CREATIVE STREAK

It seems 2011 has started out with a creative bang! And I couldn't be happier :) Since October. it feels like I've been on autopilot crafting - making multiples of things to build up my inventory for craft shows and Holiday sales. I love to do it; don't get me wrong. But it's just not the same as creating just for the sake of creating; creating on a whim.

I haven't done any personal scrapbook pages yet, but that's coming too. So far it's been shabby collage style tags & altered things. I was DYING to get my hands on the gorgeous paper that had been sitting on my desk for a couple of months. And boy was I glad I did! Two different lines, two different inspirations and interpretations and a crafty girl who's as happy as a pig in mud. <---Probably more a reference to the current state my home (ie. a sty). So, here they are; my newest. I hope you enjoy them. And I hope you're enjoying a creative streak, too :)





PS You can see more detailed photos of all these project in my Etsy shop & my flickr gallery.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's a brand new year, a clean slate, a time to start over :) I hope the last few months have been wonderful for you! It's been a while so, here's a brief rundown of what's been going on around here:

August: Visited NY for a few days to see my Grandma for her birthday. The kids had a great time at Playland in Rye, NY. It was so fun for me to take them there and see how much it's changed since I was a little girl! My mom had brain surgery later that month and an out-patient procedure turned into a week long ordeal in the hospital and side effects that she is still dealing with. I'm just thankful that she is on the road to recovery. My big boy started First grade.



September: Not a whole lot! LOL Getting into the swing of things with school in session, preparing for local craft shows and generally keeping up with my home, shop and life :)

October: My favorite time of year. We visited a corn maize/farm, got some pumpkins, put out our Halloween decor, and of course, the NC State fair! Ah, Fall.... how I love you. My mom was well enough to travel so she and my dad came down for a visit.





November: Prepped for and participated in a few craft shows; one of which was the Durham Art Walk Holiday Market. It was FABULOUS! Looking forward to participating in the Spring again. I met so very many wonderful artists/artisans. Fun times. Hosted Thanksgiving again, with some tried and true recipes and some newer ones. No misses this time, I think they were all hits :) And Ethan lost his first tooth!


December: The most wonderful time of the year! So busy with Christmas, cookies, crafting and company! Had a visit from my dear, dear friend from home whom I hadn't seen in more than four years. It was absolute heaven. Had a surprise visit from my parents - best Christmas gift ever. Ethan lost another tooth. We went to the town Christmas parade. Celebrated my 7th anniversary to the best husband a girl could ever ask for. Also celebrated the birthdays of my brother, my nephew, my niece and my sister. And we had the BIGGEST snow storm I've seen since we lived in NY! It started Christmas night and blasted us all day on the 26th. The kids were in heaven. How perfect is that?








All in all 2010 was a good year, albeit the most difficult for my family and me. But, God saw us through and we ended the year in a better position than when we started. I am eternally grateful for His providence and His faithfulness. Now I'm looking forward to an even better 2011!!

Happy New Year, dear friends. I wish for you every good and perfect thing!! Thank you for sticking with me :)

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU

Ah, it's been a crazy summer :) But, I haven't forgotten about you, my friends! I'll be back soon to chat with you - promise. Remember you can always catch up with me on Facebook, too! :) Kisses and hugs.....

HOLY SCRAPS!

I've been a busy little bee this week. Remember those stickers I won from SRM Stickers? I'm finally using them!

I decided last weekend that I have to pare down my supplies. It's ridiculous now and it takes more time to find anything than it does to make something. I had really good intentions of going through my stash and organizing and purging. Except I started by going through scraps of my old Life Preservers kits and I decided I should just use them up and then I could move on. Awesome idea, in theory. Here's the thing: now I have a bigger mess. :)

But that's ok. I'm going to keep going through my kits and killing them, using my fabulous new SRM stickers, and cleaning up as I go.






I'm thinking I should give these away :) Watch for details!

HAPPY JULY!

