Random Wanderings

Friday Finds: Beach Wedding

2010-01-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

I didn't get married on the beach but I did get engaged there. There's something extremely romantic about beach weddings. I recently created this card for a beach wedding since wedding season will be here before we know it, especially here on the West coast.

This inspired me to see what Etsy had to offer for the bride planning a beach wedding this year

Starfish Kissing Ball/Pomander by AprilHilerDesigns
SEASHELL STEMS / SET OF 24 by BeachTreasureStudio
CUSTOM TABLE signs BRIDAL / BEACH WEDDING by SignsByDiane
BARELY THERE - Seafoam Sea Glass Stud EARRINGS by Seashaped
Beach Wedding Scrapbook Cover by PapercutKitchen
Seaglass Squared. Seafoam Seaglass Cube Locket on Sterling Necklace Chain by oceanblueseaglass
Crystal Stars II- Starfish Hairpins by ShellScapes
Gold starfish and sand dollar wedding invitation by MidnightWineDesigns
Blue Skies Ahead Sea Glass Charm Bracelet by BeachGlassMemories
Wedding Sign BEACH CUSTOM by familyattic
Starfish Wedding Ceremony Aisle Bow by magartsypartycrafts
Personalized Starfish Bowl by elmstudiosonline

Any of these items would add a lovely touch to a romantic beach wedding!

The Great Google Project

2010-01-26T18:55:00.000-08:00

I am attempting to Googlize my shop. Basically, I'm trying to get my cards and papergoods seen on Google when someone searches for a wedding card, for example. This involves changing my titles around and experimenting with my tag words. It's definitely a work in progress. Hopefully it will pay off by making my items more easily found on Google!

Resurrection

2010-01-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

Chandelier Tags

In Flight Memo Clips

I am attempting to resurrect my blog! We'll see how it goes. The shop is good, I've been getting steady sales each month. I do keep up with my FaceBook Fan Page more often than the blog so if you want to know what I've been up to and I haven't been here, you can always check there. I am planning on doing a giveaway soon of memo clips so watch for that!

Beach Baby handmade baby card

Heloise Memo Clips

New Giveaway

2009-09-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Over at Paper*Cakes! I would love to win this one! Such cute scrapbook things, I know I could find lots of uses for these Christmas lovelies from Elle's Studio.

Rainy Days

2009-09-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to be getting some rain this weekend here is San Diego but I don't see a cloud in the sky. I'm kind of sad, I was looking forward to some cooling rain and a break in the temperature. Instead, I had to turn on the fans at 8:45am and it looks like it's going to be HOT again today.

So, I made my own rainy day.

Rainy Day Mate by remarkablebird (middle picture)

(clockwise from upper left)

rainy day print by missbrigette

Rainy cloud - Hand painted polymer clay rain blue pendant by joojooland

Rainy Day. Pick Your Palette Scrapbook Sheet by studio71design

rainy days by stripeymonkey

Rainy Day Fun print by artsyorange

Rainy Day gift card set of 6 by RedLetterStudio

RAINY DAYS SCARF by pukashell

Rainy Day In Lollipop Land - 20X16 acrylic by SEJartist

Puddle Jumper by paxattacks

Rainy day chrysanthemum - Art Print by crimsonpeachyart

Squirrel In The Rain Brooch by humblebea

RAINY DAY IN BRUSSELS - ORIGINAL VINTAGE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH, SIGNED by photoeye

Introducing my new line of cards!

2009-08-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

I'm debuting my new line of cards this week: Wedding Cakes
I've been playing with the idea for these cards all this last week. I was finally able to get into the craft room on Friday and put them into paper. I'm very pleased with how they've turned out and plan on making more soon. Definitely a Fall and Christmas one. I can pretty much make them in any color or theme. It's a very versatile design.

I can't recall ever seeing a Halloween wedding card so I made one!

This card is a special one for a baby shower at work this next week. I might make some Baby Cakes cards for the shop though!

Mini File Folders and Memo Clips: It's time for back to school!

2009-08-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

My mini file folders were recently mentioned on this beautiful blog: The Sunshine Studio.

My memo clips have really taken off recently. I've sold 4 sets in the last couple of weeks! I have to get in the craft room to make more soon.

Treasuries

2009-08-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

I've been lucky to be in some gorgeous treasuries lately!

Winner winner winner!

2009-08-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

We have a winner! Lucky number 31. Thanks to all those who entered, please look for another giveaway soon!

New Giveaway!

2009-07-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

It's time for another giveaway!

I'm giving away a set of my Grandma's Kitchen notecards

Here's what to do if you would like to enter:

1. Please visit my shop and pick the item you like the best.
2. Come back here and tell me which item you picked.
3. Make sure I have some way of contacting you! (if I don't, I'll have to delete your entry!)

This giveaway will run until midnight (PST) August 9. I'll use a random number generator to pick the winning number on Aug 10 and will contact the winner. The winner will need to supply their shipping address to me by Aug 12.

Extra entries! Extra Entries!

There are a couple of ways to get extra entries in this giveaway:

1. Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter, linking to my blog and then come back here and leave the Twitter link
2. Blog about the giveaway, linking back to my blog. Then come back here and leave a link to your blog (are you sensing a theme?)
3. Post a link on your Facebook or MySpace. I'll have to trust you on this one. Or post a link on your Facebook Fan Page and then come back here and leave a link (heck, I may even Fan you!)
4. This is the big one! Buy something from my shop and let me know that you want your 10 extra entries in the Notes to Seller section. Yes, 10 extra entries! Woohoo, if I do say so myself!

Please, one comment per method of entry

Good luck!!

Huge news!

2009-07-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted on Etsy by a local vendor here in San Diego. She is opening a new space at a kind of co-op called The Grove in South Park. She ended up purchasing 5 different items from me and if they sell well, she'll be back for more. She's also checking into selling my cards there. They already have a vendor who sells cards but mine are a completely different style so she's hoping that she'll get the ok. I'm so excited! I've never approached a store about selling my items and to have one approach me, well, I'm just over the moon.

So, if you're in San Diego, visit The Grove at Juniper & 30th!

Some recent treasuries

2009-07-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

My crumpled Flower card in this one

You Make My Heart Soar in this one

Just a Little Doodle tags in this one

Chocolate and Peanut Butter buttons in this one

Can I just say how much I love being on the Etsy Twitter Team. It's thanks to my teammates that I was in all of these fabulous treasuries!

Team Challenge!

2009-07-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

The SDEC team is having a 4th of July team challenge. My blue quilted card is #5 and I would love any votes you might want to throw my way!

http://sdec-etsy.blogspot.com/

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Fun Finds from the Etsy Twitter Team

2009-06-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of favorites from my fellow Etsy Twitter Team members!

Splash of Grapefruit Gift Set Trio by soaprehab
I've bought this set, it's fabulous!

