ta da

Well, the little drape is coming off my final design team project for Lollishops. We were provided a kit from Carmelos who always has all kinds of goodies for creating your own artful pieces. As per usual I forgot to take a before picture because I suck like that.. LOL I bet if you hop over to the other gals blogs you will be able to get a good idea of what we were given and I will point it out on my piece.

I kind of struggled with this piece because the palette was kind of all over the place for me. I quite rarely use fuschia in my work so tying that in was hard!

I ended up making this cute Valentine holder. It has 2 pockets in which to tuck Valentines and tags like the one shown here.

We were provided with lots of trims and I think I managed to use some of each.. the white ball trim, rick rack, shimmery foil trim (flower center), satin ribbon and the red & white crepe fringe. I also used the little gold Dresden hearts, paper rose bouquet (top right) and the mercury glass beads layered with my own vintage papers and lace.

On the tag I used a little clip art image and some of the leftover ribbon. It is all stitched together because I have been creating like crazy on my sewing machine and just couldn't bear not to on this project as well.

So here is where you come in, please leave a comment on this post and I will draw a name on Friday to receive this holder. Good luck and enjoy this month of love...

tattered and worn

I am feeling tattered and broken today. Its has been four days of dealing with terrible headaches, sinus pain, migraine symptoms and feeling generally blah. I barely got to enjoy the beautiful sunshine yesterday and today the clouds are pulling back in. I hope the headaches don't pull in with them. I can't think of anything else that might be triggering them.

I have been trying to work through the pain and grab bits of time in the studio when I have been able to. I finished up my final Lollishops Design Team project which will be revealed on February 1. You can click onto the Lollishops blog for a complete list of the projects and I believe at least a couple of us will be doing a giveaway, including myself. So that till give you a little bit to look forward to.

My other busy-ness has been my ROD class with mary Ann Moss. It is an ongoing class that you can join anytime this year

and let me just say, we have been having a blast! There is SO MUCH creativity going on in there and so many good ideas and so much sharing. I am really happy that I decided to take it. I just finished up another journal for myself which I am working on but I am hesitant to share any pix here because we are planning a submission to Somerset's Art Journaling.

In other news, I have been slowly adding stuff to my Lollishop/ Etsy shop and this little journal will be added soon. There is another ROD journal there now and let me tell you how fun they are to work in. All kinds of little goodies, pockets and flaps. I just have been adding bits of things here and there in case you want to take a peek.

Happy Sunday

Happy New Year

Hi all, Happy New Year!

I just realized that I have not posted since before it officially became 2010. I decided not to make any resolutions this year just because it seemed like too much

pressure. I guess at some point I might jot down some goals as I have in the past. The past couple of years I have done pretty well meeting them with the exception of losing weight.

I was really touched by Carol Spinski's post on January 1. It is embarrassing to admit you have a problem with your weight. I am at my heaviest ever in my life and I am very uncomfortable. I do not eat healthily, not that I binge on junk food but I eat at weird times and I eat too much. Since Jan. 1 I have tried to make a very conscious effort to be aware of what goes into my mouth. It is so hard but I know I would feel so much better in my own skin and about myself if I can conquer this eating.

Anyway, this post has gotten way off topic already.

I really came to share that I have been very busy in my little art room with some different projects just to make me happy. At Christmas I made a journal for my SIL for her bird watching. It was really a slip cover for a moleskin book so she could change it out once it got full. I didn't get a picture but I thought it was so fun that I thought I'd make some more. Pictured is another one I made that turned out a little wonky. I am still tweaking my pattern and they always seem to shrink before I get them on the book :). For this one I channeled my inner Pam Garrison and used lots of shabby fabric and scraps. I was fun to just grab stuff from my bin to use.

I have to admit that I am obsessed by these neutral/ linen shades and have been stitching away on little bits and

pieces with them. I vow that this year I will get my living room repainted and plan to paint a more creamy linen color with accents of aqua. Do you know how you can kind of subconsciously gather things in a certain color way only to realize at some point you have quite a lot of it and maybe you should decorate with it? Well that is how it is turning out with aqua blue and me. I have been looking around on Flickr for inspiration and these are some of the things I have seen and liked. My big hurdle is deciding what to do with all the brick in the living room. I will get a shot of that to share and get some opinions/ ideas.

Finally, because this post is getting so long. I am working on reloading my Etsy/ Lollishops with various things I have been working on or have just been sitting around because they never got listed before. I will post as I actually get stuff listed but here is a sneak peek of some of the things currently in progress. I am having so much fun with my scraps..