I've neglected you again. You should be used to it. Like Taio Cruz, I'm only gonna break break your, break break your heart. :)

Did I tell you about all the stuff I've won from some fabulous people on Facebook?? OMGosh, are you as addicted to FB as me? Well, you should be :P

I won some AWESOME stickers from SRM Stickers. They are fabulous! So easy to use, thin and sheer so they don't bulk up and they kinda look like rub-ons or stamps (without the mess). There's a sticker (or 10) for every occasion. Kinda falling in love with these!

Y'all remember Rusty Pickle?? I thought they were defunct but, no! they are alive and well :) I won a 3 different paper packs from them - wedding, boy and Halloween themed. I haven't even opened them yet but I'm dying to!

This week I won a handmade, original crown from Two Little Bluebirds!! I am so psyched to receive it! She makes the sweetest crowns and capes for your little ones; and she uses eco-friendly felt. You MUST visit her Etsy shop and see the awesome yumminess for yourself :)

I won a sweet little zebra striped pink bow for Ava from Gia's Bowtique. It is so stinkin' cute! Check out her fan page - she is ALWAYS giving away all sorts of discounts to her Etsy shop.

I also have a surprise coming from the super sweet girls at Hancox Homstead and Beans Things! I can't wait to see what beautiful, handmade things I'll get :)

Yes, I'm very blessed every day. Please check out every one of these sweet, giving ladies' pages and shops. It'll be worth your while!

I've been working on some custom orders lately, small and large. I'll leave you with some of the things I've been working on since we last spoke...........

APRIL, MAY & OTHER STUFF

Can it be? Is June REALLY just a few days away? It's almost time to start the Christmas count-down! Really.

Quick rundown of all the exciting things that have happened this month: Henry had an interview for a job, then didn't get it; Ava cut her hair with a safety scissors; Ethan got accepted into a magnet school for next year; I participated in another crafts fair; a friend offered her house for me to do a home show; and today I got offered another opportunity for consignment in a sweet shop here in Wake Forest. FUN!

Meanwhile, the school year is wrapping up and I'm just now realizing that I have to find things for Ethan to do while he's home with me. And they pretty much all have to be FREE because that's about all that fits in the budget right now :)

I got my Life Preservers Club May kits yesterday - the happiest time of the month for me. I've already started with the card kit.








It's almost crop time again on the Life Preservers Club message board! June 11th-13th, be sure to stop by for lots of fun challenges and games!

Before I let you go, I've got to share this sweet story with you. A few days ago we were all on the couch watching TV and I hear Ava whispering to herself next to me. I look over and lean in for a listen and this is what I heard, 'God, thank you for life. God, thank you for cookies." Melted my heart. I can't believe my little girl will be 3 soon! She's all 'growed' up *sniff sniff*

Have a wonderful week everyone!

NSD BLOG HOP!

Today we celebrate National Scrapbooking Day! For the novice and the seasoned expert alike, scrapbooking is a fun, creative outlet with a greater purpose - to record our stories. So, whether you're a simple scrapper pasting pictures with a glue stick on a blank paper or an elaborate artist using multiple mediums, today is your day :)

For National Scrabooking Day the design team at Life Preservers Scrapbook Club want to bring a little extra excitement! The 8 person design team have partnered up in teams to create 4 challenges; each challenge has two parts. You must comment on each DT member's blog with a link to your completed page (members may link to the LP gallery). For each challenge you complete, you will be entered into a random drawing to win a prize from the Life Preservers Club!

My DT partner, Andrea, and I have your first challenge. Here is the first part of our challenge: You must complete a page with the theme 'Why I Scrap'. Before you start on your assignment, don't forget to visit Andrea's blog to find out what the second part of this challenge is.








Thanks so much for participating in the Life Preservers Club National Scrapbook Day Blog Hop!! Don't forget to visit Andrea's blog next to find out more! She'll let you know where to go for your next assignment. Have fun!