Five Peas in a Pod Necklace in Sterling Silver and Freshwater Pearls by ThatsHeadley
How great is this necklace? I just love it!

Bird Earrings by Sumikoshop
The photos in this shop is just stunning

3 new treasuries

2009-06-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

My Magnolia Buttons are in this one

I've been featured in 3 new treasuries today. I feel so loved : )

My Chocolate & Peanut Butter Buttons are in this one

Melody the Fancy Bird is in this one

Cute clothes!

2009-05-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

How cute are these little girl clothes! Amievoltaire is a fellow Twitter team member and she makes the most adorable outfits. I love the colors and patterns of the fabric she uses.

What little girl wouldn't love to twirl in this skirt?

Our new family member!

2009-05-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

Introducing our newest family member! His name is Smokey and he's almost 10 weeks old. He was my Mother's Day present this year.
It's been a long time since we've had a kitten in the house. I had forgotten how cute they are. I'd also forgotten how annoying they are! He got a manicure tonight so hopefully I won't be covered in little scratches anymore.
Our older kitty, Killian, is tolerating him alright. Although, he does give me these sad looks that seem to say "Why? Why did you do this to me?"
The kids are completely enthralled with him. Even my husband, who really did not want another cat, is taken with him. Me, I'm totally in love!

I've been featured!

2009-05-29T21:13:00.001-07:00

Jennifer, over at Jennifer Magnesi Designs, was kind enough to feature me on her blog today. It made my day : ) She makes beautiful jewelry, you should go check it out by clicking here

Two more treasuries

2009-05-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

My Beautiful Blossoms were recently featured in 2 very pretty treasuries.

Fun Finds on Etsy!

2009-05-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

I had planned on doing featured sellers posts on here but I just never seemed to get around to it. So, I'm going to start doing Fun Finds, just things that catch my eye that I find on Etsy. Here's hoping I can remember!

Up first, rubber stamps by AsspocketProductions. I know, the name cracks me up! There's a great story behind how this shop came to be called that, it's in her Profile. Great stamps, very unique!

Next up, buttonsbyrobin. I found these beautiful buttons because Robin has joined my Embellishments group on Flickr. I'm so glad she did! I'm so drawn to the birds but she has tons of designs and they are all as beautiful.

Etsy Twitter Team

2009-05-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

I joined the EtsyTwitter team a while back and we know have a web ring. Click on the web ring icon in the right hand sidebar and visit the web ring for lots of other great blogs by my fellow Etsians!

My best Etsy week ever

2009-05-08T18:33:00.001-07:00

I have had an amazing week on Etsy. I'm so thankful for everything that has happened this week. I'm still a little stunned by it all.

It started with a 7 item sale on Sunday. That's the biggest number of items I've had in one sale. Then I found out that my Mini File Folders were in this Monday Morning treasury

On Tuesday, I found myself in 2 pretty treasuries. My You've Got My Heart All Laced Up card in this one

and Melody the Fancy Bird in this one

As if that wasn't enough, I then found out that my Mini File Folders were picked for the Teen Gift Guide on Etsy. The Gift Guides are picked by Admin and are pretty highly coveted. I can see why, since I relisted them on April 29th and to date, they've had 342 views and 15 item hearts. I'm pretty sure that they were picked because of their appearance in the Monday Morning treasury. I just about passed out when I saw them in the Gift Guide.

Also on Tuesday, both of the Mother's Day cards that I had listed sold. I normally only have 2-3 sales a month so to have 2 in the same week made my head spin.

On Thursday, my Roses Are Red card was picked for this romantic red treasury

And I got a convo about a custom order of my Mini File Folders that lead to another sale. This has been, by far, my best Etsy week ever. It will be hard to ever top this week.

Thank you to all the treasury makers for thinking my items are good enough for your beautiful treasuries. Thank you to the admin who picked my file folders for the Gift Guide. Thank you to my customers this week. You've all helped make this my best Etsy week ever and I am humbled.

Huge blog giveaway

2009-05-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

The SDEC team is having our first team blog giveaway. We've got 18 shop participating and 18 prizes to giveaway. What did I tell you, it's massive. You should check it out. Who doesn't like to win free stuff.

http://sdec-etsy.blogspot.com/

This is my prize for the giveaway

Cute, aren't they? If you can't wait to win them, just click on the picture and you can buy your very own set. But if you win them, I will mail them to you for free. So go enter the blog contest.

Treasuries

2009-04-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the treasuries I've been in recently.

This one was an April birthdays treasury

And this is one that I made featuring hydrangeas, one of my favorite flowers

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Tamara Garvey

2009-04-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Tamara Garvey

I've noticed this lovely shop before and now she's the shop of the week on the EtsyTwitter team. The print above is my favorite. I love the sea horse and all the puffer fishes. Too cute.

It's Etsy Day!

2009-04-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Etsy Twitter Team: It's Etsy Day!

The sellers of etsy have banded together and declared today to be etsy day! We are getting the word out about all the fabulous finds on etsy.

Did you etsy today?

My Cute Stamps

2009-04-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

I found this stamp company on Twitter and so want to buy ALL of the stamps offered. Such cute designs! These are some of my favorites

I'm such a sucker for anything with owls. I love the castle and the little fairy princess too. Perfect for little girl cards and scrapbook pages! Click on any of the images to be taken to the MyCuteStamps website. Enjoy!

Standing Ovation!

2009-04-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Simon gave Adam Lambert a standing ovation last night after this performance. Simon DOES NOT do standing ovations except for on the very last show when the winner is announced and even then, it's sometime begrudgingly. His standing O speaks volumes

And ugh, I can't find a video to it that works. All the links I can find have been taken down by Freemantle. Well, here's a link to the performance on the American Idol Website. And here's a video of his 2nd best performance, which up until last night, was his best performance.

Adam is amazing! Truly, one of the most talented people ever on Idol.
I will be buying his CD as soon as it comes out!

Valentine's Day giveaway

2009-02-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Wanna win something for your sweetie? Head on over to Crafty Mom Blog and enter the Valentine's Day giveaway that's going on right now. There are several great prizes to win! Good luck!

This just makes me laugh

2009-02-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

I have a secret crush on Jack. Shssssh, don't tell my husband.

I hope he's going to be ok, the bus accident looked pretty bad...

Valentine Cards

2009-01-20T19:34:00.000-08:00

I've been hard at work, making lots of love cards for the big day.

I've also started adding embellishments as well.

Hey, it's me!

2009-01-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well, my craft room anyway. I've been featured on the Etsy Studios blog. Yay for me! Yay for my craft room. I love my craft room......

Walking with Dinosaurs

2009-01-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

My dad, my daughter and I went to see the Walking with Dinosaurs show last night.