Ho Ho Ho, Holiday Design Team projects...

Yeah, this month I was ON TIME for the Lollishops Design Team reveal. I have been working on things ever since I got my kit a few weeks ago and it really helped me get in the groove for the holiday cards and tags I am making for upcoming holiday boutiques and maybe a swap or two.

I received a bunch of fun vintage holiday goodies compiled by Sadie of Lollishops and this months sponsor Chocolate Letters who has some great, inspirational supplies and goodies.

Initially I wanted to make an advent calendar with my goodies but I was unable to find the form I wanted so my pile of inspiration turned into a pile of projects. I was really inspired to create useable items as opposed to knicky knacky "sit arounds" because I am in major purge mode. I started with a couple of gift boxes embellished with goodies from the kit like this cute felty Santa and cool ribbons. And I can't wait to give someone a treat in this cute round one embellished with a little vintage house and snow trimmed in old sheet music, crepe paper and vintage lace...

Next I moved onto another fun project which my daughter and her little friends have been coveting. Some fun Christmas wands! I made several but this one was the one I used my design team goodies on:

This of course led to some ornaments which were heavily inspired by my friend Karin. I am especially loving the white and gold one with the vintage bells from Chocolate Letters. (Sorry the picture is not great)








I imagine by now this post is getting pretty wonky with pictures and text but please bear with me.

Finally I want to share some tags and cards I created with the goodies from this kit. I got some cute collage images and various tag bits which I cut up and used in various projects. I plan to make some stuff that would be cute with one of these gift tags attached.
I love to make greeting cards and as I mentioned before this challenge really kick started me to get moving on my holiday cards. These are just a couple of the stack I made which I will
also share as the holidays get closer.

By the way, I haven't hosted a card swap for a while and its getting a bit late for a big organized swap, but if anyone would like to do a small 3 for 3 or so card swap with me, please let me know. I haven't done any swaps for awhile and I miss it!!

If you have made it this far with me in this post Thank You! Here is the good part. leave me a comment with a way to contact you and I will enter your name in a drawing to win a box of holiday goodies (both finished items and some bits and pieces to create with). Thanks for reading!!

Ooh wow, 700 and LolliShops Design Team

As I was logging in I realized that my last post was number 700!! Wow, I had no idea I was that close. Well its kind of timely because today is the big reveal for the LolliShops design Team Autumn Projects. We each got a packet of inspiration provided by Sadie and some of her Lolli Vendors and friends... The Retro Art Cafe, The Tin Tiara, SkyBlueBunny and Lollishops itself..

We were each sent a similar packet and asked to create something(s). I almost missed the deadline but scrambled and finished up my projects today. It felt like the nature was conspiring against me to keep from this, child illness, rough school days, computer issues.. but I did it!! I think the things I did were fun and cute. It was a good exercise is stretching myself as I have not been using much in the way of pastels lately.

First off I made this cute tag on a form that was provided. The cute doll stickers were fun and I embellished with vintage music, wallpaper and lace, along with lace and ribbon from the kit. Its topped off with some vintage buttons and embroidery and a sparkly flower in her hair. I will be sending this along with some other goodies, off to a lucky commenter in thanks for supporting me and my blogging ups and downs. Just leave a comment and a way to contact you and I will draw a name in a few days.

My other creations was inspired by the "Bits and Pieces" swap I did a while back that was hosted by Jenny of Everyday is a Holiday. I did a small "collage" on top of a box that can be used for trinkets and treasures. It has already been snapped up by my daughter for her room which is undergoing a make over. The various bits were from the kit, the pretty brooch, paper doll, lollipop, lace snippets, buttons and darling velvet flower along with the background paper. I had a lot of fun doing this "challenge" and look forward to next month.

Edited: I am adding a small covered box similar to that shown here ready for you to embellish with some goodies left over from the kit and some other things from my stash as well. Just leave a comment and I will draw a name to win it and the tag. Good luck!

flying..

I have still been on my polymer clay mosaic kick and making tiles like a mad woman. Its been inspiring and addicting and I feel free. My muse is flying.. I have been producing lots of frames and have been invited to place them in a gallery shop in San Juan Bautista which features the artwork of woman! In addition, some of my frames will be flying to OH to grace the lovely little shop Alice Adair which is owned by my good friend. Yay ( I need to get those in the mail!)
Another exciting development this week is that Sadie surprised me by making me the featured seller on Lollishops for the week. I had to hustle and get some things loaded in my shop because I had been procrastinating but I have added some new cards and mosaic pieces. I am really excited about the possibility of doing some custom pieces for people but I love all the things I have created already too! I hope you will hop on over and check out my shop as I will continue to add new items throughout the week.

