008 and see how much of them I actually accomplished. I'll have to do that soon - the year is almost over!


Today's my & dh anniversary. Five years. I can hardly believe it. I have to say - I couldn't have asked for a better husband. Yeah, he makes me crazy sometimes (ok, most of the time) but he is perfect for me. He's so supportive (emotionally & financially :) ) of WhimsyPics and anything else I want to do, he ALWAYS has my back - even if I'm wrong, he's an awesome father and just an all around awesome guy. I'm blessed.


Here's some stuff I've been working on lately; not too much of anything - just miscellaneous stuff: the little baskets are for Ethan's class for Christmas

I'M THANKFUL

Thanksgiving day has come and gone. I had my parents and brothers here from NY and it was great. Maybe next year the in-laws (all of them) will be here too. A girl can dream :)

I'm thankful for

God's mercy and unfailing love

my beautiful, healthy, perfect children

my supportive, loving, husband - my rock

my beautiful home

my family

my freedom

seasons

sunshine

rain

living in the United States of America

my perfect life (perfect for me, that is) :)

I hope your Thanksgiving was blessed and beautiful.

TIME IS NOT ON MY SIDE

How is it that I can start making Halloween themed items for my shop in July and still not have candy in the house on October 31st? Or that I can make Thanksgiving items starting in August and 2 weeks before still not have my menu down? Before I know it Christmas will be here and I'll be shopping on the 24th. Again. Every year I say I'll start Christmas shopping early. I'll be done by September, for sure. You'll see. And then it's the week before and I'm freaking out. Well, not this time. I will be done by December 15th or there will be no gifts. Period. (yeah, right.)



My biggest problem is that I need to send gifts in the mail now that I live down here in the south. I know that, in myhead, but I never realize how little time I really have when I factor in transit time. My poor sister in law got her birthday gift about 2 weeks late because it got lost on my desk for a week. *sigh* I need help. I will mail my niece's birthday gift today. I will. You'll see.



It's been a while since I posted (surprise!) so here are some pictures of what's been going on:

NC STATE FAIR 2008

HALLOWEEN 2008

HILL RIDGE FARM 2008

CHRISTMAS MINI ALBUM

CHRISTMAS GIFT TAGS
SCHOOL MEMORIES MINI ALBUM

I'm off to figure out what I need for Thanksgiving. Wish me luck.

TAGGED, DINOSAURS & STUFF

TAGGED

I was tagged by PinkPatrice of PinkPatrice.etsy.com. Check out her adorable cards!

So here are the rules of being tagged:
Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


Here are 7 facts about me:
1. I hate talking on the phone - hence, I never answer it.
2. I once flew to Jamaica for a day to attend a party (I was a travel agent then).
3. I bite my cuticles. Alot. It's really gross. I need a manicure.
4. It hurts my heart to pay full price for anything - unless it's a gift. If it's for someone else, I go all out.
5. My eyebrows are tatooed. Well, they're faded now, but they were tatooed. If I had money for it, I'd do it again - my real eyebrows are TINY.
6. I thought about piercing my nose once. For a minute. But still, I thought about it.
7. I love airplanes but I hate to fly.


So now I'm tagging:
Andrea
Joyce
Christina
The Paper Elephant
Sandra
Mark My Words
Krazy Kate Designs

DINOSAURS
My parents were here this week and on Friday, my mom took the grandkids (and me) to see Walking With Dinosaurs! It totally ROCKED!! If the show is coming to a city near you, go see it - I think it's worthwhile! It's like a documentary in that it's narrated and they discuss each era. But the dinosaurs are so huge and so life-like that it's fun (and a little scary!). Of course, my favorite was the T-Rex :)


Here are some pictures:

STUFF

I'm hoping we'll get to the State Fair today. If we do, I'll post some pictures. Have I ever told you how much I love the Fall? :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Autumn

This is my favorite time of year. Summer's over, winter's still months away. The air is cool & crisp - just cool enough for a sweater and my beat up Uggs - I love it!



I thought I'd have lots of Christmas things done by now - albums, cards, tags. I've got nothing. I'm still working on Thanksgiving things. Have I mentioned I love fall? :)



Here's some of the things I've been working on:



Altered Pail w/Tags - maybe use them as place cards? Or have your guests write on the back all the things that they're thankful for....or perhaps, write them a note of thanks for coming....or keep them for yourself, fill out what you're thankful for and bring them out next year to see what's changed!









Mini Notecards/Place Cards - they're blank inside so you can leave a note for your guests on each one.

Happy Monday everyone!

MY WEEKEND

I finally got some time to scrap this weekend - thanks to the LifePreserversClub.com crop! I had SOO much fun. THANK YOU Sandra & Rebecca for putting it all together and coming up with some awesome challenges. And Deb - toilet paper rolls? Really? Who woulda thunk it? :) That little book rocked. So ladies (& gents?) if you want to be challenged to make some great stuff - check it out. The crop is over but the challenges are all still up.

I got 3 personal pages done, 1 album and some mini cards for etsy. I hope I can stay focused and create lots this week.