WOW

It was amazing. The dinosaurs looked so real, after a while, you forgot that they weren't. What a truly fantastic experience. I would go again in a heartbeat. Of course, T Rex was the star and boy, was she worth waiting for. She was truly spectacular, the way she moved, looked and sounded. Genius, the people behind the show are pure genius.

If you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it! One tip, if the venue it's at is an oval shape, try to get seats at the end of the venue. We were incredibly lucky to be sitting where we could see the entire show with nothing blocking our view. There are some mountains that they use in the show and it seemed like they partially blocked the view of the people on the side. Oh and get seats higher up! A much better view than the seats down front. This is one show where being in the front row is a drawback!

Now I want to watch Jurassic Park.....

San Diego Etsy team blog

2009-01-04T15:23:00.001-08:00

Our little team is growing by leaps and bounds now that we've opened up membership to all of San Diego. I've answered the call by our team leader to create a blog for the team.

So (with trumpets blowing in the background, naturally) I give you the

San Diego Etsy Team blog

It's a baby blog, just born yesterday so don't expect too much yet!

Please stop on by and leave us a comment

It's a relief

2009-01-03T23:39:00.000-08:00

As much as I love Christmas and love decorating for it, it's always a bit of a relief to put everything away again and get the house back to normal. Well, as normal as a house can be with 2 kids under 6 years old living in it anyway!

Happy 2009!!

Chicken Scratch

2008-12-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, I was using Pounce to find a new etsian that hadn't had a sale yet. I was lucky enough to come across Chicken Scratch. This lovely shop makes massage candles.

What's a massage candle you ask?

Well, I'll tell you. It's a soy candle, once you light it and let it burn for about a half hour, you can then pour the melted oil out into your hand and use it as a massage oil. It's a wonderful massage oil, very hydrating. And I was lucky enough to be her first sale on Etsy!

Definitely check out these candles!

Bah Humbug to you as well

2008-12-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I came across a blog post via Twitter that really made my blood boil. I immediately starting composing this post in my mind, planning on linking back to the post of evil. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that by linking back to it, I would really just be driving more traffic to the blogger.

So, I'm not going to link to it but I am going to talk about it.

Essentially, the blogger doesn't want her child to believe in Santa Claus. So, she told her daughter the "truth" about Santa when she was 2. This is not the problem that I had with the post. It's her prerogative if she doesn't want her child to believe. She's free to raise her child however she wants.

My problem came with this: the blogger says that her daughter knowing the "truth" wasn't a problem until the child got to kindergarten and spilled the beans to her classmates. The blogger says that some of the kids in class cried when they were informed of the "truth" (quotes are mine) by her daughter. Then the blogger went on to say that she wasn't upset that her kid had ruined it for the other children. In fact, she was proud and even a little boastful. The way she wrote it, she was happy that her daughter had been able to ruin Santa for so many other kids.

Really? You're proud that you made 5 year old cry?

Because that's what she did. Her daughter didn't do anything wrong. Kids talk and they don't really know what the consequences of their talk will be. But her mother did know the consequences and she shouldn't be proud of them.

She doesn't want her child to believe in Santa. Fine. But I do want my kids to believe. I want them to believe as long as possible.

And she does not have any right to take that belief away from my children. She should have been a responsible parent and explained to her child that while they don't believe in Santa, other families do and that she shouldn't tell the other kids in her class that he wasn't "real". That it would hurt the other kids and would make them sad. In other words, she should have taught her daughter to be compassionate.

The blogger mentioned people being scarred by their parents "lying" to them about Santa. What? I was never scarred. In fact, the year I found out, I was so excited to help keep the tradition alive for my little brother. I'm betting that that is the case for most people. I don't think I've ever met anyone walking around with psychological scars because their parents let them believe in Santa.

I was worried about this since my daughter starting kindergarten this year. But it's proved to be an unfounded fear. No one in her class has ruined it for her and this is, by far, the year she has been most excited about her upcoming visit from the man in red.

Kids are kids for such a short time. How can an adult take pleasure in making that time even shorter? Grow up.

So, to that blogger I have this to say:

Remember, even the Grinch and Scrooge had a change of heart.

My new love

2008-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce you to my new obsession...I mean, love. Pink Bow Bath Boutique. Oh my. Can I just say, yum!?! I bought 4 items from Amy (the brains and hands behind Pink Bow) and they arrived the other day. Happy happy joy joy.

I want to eat them. But, I'll refrain. Or at least try.

First up,
Banana Buttercream Parfait Whipped Body Frosting.

Yes, it's that good. It's rich and thick. It smells like fresh banana pudding. If it wasn't for the fact that it didn't make me sticky, I would think that it was banana pudding. Seriously, I want to grab a box of Nilla wafers and dig in. I used it on my feet and hands before going to bed and woke up with a perfect manicure. Ok, not really but wouldn't that be cool? If anything could do it, it would be this body frosting.

I also bought
Banana Buttercream Parfait Whipped Cream Soap

I've bought whipped soap from a couple of sellers. One was great, the other was so-so. This one falls firmly in the great camp. It's smooth and creamy and makes fantastic bubbles. Again, it smells like banana pudding. Mmmmmm, pudding...........What? Oh, where was I? Oh yeah, so this, of course, goes great with the body frosting above. Yes, I like bananas. Wanna make something of it?

Next is

Pineapple Buttercream Cupcake Sugary Body Polish

This is a fantastic sugar scrub. It's not at all greasy. In fact, it's very smooth and almost moldable like playdough. Nice and thick, you can tell that there's no skimping on the sugar in this one. And it smells like cake! Can it get any better you ask? Why yes, it can. It also rinses off really easily. This is especially important when you are showering with a 1 year old who suddenly decides that he doesn't really want to get wet and then clings to your leg the whole time you are trying to rinse off. And you thought showering with another person was romantic.

My final purchase was
Lemon Marshmallow Cream Beautiful Body Butter

Like I said in my feedback, it's like a lemon and a marshmallow got married and had babies. The lemon is slightly more dominate (must be the female of the relationship). This body butter is fluffy and creamy. It absorbs really well and doesn't leave a greasy feel. It smells fantastic and I'm oh so tempted to put it on some toast. But, I won't. Because, well because it's body butter, not butter butter.

Hmmm, if I used everything I bought all at once, I'd smell like a tropical fruit salad.

Amy also included 3 very nice samples in my box. I love little samples. They make me happy. I'm pretty sure, in this case, that they are just Amy's way of making sure the addiction is complete. She wants to make sure I come back for more....and I will. Afterall, I must support my habit.

So, go on, treat yourself. Go, now. Have you gone yet?

Oh thank goodness, I thought they'd never leave.

CPSC regulations

2008-12-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

While this legislation doesn't affect my products, it does affect a lot of other Etsians so I thought I'd mention it.

There is a law due to take effect on Feb 10, 2009 that requires anyone who produces children's products meant for 12 and under to test their products for lead. Sounds good, right? No one wants lead in things their kids are using. However, the way the law is written it blindly requires testing from everyone, no matter what they make. This means everyone who makes kids clothing or diapers or burp cloths. Most fabrics contain no lead whatsoever, yet it will still need to be tested. Not just the garment (diaper, burp cloth, etc) but each component will have to be tested separately. Meaning the zipper and the buttons and the lace and the fabric. Each test will have to be performed by a 3rd party lab at the cost up to $180 per item, per test.

This legislation will put a lot of small, homegrown businesses out of business. It needs to be rewritten. If this legislation will affect you, I urge you to write to your congressman and senators.

Here is a petition that you can sign: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

And here's a forum thread on Etsy that is about this issue
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5935591&page=1

It just doesn't feel like Christmas

2008-12-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

Until I hear this song several times

Warning: not for those of you who are scared of womens underware

Twilight

2008-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Saw the movie tonight. It was so good! I want to re-read the books again now. I thought they did a really good job in sticking with the story. Yes, there were things missing and yes, there were some changes. There pretty much have to be when condensing a large book down to an hour and a half movie. I was quite pleased with both Kristin and Robert, I thought they did excellent jobs with the roles of Bella and Edward. They certainly got the awkward teenage gee I think I like you down pat.

The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the actress who played Rosalie. She just didn't do it for me but I couldn't really tell you why.

Full holiday mode

2008-11-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is the first of December! Where has the year gone!?! I've been busy lately so the blog has been ignored. Had a nice Thanksgiving with my family. One turkey down, at least 3 more to go. Luckily, I only cook 2 of them!

I was featured in this beautiful treasury for my East County team. We are a festive bunch! Lots of new Christmas cards in the shop, I'll post pictures later.

Thankful

2008-11-09T22:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Where did this year go? It seems like each year goes faster and faster. I blinked and my daughter is 5 and in school. My baby boy is fast approaching 2. It's a hard job, being a parent. It's more work than you would ever expect. But it's so worth it. When they run up to you and throw their whole body at you to give you a hug. Or they give you an unexpected 'I love you'. Yes, it's hard work but it's work I'm so very thankful for. What are you thankful for?

A little late

2008-11-09T00:32:00.000-08:00

I meant to post pictures of our Halloween decor last month but never got around to taking the pictures until right before we took everything down. This was the first year we did the graveyard and I was so pleased with the way it turned out.

Complete with dead flowers, rats, spiders and lots of bones!

thatissocute

2008-11-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

How adorable are these birdhouses? These sweet little ornaments are from the Etsy shop thatissocute. I think the name of the shop says it all

Click on any of the pics to be taken to the listings

Little Black Box

2008-11-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yay, my shop is listed as one of the promos in the November LBB! I had a bit of a fright earlier this week when I contacted Kim and she didn't think she had my samples. She found them though and then put up with my wondering when they were going to be on the site. And now they finally are!

I wasn't able to send in a huge number of samples, hopefully those people who do get them in their box like them!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2008-11-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

I received my October Little Black Box today and was so happy to find a soy melt from Moodwax was one of the samples. I can't wait to use it, it smells fantastic. Check out the scent options you can choose from, my goodness, what a list!

Lemon Pound Cake votives---Need I say more?

Citrus Fusion Soy Blend votives--Yum

Click on any of the pictures to be taken directly to the listing.

One Word

2008-11-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

One Word

Fun game from Smilemonsters

The rules are that you can only answer each question with one word - not a simple as it sounds.Here we go.......

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your significant other? Work
3. Your hair? Down
4. Your mother? Scotland
5. Your father? Work
6. Your favorite thing? Books
7. Your dream last night? Nope
8. Your favorite drink? Coke
9. Your dream/goal? Happiness
10. The room you're in? Cubical
11. Your fear? Clowns
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Confrontational
15. Muffins? Yes
16. One of your wish list items? Wallet
17. Where did you grow up? City
18. The last thing you did? Read
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pet? Orange
22. Your computer? Rocks
23. Your life? Good
24. Your mood? Melancholy
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Your car? Dirty
27. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
28. Favorite Store? Craft
29. Your summer ? Hades
30. Your favorite color? Purple
31. When is the last time you laughed? Today
32. Last time you cried? Today
33. Who will/would re-post this? Mystery

34. FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER
a. Work
b. Vons
c. WalMart
d. Costco

35. FOUR PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME:
a. Mom
b. Carol
c. Deanna
d. Sandy

36. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
a. Mexican
b. Pasta
c. Brownies
d. Junk

37. FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW?
a. Home
b. Italy
c. Camping
d. Hawaii

So here's the tag part....if you feel inclined to post this little game on your blog please leave me the link to your blog in a comment so that I can get to know you too!

So pretty

2008-11-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

Such pretty little pendants from MaJentaDesigns. I love the pattern and color choices.

Oh how I wish I knew how to knit

2008-11-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

jilldrapermakesstuff

Shops like this make me wish I knew how to knit. Such pretty colors, I'd love to have some, just to have it. She who dies with the most stuff wins, right?

jilldrapermakesstuff is participating in the Blog A Day Giveway. You can click on the pics to be taken directly to the listing.

My first trade

2008-11-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

I just completed my first trade and I must say, it was a great experience! I am now the proud owner of this stunning ornament from starless

Beautiful, right? I can't even begin to imagine the hours that go into creating something like this. It looks like the earth to me, I just love it. Starless got my quilted Christmas cards and a birthday card in the trade. I think I'm quite lucky that my very first Etsy trade worked out so nicely!

Here are a few other pretties from starless. Definitely check out her shop, you will not be disappointed!

Happy November!

2008-11-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

I logged into a nice surprise this morning. I've been featured in a really cool retro treasury.

That's my Retro Congrats card there at the top.

Tallib is the curator of this beautiful treasury and she even featured it on her blog.

What a great lift, especially since I'm fighting off a stupid cold and I'm not feeling well.

Etsy fabulous find

2008-10-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

I was lucky recently to have some money in my paypal account so, of course, I decided to spend it on etsy. Oh, but what to buy....I searched through all my favorites (all 19 pages of them!) and just couldn't make up my mind. There are so many things I want to buy, I was almost paralyzed with indecision.

I even started a forum thread about it, wondering how other people decide what to buy when there are so many choices available. A very wise etsian said that she would buy something with a higher price point (like the bag I've been coveting) because you can usually find the money to buy something smaller but it's not often that you have the money for the bigger ticket item. I decided she was right and went for the bag.

And I'm so glad I did! It's gorgeous and I'm completely in love!

This bag is from a relatively new etsy shop, HautTotes.

She has some amazing items! I had a hard time deciding which one I really wanted. I kept coming back to the ladies above and they finally won out. The bag is beautiful, huge and so well made. I can't wait to start using it for my lunch and my book everyday at work. I just know I'm going to get a lot of compliments on it!

Here are a few other bags in this wonderful etsy shop

7 things about me

2008-10-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I’ve been tagged. Anna over at HalfanAcre put her paint covered hands on my blog and tagged me. So, now I’m supposed to share 7 facts about me. I suppose they have to be true…..although, it would be fun to claim that I once toured with New Kids On The Block, alas, it wouldn’t be true. So, here goes:

7 facts about me

* I absolutely ADORE giant animals gone amok movies. The campy-er the better. I love watching giant snakes, alligators, spiders terrorize people. They make me laugh. I love the serious ones, like Jaws but the really campy ones are the best. One of my all time favorites is Lake Placid. If you’ve never seen it, rent it!

* I hate getting stuck behind semi trucks with open beds, hauling pipes or steel rods or bricks. Basically, anything that you would need to haul on an open bed. It freaks me out because I always, morbidly, picture the chains holding the things in place breaking and the pipes/rods/bricks come hurtling at me. Now, I have never seen this happen. I’ve never even heard of this happening. But, in my mind, it happens a lot. I have to move out from behind them as soon as I can.

* I failed my driver’s test the first time I took it as a teenager and didn’t try again until I was 20. I passed (just in case you were wondering)

* I am scared of frogs and clowns. I don’t know why, it’s not a rational fear. No tragic frog incidents in my past. No scaring clown incidents either. And definitely nothing with froggy clowns. I guess a lot of people have the clown thing so it’s not that unusual. But the frog thing, yeah, I don’t know.

* I am a voracious reader. I probably have well over 1000 books. Most of them are packed away in tubs, in storage. That makes me sad. I would love to have a giant library some day. Like the one in Beauty and the Beast. That would make me so happy. I’m always reading but only one book at a time. I need to be able to give the book my full attention and I can’t do that if I’m trying to read more than one at a time. I’m a fast reader but can’t spend a lot of time reading at home because of the kids. Every job I’ve had as an adult has been working with books.

* I am addicted to TV. There, I said it. I have shows on pretty much every night of the week except for Friday and Saturday, those are the nights I work in the craft room because I can stay up later than on school nights. Every other night, I’m watching TV. I usually do something else while watching, reading a magazine, or working on a sudoku puzzle. I also cross stitch while watching and lately, I’ve been trying out needle felting. My DVR is usually full because there is invariably more than one program that I watch on at one time. I love my DVR, it’s one of the best things ever invented. My favorite TV show of all time is MASH.

* I am a San Diego native. I know, we’re rare. I left to go to college and ended up in Evansville, Indiana. I wanted seasons. I was tired of sunshine all the time. I got seasons, lovely Falls and snow in winter. It was fabulous. After graduation though, I came back home. Lucky I did to, since this is where my husband was living! Of course, I didn’t know it at the time : )

So, there you go. Seven facts about me, all of them true. I’m supposed to tag 7 other blogs but to be honest, I don’t think I read 7 other blogs and one of the ones I do read has already been tagged. Let me see which ones I can come up with……

Dog.Yarn.Knit.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
Liz Edgar
Twenty Pound Tabby

I guess that’s it. Oh well, that’s ok. This has been fun….kind of : )

Promos!

2008-10-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's been promo madness around here lately. I'm getting ready to send out a whole bunch of promos in the next few weeks, trying to get more people into the shop.

I'm sending out these tags

to 4 different etsians to put into promo bags that they will give out at the craft fairs/shows they are doing this season. I cut the tags out using my Craft Robo. Man, I love that machine! Luckily, the tags are good TV watching work so I've been able to kill 2 birds with one stone. Getting promos done and clearing off some of the shows on my DVR!

The big promo are these little cuties

34 little bags with 2 of my mini thank you cards plus envelopes! I've been working on them for a couple of months now. It takes a lot of time to make 68 little cards! I would have loved to have done more but I just don't have the time. I've bagged each set in cute star cellophane bags, tied them off with one of my tags and a little bit of pretty fiber. And, of course, a business card in each one! Each card is stamped on the back with the shop info too so this promo has the potential to reach a lot of people.

These samples are going to be part of the Little Black Box for November! I'm really excited to be part of the LBB. I ordered one for myself this last month and it was so much fun looking through all the samples. I ended up with some really cute magnets, a great bath bomb and some other soap-y goodness. Lots of earrings too! If you've never gotten the LBB before or don't know what it is, I highly recommend checing out the website. But wait to order one until November and you may get some of my cards!

Front Page!!

2008-10-16T18:43:00.001-07:00

Etsy Front Page 10/15/08 LBaccessories
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

Wow, I made the front page of Etsy! I'm over the moon about it, even though I missed seeing it.

I noticed an increase in views and did a little investigative work. I never thought I would make the FP!

That's my Thoughts of You Retro card in the 3rd row

Baby Bouquet card

2008-10-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased with the way this card turned out. It's my biggest card to date and I think it's keepsake quality. Pricing it was a scary thing, it's the highest price point I've ever given a single card! But, I think it's worth it and hopefully, someone else will too! If you're interested in seeing the listing, just click on any of the pictures : )

And the winner is

2008-10-07T21:58:00.001-07:00

Well, I called it from the beginning. America's Got Talent came down to the 2 singers I posted about back when the show started. Neil E Boyd and Eli Mattson. I'm so happy that it came down to those 2, they are so fantastic.

Congrats to Neil, the winner of AGT!

Latest cards

2008-09-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

My latest creations, in the shop now.

And now, to make you laugh.....

2008-09-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

CAKEWRECKS

You must visit this blog. You must. I have not laughed so much or so hard in a very long time as I did at this blog. It's not just the pictures, which in and of themselves are fantastic, it's her commentary on them.

Run, don't walk to this blog and laugh yourself silly. Go on now, run.

My first award

2008-09-18T19:07:00.001-07:00

Wow, I feel honored! Anna over at Half An Acre (fabulous blog, I highly recommend it if you haven't checked it out before!) gave me a blogging award. I feel special....or is that pretty? Oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty....what? Oh sorry.....

Here's the lovely award

And now, I'm supposed to pick 6 blogs to give the award to....so, here goes

Jill Jill Bo Bill
Keeping Up With The Joneses
Liz Edgar
Cooking from the Market

And, well, I've been trying to figure who the other 2 should be....and I can't. I lost my list of blogs when I changed the layout of this one and I've been too lazy to try to find them all again. So, it'll have to just be 4 for me. I'm a blog award giver failure.

To the 4 I did award, you're supposed to pass it along now. Copy the award to your computer and then pass along in a post on your blog. Try not to follow my example and give it to the whole 6 (I'll let you know if the blog police come after me).

Thanks Anna, you made my day!

I've been awful

2008-09-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

About blogging. There's just been so many other things to do lately. But, I'm going to try to be better and get back to how I was before.

I've been busy in the craft room and my daughter started kindergarten a few weeks ago. We're gearing up for her birthday party soon. It's amazing how life just gets in the way of everything.

Oh my.....

2008-09-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I've been in a kind of craft slump the last few weeks. Just haven't felt like getting into the craft room and designing. I've been playing the Sims a lot since I have the new expansion pack. It was also my daughter's first week of kindergarten so there's been books to read and paperwork to fill out.

Well, the slump is over. I was in there last night and I have 10 or so cards to show for it. I'm hoping to get most of them photographed today and will start listing them as soon as I can. I feel so much better! I'm going to start on Christmas cards tonight.

It wasn't all wasted time.....

2008-08-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

What I've been doing while watching the Olympics each night
I am trying to use as much of my scrap paper as possible and these seemed to be a good way to do it.
Thank goodness for my Craft Robo, I wouldn't want to cut all these circles out by hand!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programing

2008-08-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the Olympics are finally over and I can get back to the other things in my life. I was ready for them to be done. The closing ceremony was ok, nowhere near as good as the opening ceremony. Kind of in with a bang and out with a whimper. Still, what a great 2 weeks. Now, just 2 years until the Winter games!

Great news!

2008-08-19T07:39:00.001-07:00

I came into work this morning to an email from Cuteable. I was featured yesterday! That's made my day! And there are already some very nice comments about my featured card. Yay for me!

New cards in the shop version 2.1

2008-08-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the last of the new cards

These pumpkin invitations are a lot of fun to make. A lot of work as well, as the patterned papers are all hand cut. There are many more pictures in my Flickr, if you are interested.

New cards in the shop version 2

2008-08-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

I know I've been really lacking in posts lately and for that, I apologize. From my previous posts, you know that I've been watching the Olympics every night. I've also been making some frames and then, there's the whole taking care of the family thing....

Friday night, I got a huge burst of creativity. My muse must have been dancing somewhere and having herself a good old time. So, I turned off the TV and into the craft room I went.

A bunch of new cards are the result. I'm still in the process of listing them.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-08-15T09:21:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear Moooooom!

Happy birthday to you!

Just think, next year I can sing it to you in person!

Lumpy

2008-08-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

I feel like such a lump this week. I’ve been watching the Olympics every night and staying up far too late every night. They don’t get to the really good stuff (gymnastics and swimming) until almost 10pm and some nights, I just can’t tear myself away until 11. I’ve been DVRing the rest since it’s been going until 1:30am!

It’s been amazing so far. Michael Phelps is a fish!

I have actually working while watching. I’ve been decoupaging some picture frames. 3 large ones that are a custom order through work. 2 small ones that will end up in the shop as soon as they are done. I also made 2 more Halloween cards last night. I wasn’t going to make anymore but they’ve been selling pretty well and I just got some more cute Halloween paper…..

I’m starting to feel like I’m totally behind because I don’t have any Christmas cards made yet. There’s been a lot of chatter lately in the Etsy forums about card sets so I think I’m going to attempt to make a few myself. I’ve never done sets, just single cards. But having sets make sense for Christmas cards. My plan is to come up with a couple of simple designs and just do a production line of them. Fingers crossed that it works!

Olympics junkie

2008-08-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

It happens every 2 years, Winter and Summer. I become a total Olympics junkie. I have to watch...everything. I sit in front of the TV for all 17 days of the games, regardless of the event. It's like crack. Or, at least, what I imagine crack might be like, having never tried it myself. Olympics crack.
Now, the thing is, I'm not particularly found of sports. I don't much like football. I enjoy a baseball game now and then, but really, it's not that often. I've never watched hockey, soccer, basketball, bowling, or for that matter, curling. I'm just not that into sports. I'm not an athlete (I hear you shocked gasps) and it don't get much pleasure out of watching athletes do their thing. Unless it's Olympic athletes. Then, I'm all over it. Give me any event and I'll watch it.
I might be doing other things while watching. Like last night, I was making envelopes and tonight I was also reading (I'm lucky, I can read with distractions in the background). My hubby asked if I wanted to watch a movie tonight. I just looked at him like he had suddenly sprouted another head. I said "No, I want to watch the games. You know how I get" and tried not to snarl it.
The Opening Ceremonies, one of the best things I've ever seen in my life. These pictures are all from Friday night.

It's weird, I have never understood this compulsion of mine. But I don't want to understand it. I just want my fix every 2 years.

Food porn (carrot cake cookies)

2008-08-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

These cookies are truly a labor of love but ohhhh are they worth it!

4 1/2 hours from start to finish. That includes cooking dinner, bathing one child and putting 2 kids to bed. I finished putting them together while watching the final 4 dance on So You Think You Can Dance (it was so fantastic but more on that later). I did make them smaller than called for in the recipe because I was taking them to work for a birthday and wanted more bite size cookies. They were a huge hit, I got so many compliments on them. Everyone LOVED them, which made me feel so good.

So, these cookies are a lot of work, like I said but they are so yummy. If you like carrot cake at all, you have to try them.

Recipe from Martha Stewart.com

Ingredients

Makes about 25 sandwiches

1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
1 cup raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

And the winner is

2008-08-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Linda! She's the winner of my first ever giveaway. Your little cards will be in the mail soon!

And a big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! I feel like it was a great success. I loved reading all of your nice comments. I hope to see some of you in my shop very soon!

New videos

2008-08-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I mentioned America's Got Talent and I know you've been wondering "when is she going to post another AGT video". Well, your wait is over!

This act cracked me up. I laughed so hard the first time I saw it and even harder the second time.

The man they mention at the beginning is the winner of last year's show. He is fantastic. I am seriously planning on going to Vegas to see him perform. If you want to see more, go to YouTube and search for Terry Fator (<----- or just click on his name over there). I could add so many videos for him but I'll settle for 3 of my favorites. He will blow you away.

New cards in the shop

2008-08-03T21:50:00.001-07:00

These are some of the cards I was working on last night

And, can I just say, I love the way these pictures turned out!

I also cut these out today and listed them. Never too soon to start shopping!

I want to reshoot the tags, I'm not totally happy with the pics. The sun went into hiding as I was setting up to take the pictures. The cards all came out but the tags could be brighter.

Ink and glue

2008-08-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

My hands were covered in ink and glue just a few minutes ago.....a sure sign of a successful night of card making.

I started working on my samples for the Little Black Box. I'm planning on sending in my little mini TY cards for the November box. Fingers crossed that it will bring in some more business. I want to buy one for myself soon. They just look like so much fun.

The mini cards have become my go to item for promotion. I just love that they are fairly easy to make and they use up some of my scrap paper. If you could see my scrap paper pile, you'd understand. Oh wait, you can!

It's out of control! I need to find a better solution but I can't come up with anything....

I also made a couple of other cards. Hopefully, I'll get pictures of them tomorrow so I can get them listed.

I've washed my hands so they aren't sticking to the keyboard, in case you were wondering!

Big sale

2008-08-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

One of my fellow East Countians is having a big sale on her adorable aprons. Stop by Rachel's Aprons to pick up some fantastic deals!

Wedding present part 2

2008-08-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

The shower went really well. She was extremely surprised, had no idea that it was happening. That's amazing, considering that we've all known about it since March. No one spilled the beans.

I think she really loved the frame. Everyone was very impressed that I had made it and it was properly ooohed and ahhhed over. I even had one of the other ladies I work with ask about putting in an order for a frame of her own.

Cool, looks like I might have found a new thing to make. I think I'm going to make a frame to match a Congratulations card that I have and sell them as a gift set. At least, that's the plan.

Wedding present

2008-07-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

I have a bridal shower at work tomorrow. I decoupaged a picture frame, the first time I've ever tried that. I'm pretty happy with the way it came out. I think I'll try another one and maybe list it.

This is the card that I made to go with the present. It's made from cardboard

My first giveaway!

2008-07-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take the plunge and have a giveaway!

This giveaway is for 5 of my little mini thank you cards (with envelopes).

Here's what to do if you would like to enter:

1. Please visit my shop and pick the card you like the best.
2. Come back here and tell me which card you picked.
3. Make sure I have some way of contacting you!

This contest will run until midnight (PST) August 3. I'll have my daughter draw the entry out of a hat (or a bowl or a cup or....whatever I can find) on Aug 4 and will contact the winner. The winner will need to supply their shipping address to me by Aug 8. The cards will be of my choosing and you might not receive the cards pictured here since I keep adding to my stock of these all the time.

Thanks and good luck!

Make sure you check out the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival for more fabulous giveaways!

New cards in the shop

2008-07-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

I've got a couple of new cards to list in the shop. I've been experimenting with the way I take the card photos and I think I like this.

I made a light box and tried photographing them with a white background but I just really didn't like the way the pictures turned out.
So, I tried again, using various pieces of scrapbook paper (goodness knows, I have enough to choose from!) and a patch of sunlight coming thru my craft room window.
A touch of editing in Photoshop and viola, bright, pretty pictures of my cards. I'm planning on reshooting some of my cards already listed because I want them to pop better in their pictures.

Unexpected Sunshine

2008-07-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

We have beautiful sunflowers growing in our front planter. We didn't plant them, I think the birds must have. This one is the size of a saucer plate. There is another plant with about 10 blooms on it that are just getting ready to open. So pretty, such unexpected sunshine.

Doing the happy sales dance

2008-07-27T01:03:00.000-07:00

It seems that whenever I start to get just a little down about having no sales in my shop, that's when a sale happens. I logged in last night to find that 2 of my Halloween cards had sold. Yay! Just when I was starting to think that maybe I was silly for having Halloween items in the shop in July. They are now winging their way across the country to a new home in Florida.

Hmm, get a little down, get a sale.....maybe I should be a little down all the time : )

Bye bye Monster Mash cards.

Look, even the monsters are doing the happy sales dance.

House Cleaning sale

2008-07-27T00:54:00.000-07:00

One of the members of my SDEC team is having a summer house cleaning sale to make way for her new fall line. Check out Devore Jones for some great deals on beautiful bags. How cute is the bag above!?! Click on it to make it yours.

Something to make you cry

2008-07-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible video. It's the #1 video on YouTube right now and if you watch it, you'll see why. Oh and I checked it on Snopes. It's all real

Oh thank goodness

2008-07-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

My blog is back! And it's better than ever. In trying to find a fix for the blog of no personality, I found a template for 3 columns. I've been thinking about trying out 3 columns and since I figured I would have to redo everything anyway, I thought I'd give it a try.

In playing around with the 3c template, I clicked on something within the layout tab and viola! My blog was back! I was so happy!

I quickly made another copy of it and I copied the HTML for all of my widgets into a Word doc. Then I created a test blog so I could play around with the 3c template without screwing my original up again. Lo and behold, the 3c template worked and I've spent the evening rearranging all of my widgets.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep the 3c template, but just in case, I have a back up copy of my old template saved! Whew!

Rocky Horror.......the remake?

2008-07-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how I feel about this. MTV is planning on remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show. No word yet on who will direct or star. They are hoping to have it out by Halloween 2009.

I don't know, why mess with perfection? I just can't see anyone else as Frank but Tim Curry. RHPS played a big part in my youth, as it did (and still does) for many people. I just don't know how I feel about a remake....

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/07/mtvs-rocky-horr.html

So sad

2008-07-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

I tried making a change to the HTML of my template last night and it went all wonky on me. The change saved, even though I never hit save. Then my template reverted back to the template that I used when I first starting blogging.

The option to upload the copy of my old template that I saved right before making the change is non-existent. Oh so sad, I have my old blog saved but can't get it back. I miss all my widgets....

I'm still trying to figure it out and I'm hoping to get it back to normal tonight but until then, I'm stuck with this blog of no personality.

Oh so sad......

Bad week

2008-07-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

I've been having a really bad week. On Monday, I woke up at 4am with a blazing headache on the whole left side of my head. A hot shower, 4 motrin and an ice pack later, I was on the couch and just couldn't make myself get up to go to work. Luckily, I was able to work from home for half a day so it wasn't a whole lost day.

Yesterday, I was at work, sitting at my computer when all of a sudden, I had a blinding pain in my left shoulder, near my neck. I wasn't doing anything, not even typing so I have no idea what happened. One minute, I was fine and the next, I was in a lot of pain. I borrowed a microwave heat pack from one of the other girls at work and toughed it out all day, but I was totally miserable. It was hard driving home, since I couldn't turn my neck to the left. I had to turn my whole body if I needed to change lanes. It got really bad when I got home because I was moving more than I had all day. I scared my daughter at one point because I was just sobbing from the pain. My hubby rubbed my neck and shoulder off and on most of the night and I took a couple of really hot baths as well.

This morning I decided that my health was more important than going to work so I stayed home again today. I've got one of those sticky heat packs on my shoulder and a full tube of Bengay. Woo boy, I'm ready to par-tay!

I still have no idea what I did but I'm guessing it's all related since both the headache and the pulled muscle were on the left side. I'm not that old, why do I feel like I'm falling apart!?!

I need to fire the maid....

2008-07-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Except, we don't have one.

I hate putting laundry away. Hate it. With a passion. I don't mind doing the laundry, washing it but actually folding it and putting it away....Bah! So, the clean laundry ends up in the baskets on the floor. And then we have to dig thru it all week long to find clothes.

I hate cleaning the bathrooms only slightly more than folding laundry.

Yeah, that maid, if she ever shows up, she's outta here!

Featured Etsian

2008-07-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

This week's featured Etsian is halfanacre. I first came across halfanacre in the forums and was intrigued by her avatar. I clicked into her shop and fell in love. Her pointy fish are fantastic and I've already promised myself one at some point. She also has a blog. It's brilliant and never fails to make me laugh. Here are some of my favorites from her shop.

Mini Thank You cards

2008-07-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a card post in a while (too many other fun things to share!) so thought I'd do one tonight. These cards were a custom order for another artist on Etsy. I had so much fun making them, I just couldn't stop. I keep adding to the pile so I figured I would list them. They are perfect for saying thanks to customers.

I've come to think of them as my version of ACEOs/ATCs. And they are a great way to use up some of my scrap paper!

Book Report

2008-07-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading the final book of a trilogy about Peter Pan. The books are written by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson. They tell the story of how Peter became Peter Pan, met Captain Hook and got Tinker Bell. They are fantastic books, I've loved every one. I'm a little sad since I'm almost finished with the last book of the series. I highly recommend them!

Click on the pictures to find the books on Amazon

Torn

2008-07-18T23:19:00.001-07:00

This makes me laugh out loud everytime I watch it. Enjoy

My turn at a Treasury

2008-07-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to snag a treasury in the Big House the other day. There were over 800 people watching the treasury as it got ready to drop below 333. Wow! The little box opened up, I pasted in my title, hit save and up popped the treasury screen....but with no boxes to enter item numbers.
Huh.

So I hit refresh....and lost my treasury. Poof! It was gone. I couldn't get back into it, kept getting an error message telling me to try back later. Me and those 800 other people? Yeah, we broke the treasury. It was down about 10 minutes and then, like magic, it was back.

I already had my poster sketch open so I quickly filled my treasury with green lovelies from the SDEC team. Whew!

Grandpa

2008-07-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Grandpa with his great grandson

We miss you Grandpa. It was a year ago today that we lost you and I think about you often. I hope that you have found an awesome game up there to umpire and that you have plenty of sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls. We love you very much.

Wow

2008-07-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's my lucky treasury week I guess. Yet another one from littlepinkplum. Beautiful reds this time.

My ladybugs are right there in the middle. They are one of my most viewed items. I designed them for my daughter's birthday one year. So much fun!

Fun Funky treasury

2008-07-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm in another treasury, this time picked by LizEdgar, another SDEC team member. Our little group has really grown. Who knew there were so many etsians out in the east county of San Diego!

That's my Oh Happy Day card, there at the bottom of the treasury.

Two treasuries!

2008-07-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm in 2 treasuries right now! Both picked by littlepinkplum, a lovely lady in my San Diego East County street team. Thanks littlepink!

That my Monster Mash card at the bottom of the Black & White treasury and my blue Thanks card in the middle of the blue treasury.

Controversy!

2008-07-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I posted on the Ehell forums about my neighbor. He smokes (which is completely his right). He also has a fan in his bedroom window that sucks the smoke out of his house and blows in directly into mine. If the fan is turned on and the windows on that side of the house are open, those rooms smell like smoke.

We have talked to him about it. The first time, the window was shut and the fan was turned off. Then he put up a bamboo shade, like one that you would put up to block the afternoon sun on your porch. He opened the window again and turned on the fan. 6 feet of thin bamboo shade did not stop the smoke from being blown into our house. We talked to him about it again. Again, he shut the window and turned off the fan. Until Wednesday morning when I awoke to the smell of his smoke coming in my window at 5am.

It's summer here right now and it's hot. We don't have AC nor can we afford to have it put in. We have several fans but we have to have the windows open in order to get some relief from the heat.

So, I posted on Ehell, looking for some suggestions, a little support, but mostly just to vent. And then I was attacked. At first, the answering posts were suggestions, to get a fan of our own for the window, to keep the windows shut, to put in AC. I said we would look into the fan option but the other suggestions really weren't an option.

Then I was told that another option was to move. No, that's really NOT an option. That seemed like a really silly thing to suggest but I didn't say that.

Posters started defending my neighbor, saying that he wasn't doing anything illegal, he had every right to smoke in his own home and that I was being unreasonable. I said yes, but what about my right to NOT have smoke in my own home. It was my own fault for not getting off my lazy butt and doing something on my end to stop the smoke from coming in. That I had nixed every idea given to me and that I was being completely unreasonable about the whole thing.

Ummm, ok.....

All of this took place in the space of 24 hours. I posted on Wednesday morning. By Thursday morning I was being told that I hadn't done anything and it was my own fault, I just needed to suck it up since I was unwilling to make any changes on my end. Unwilling???? I had barely had time to get home from work, make dinner for my kids and sleep but I was supposed to have already gone out and gotten a fan for the window, installed AC and apologized to my neighbor.

There were a few posters defending me and agreeing with me. They were passionate and vocal and I thank them for their posts. I got quite a few supportive private messages and that really helped.

In the end, there were a couple of posters who decided that they flat out didn't believe me. They didn't believe that the smoke was coming into my house and that I was....I don't really know. Making the whole thing up, I guess.

I finally had to post that I was done with the whole thread. That they could believe me or not, but why would I lie about it. What could I possibly gain by lying? Certainly not a whole lot of sympathy and understanding.

I did ask: what if the situations had been reversed. What if I was the smoker with the fan and my neighbor was the one who had the smoke blowing into his house. What if I had then come to the forum and said 'yeah, my neighbor told me this but I don't care, I'm going to do what I want cause it's my right and he can just suck it up.' I'm certain that if that had been the case, I would have been told that I was being rude and inconsiderate. I noticed that no one really had a response to that query.

I will point out that most of the posters who were defending my neighbor so vehemently were themselves smokers (many of them mentioned it within their posts). I guess that my post touched on some very sensitive nerves. I never once said that I expected my neighbor to give up smoking or to stop smoking in his home but a lot of the posters made it sound like that was what I was demanding.

I don't care if he smokes, he can smoke 10 packs a day if that's what he wants to do. What I do care about is that he is actively, knowingly blowing his smoke into my house. I don't want his secondhand smoke in my house, around my children. I don't think I'm being unreasonable. I don't think that just because you have the legal right to do something means that you can and should do it. All I've asked my neighbor to do is not turn on his fan. When the fan is not on, I never smell the smoke. A simple solution, I think. He is not using the fan for cooling, if he was it would be sucking air into his house, not blowing it out. We are going to try a fan in our own window. We're even thinking about planting something either in front of the window or along that side of the house entirely. Hopefully, one of those things will help and we will have a smoke free house again.

I'm not going to stop visiting the Ehell forums. No goodbye cruel forum posts for me. But, I will be thinking twice about posting my own personal problems for a while. And that's too bad.