Also, Friday my gal pal and co-publisher of Portals Zine, Joleen will be flying up for the weekend. We will be visiting, planning issue #8 and she will be shooting a 3 generations session of me, my Mom and Hannah. Be sure to visit the Portals Zine blog over the weekend where we will be posting a special giveaway!

meow

Yay, the cat is out of the bag over at Sadie's Lollishop blog so I can share the secret project we've been cooking up. Part Zine and part coupon book, Sadie and I have created the "Creative Cottage Shopper". These are some sneaky peeks at the look I am going for in laying it out.



It will be full of coupons for your favorite cottage style shops in Lollishops, Etsy and online and also include fun pictures, tutorials, articles and tips and it will be all in professionally printed full color!! We're pretty excited about this project and apparently so are others because ads and such are filling up quickly. If you want more information you can hop on over to the Cottage Style Vendor blog to learn about it and other cross marketing ideas.

we have a winner and other business...

Sorry, I am a bit late on posting the winner of my JUNQUE giveaway. I used the random number thingie and it chose number 34 which is ROBIN from A Robin's Nest. Congratulations! Please send me your snail mail and I will send off a fun back of inspiration to you.

Thanks to everyone who commented and showed interest in participating in a Bloggy Garage Sale. I AM going to host one over the weekend of April 17-19. Details will be forthcoming, but mark your calendars. I will also have a fun button that everyone can post on their blogs to show they are participating. If you are interested and want to be on my emailing list for the group, please email me or comment here so I can add you. I will only email regarding this event.. so no spam.. ever.

In other news. I have made a commitment to myself to get my LolliShop stocked. I am going to be adding some note cards like those shown in this post as soon as I get them stamped (waiting for my new business stamp) and I will have other vintagey goodies to share. I have been hoarding cute old padded hangers and I plan to spruce them up with pretty millinery and ribbons, plus old chandelier crystals and boxes of trims.. lots of good stuff coming. Yay.

Finally, Sadie Lou of LolliShops and I are working on a fun project together that we will be sharing with the masses in the not too distant future. I am not supposed to be talking about it but I am about to burst with excitement so check back.

The one about LolliShopping...

Wow, really sporadic blogging and then this cluster of things to talk about.

I am FINISHED with my Christmas Shopping. Yay!! I am not saying that to rub it in to anyone who has not finished, its just that I really DO NOT like holiday shopping. Before I had Hannah I was so good about planning ahead and picking up things throughout the year and saving them.
That all changed for whatever reason and now it seems I have become "one of those people" who runs around in a panic trying to find gifts. To top it off it also seems that I have become one of "those" parents who waits til the last minute to find "the" gift of the season and then goes into panic mode. I am only going to take part of the blame for that though. Part of it has to be shouldered by Hannah because she is 5 and indecisive and its not really my fault that she waited until 2 weeks before Christmas to decide she wants a Wii and to talk about it constantly.

Fortunately , Mama is good with ebay and despite popular opinion DOES sometimes have the patience of a saint ( I said SOMETIMES) and Mama scored a Wii game system for pretty close to retail. It will be here tomorrow. Phew.

Anyway, somehow I have totally gotten off topic here. I meant to talk about LolliShops and how great it has been for my "Shop Handmade" pledge. I am proud to say that this year I DID purchase many handmade things and I am excited to give them. I can't share those yet because some of the peeps read this blog and I don't want to give away the surprises.

Now that I am done with my shopping, I have had more time to peruse the wares on LolliShops that I am lusting after and I thought I would share a few of them. It hard to pick just a few because daily so many new additions are being added. Lollishops is just growing by leaps and bounds and despite a bit of a rocky start it seems to be purring along like a kitten now. I hope you will check it out!!

First: How cute is this reuseable market bag by my friend Jennifer of Rosey Little Things? Talk about handy and green. I woudl be super happy if this was under my tree.

I am also coveting this CUTE little green flower ring from
Naked Tile. I love green and this is so sweet. I'd wear it alot.


















Ok, and want to talk about CUTENESS?? Check out this adorable deer from Fantastic Toys. I can't even believe a MAN can think up things so CUTE!! Be sure to check out the other sweet things in his shop too. Everything is fab! I think I could keep going but I need to get back on the sewing machine and finish up a colored pencil caddy for my SIL. I said I was done SHOPPING, not creating ;) Hope everyone else is faring well with their shopping as well. There is still time to grab some goodies from LolliShops if you hop to it!!