LifePreserversClub.com Kit Challenge:

Numbers Challenge:

Word Cloud Challenge:

Halloween Mini Album:

All Occasion Mini Cards:

Halloween Mini Cards:

FRESH START

I decided to reorganize my work space; figured it would take a day or two. Yeah, not so much. Eight days later I just want to cry! OMGosh where did I get all this stuff? When did I think I would have time to do all this?? So, I have a 'giveaway' pile and a 'sell' pile. I'll be inviting some of the local gals over to rummage through my stuff and take what they can haul. Of course, the really good or expensive or brand spanking new stuff will be sold :). I so don't want to go back in there right now. I'm using my laptop in Ava's room :)

It's a GORGEOUS day in Raleigh today. I have all the windows open and though it's chilly (FINALLY!!), it feels so good! Can't be more than 70 degrees right now - I love it!

Guess I'd better buckle down and get to it. Into the abyss I go............

9.11

We will never forget. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Ethan started Pre-K this past Thursday (wahhhh!). He's only going 2 half days a week because the 3 day program was full and I wanted to ease him into it. If he loves it (so far, so good) I might do 5 half days. My heart was racing (read: broken) but I didn't cry. Not once. So what if I made my husband drive there right after I dropped Ethan off to check on him. I didn't cry. I'm a trouper :)



So, here are some pictures of my big boy on his very first day of school:

He's such a big boy and I'm SO proud!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Another 11 days has gone by since I last posted. I thought I could do better with keeping this blog up to day!

Well, since I last wrote, my parents came down for a visit, I applied and got accepted into two juried selling sites and I have a meeting with a brick & mortar store for consignment. I've been busy trying to create things of each of these new venues - I only hope they go over well! My meeting with the brick & mortar is this afternoon. I've heard so many horror stories about consignment from other sellers so I've prepared my list of questions, printed a sample contract and am keeping an open mind. This may not be the venue for me but it's worth a shot. I may learn something new. And, best case, it could be a very lucrative step in the right direction for WhimsyPics. Wish me luck/pray for me!

Ethan is still obsessed with 'The Girl in the Pink Shirt' (we'll call her TGPS for short) except last practice she was wearing a white shirt :). So we're on the couch after practice the other day and here's our conversation:

Ethan: I wonder if TGPS has a washing machine.
Me: Probably, yes.
Ethan: Well, maybe she doesn't have a dryer.
Me: I'm pretty sure she does.
Ethan: Maybe we should wash her clothes.

OBSESSED. He slays me.

At that same practice, he follows her around and when they're in line, shoulder to shoulder, he puts his hand on her shoulder and just leaves it there! LOL So I'm trying to whisper to him to get his hand off (I don't want her to deck him!) but he is all the way across the field. *sigh* What's a mom to do. At one point, he was so close behind her while they were playing that they tripped and fell over each other!!

I'm sure I'll have a million more stories of Ethan and TGPS next time. Hopefully, I'll also have some good news about WhimsyPics and brick & mortars :)

BENDING IT LIKE BECKHAM

Well, not really...but still :) Ethan had his very first ever soccer practice yesterday. The kids are so little! It's so cute to watch them taking it so seriously and concentrating. So, we get home after practice and Ethan can't stop talking about the 'girl in the pink shirt' that he was standing next to. He's decided that 'she's gonna be my best friend when she's a little older'. All day he would find not so subtle ways to bring her up. He doesn't know her name, mind you, so that's what he has to talk to her about next week, he's decided. I am SO not ready for this!

THE FOOD FAIRY

My in-laws came for a SHORT visit last week. It was so nice to see them and the kids were so excited!! While they were here, my mother-in-law made me my very favorite dish of all time - paella. YUM. She's made it for me lots of times before and I've even watched her do it, but I've yet to try it on my own. It's SCARY! She wrote down the recipe for me this time AND even she brought me a paella pan from Spain. No pressure. I'm going to try. I promise. Here's the paella in progress:

They also brought so many goodies from the garden back home; tomatoes, green bell peppers, Spanish peppers, cucumbers and zuchini!! I forgot how good 'real' tomatoes are - so different from store bought ones. I have GOT to hit my local farmer's market!

Have a great week y'all! :)

QUIET SUNDAY

I just dropped the kids off at my sister's. I just needed some quiet time for me. I took an uninterrupted shower - can you imagine? THAT is the highlight of my day!! LOL I'm going to Archiver's in just a bit to take a class on these cool clear cards I saw there. Until then, I'll be cleaning up this scraproom; it looks like a tornado hit it.



Here are my LPSC DT submissions for the month. I know, I know - completely unimaginative and boring. My mojo has disappeared and I can't find it anywhere :( Oh Mojo....where are you???

I also started a Facebook account (why???). My sister talked me into it. I have yet to figure it out but if you're on there, look me up! I'm WhimsyPics on there too :)

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

THE PARTY'S OVER

and it was great! It was an awful lot of work but I'm so relieved now that it's done. I can back to real life (ie creating for etsy) again. Here are some of the pictures I got - I'm still waiting to see what other people send me because I didn't get nearly as many as I'd hoped! The sign is one of 3 that I painted for the different areas of the party. I had pink, white and green paper lantern circles hanging from the gazebo and cupcakes with pink icing on 3 tiers of cake pedestals in green and white. The pink/green toile tablecloth was a STEAL from Williams-Sonoma that I happened to find about a week before the party. It all just came together so nicely!

And here are some pictures of Ava on her actual birthday and the day after: