Halloween Treat Bags...

...are now for sale in my Etsy shop!


How cute are these?

All you have to do is fill with goodies (I think candy corn would be dee-licious), and you have the perfect gift for a teacher, crossing guard, or a little someone! I found the tutorial for this 2-5-7-10 box here. They were so ridiculously easy to make! I am definitely adding these to my gift-box arsenal!

I stamped the sentiment in black and then accented it with a gold Gelly Roll pen. I used a cool Victorian edged pair of scissors to cut the flap, and then inked up the edge for contrast.

The hardest part was creating the embellishment for the front. Well, not so much hard, as time consuming. I added Gold stickles, and black glitter and Voila! Cute embellie!

:)

In an Effort to De-Fur my Couch...

I whipped this bad boy up:


This giant fleece pillow is a doggie bed for our gal-pal Roxie. I got the fleece at joAnn's for a steal at just $5 a yard. I even tufted the giant pillow to make it look "fancy". She had to check it out...

Before accepting it as her new lounge area...

Anywho, I totally love how it turned out! And it only took a couple of hours to make! :)

Ok, so the upside is...

...I have managed to borrow a laptop from my Aunt while she is overseas for the next few weeks... And I have been crafty too... Soon I will have kinds of pictures of the craftyness I have been up to. Also, be sure to check out my Etsy shop in the coming days, as I will be uploading some Spooky Treats! :)

The wait for a new computer continues...

...money's tight, and life has been simpler without daily access to the internet. I have been able to get online here and there, but there just isn't the budget for any new electronics right now... :(

My Computer is doomed!

It happened just over a week ago... I was playing around online, browsing some blogs and what not... And the computer just shuts off... No beeping. No lights. NADA!! I tried everything, but I am not exactly a tech wiz or anything... So today I am coming to you from my parents living room... I don't know how long I will be without my precious computer, but with vacation coming up, funds are tight, so I may be without for some time. I just hope I don't lose my files... I know it's the worst mistake, but I have never backed up anything, so I have 4+ years of pictures hiding inside the silent back shell that once housed my gateway to the internet... THIS SUCKS! AAARrrrggghhhh!

For those of you in the mood for a giggle...

...head over to the Cosmo Cricket blog and enjoy the rant about bathing suit buying. I was rolling laughing while I read this.

I recently tried to go shopping for a new suit, myself. Seeing as though, the one I currently sport has about had it, after 4 years of good continuous use. While pre-second-baby bikini's that I hold onto in the hopes of losing the extra 60 or o pounds of "baby weight" I have been carrying around for the past, oh, 3 years or so, sit neatly folded in a drawer, collecting dust...


C'est la vie! At least I'm happy right? :)

Crafty Storage Space...

I made this little card this morning. I had stamped and colored and stickled the image a few weeks ago and suddenly knew exactly what to with her! I only wish the picture had come out better, she really is a beauty. The sentiment reads: "Thank heaven for little ones!"

So I figured that today I would share with some pictures of my scrap area, though it is still a work in progress... It seems I have more stuff that just doesn't have a home yet.

The white cabinet was my mom's computer cabinet, but she upgraded to a laptop and didn't need this bulky piece of furniture taking up valuable space in her living room any longer, and so I got it for the best price ever... FREE!

On top of the cabinet is a shelf my mom and I painted blue for a craft show. On the top shelf is Christmas and Halloween themed scrap items... Everything from stamps to ribbon...

The middle shelf holds Disney themed scrap items, and other miscellany things that I have acquired but do not really use very often... A.K.A. the random scrap crap....

On the bottom shelf are ziploc bags that contain my flowers (I want to get jars, but keep putting it off...) And underneath that are three little sts of plastic drawers that are home to my buttons... Next to that is the bling bin, 'nuff said... :)

And now a peek into where the magic happens... I have mat stacks, an embellishment caddt and these adorable felt cupcakes that keep my stick pins tidy on the top shelf. Inside are my colored pencils, my MM Carousel holder thingie, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!, my adhesive container, and all the random crap I have been playing with... I am not exactly a neat person... I also make good use out of what once was the keyboard tray.

I especially wanted to show you how I store my brads. I found these little plastic containers at Target a while ago for super-cheap so I snapped up as many as I could. I also picked up ome super sticky velcro and put a strip on top of the lid of each container and then two strips underneath the top shelf in my cabinet. I t was super easy and totally cost-effective.

In the bottom of the cabinet, I keep my cuttlebug, paper punches, and crop-a-dile on one shelf, miscellaneous packaging crap on the bottom, and my stamps on the right. The clear stamps are organized in clear CD cases in the bin in front. A few of my Stampin Up sets are just lying on top there, because I haven't decided where to store them yet and behind all of that are two storage drawer thingies with all the other stamps. I have my ink caddy on top.

So here is a view of the cabinet and everything to the right of it.

First my ribbon storage. I took this wodden thing that I found in my mom's basement, which I also used for a craft show to hang hairbows, and made it work perfectly for neatly holding all of my ribbon spools. In the bin in front are all of my ribbon scraps in gallon bags, sorted by color. My plan for this area is to find a deep bookcase (for the right price of course), and put the ribbon holder on top of the bookcase and then inside the bookcase get some glass jars to hold the ribbon and maybe move the flowers down there too... we'll see... it's just what I've been thinking...

Next to that, I have one of those plastic storage shelf thingies, that used to be in the kids room to hold their board games and trains and such, until they some wicked cool upgrades from IKEA. I have all of my alphabets in the green thing on the top shelf, along with some unfinished frames, and another embellie caddy. The second shelf holds some notebooks and some fabrics. The bottom shelf has all of my acrylic paints, backup adhesives, my labelmaker, and more fabric. there is also a sewing basket in front of that that holds a ton of embroidery floss, some skeins of yarn and knitting needles out the yin yan (I plan on teaching myself this skill in the upcoming future)... I also have these cool adirondac chair picture frames that I got at a flea market for like 50 cents each, but I don't know what to do with them yet, and I have this awesome pink tulip hanging lamp... I'll take pics of it once I get it up...

And then on the wall adjacent to the store shelves, I have this little unit that holds empty containers, and naked clothespins and clipboards and such.. You know, the alterable junk... :)

Clear on the other side of the room... Is my neat and tidy computer workspace... which is neither neat nor tidy... Printer is on the left, Items listed for sale in my Etsy shop are in the bin there, and packaging supplies are on top in the empty wine box... I know it looks terriblke but its really efficient. Under the printer is a pleathera of magazines and how-to books... :)

And finally, in a little book shelf under the computer I hide my cricut and my cartridges... I need to find a better place for this, but space is limited right now....

Phew... and that is just how I roll! :)

Win $1,000 at TheCuttlebugSpot.com!

I have just discovered that The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"!

They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (http://www.customcrops.com/)!

GO NOW!!!! and check it out at http://www.thecuttlebugspot.com/

I wish I had more to share...

...the truth is, I am still unpacking. Since we spent most of the weekend here there and everywhere, I spent Monday doing all the things that didn't get done over the weekend, i.e. the laundry, the dishes, and picking up after all three kids.

So, now I am back to unpacking, but with the small people home 25/7 and litterally at each other's throats non-stop, it has been quite the challenge... Ughh...

Do you have the same problem with your little ones? I mean Zach is 6 and Allie is only 3 but every little tiny thing with them is a Battle Royale... WTF?!?!?! I spend 2/3 of the day trying to make them get along... It's exhausting!

Anywho, I have most of the craftyness unpacked, so I promise to deliver some eye candy soon!

:)

We have a Winner!!!

I wanted to post this yesterday... But you see this guy here:

well he kidnapped me:

and along with these three here:

Forced me into the car to drive down to here:

Basically the five of us ended up spending the majority of the day playing and relaxing on the beach in Cape May Point, NJ. It was a lot of fun!

********

But now onto the "COOL" stuff... I really enjoyed visiting everyone's blogs and reading all of your comments. I had no idea how big this would become!! :) So without further ado:

The winner of my scrumptious blog giveaway is....

********

True from True's Gifts from the Heart
********

Congratulations True. Please email me your address and I will be sure to get this in the mail quickly! :)

Guess What...

****Blog Candy now closed! Today is the day!!! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and in a few hours, I will pick the WINNER!!!***

Stay Tuned!!!

...tomorrow is my birthday!!!! Yeah! HooraY!!!!

Those of you that know me, know that I act like a 6 yr old when it comes to birthdays... Yeah, it's bad... I started counting down the days to my birthday on Easter... I get really, really, really excited about birthdays... Maybe a little too excited... This year I am turning 27... My girlfriends have pointed out that this is a milestone birthday... I will no longer be in my mid-twenties... No-siree-bob... I will officially be "almost 30"... They say it with that ominous tone in their voice meant to terrify and warn of the danger of aging that lies upon the path ahead... But I'm not scared!

I LOVE my birthday! And so, in honor of my birthday, I thought it might be fun to offer up some blog candy...

***Note: this post will stay at the top until the drawing, please scroll down for more recent posts... Especially this post, please take the time to read it, and help out if you can!

Thanks!! :)

There is a ton of random stuff... Yeah, it's random... I buy too much... Sometimes I even accidentally buy multiples.. Oops...

But check out some of the highlights: some American Crafts flair, some Basic Grey rub ons, Mickey buttons...

...Stackable screw-on container of random brad assortment, little alpha stamps, totally random paper, sanding blocks, lotsa stickers, a few ribbons...


Junkitz alterable Decor board, (see this post and this post to see how I have used them) some number acrylic stamps, some thickers, tons of Pink Paislee glitter sticks, cotton candy Stickles, etc....

It's pretty yummy!

So now that I have you salivating and sitting at the edge of your seat, you are wondering, what do I have to do to win this dee-licious candy? Am I right?

Well... that is the easy part... All you have to do is comment this post, follow this blog and post a link on your blog! Simple right?

But what if I don't have a blog? What am I to do then? No worries, just post a comment and follow and you are good to go...

I will even ship overseas!

This candy will close on June 27th, when I will pick a random winner!

So, PLEASE... Join me in celebrating my birthday and spread the word and the yum-yums...

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Yeah! We Did It!

... We Moved... a whole 9 miles... from a BIG apartment in an blah small city, to a decidedly smaller apartment in a cute funky artsy small town... They say you sacrifice space for location... and they sure weren't kidding!!!

On the upside, I now have my very own washer and dryer... my laundromat days are over!!!

I just can't believe we actually did it... today... in torrential downpour... NOT FUN!!!

But I will tell you this, rain comeing at you in 10 different directions will certainly light a fire under your bum... in a good way of course... So now we all of our tiny rooms packed with boxes and furniture in no particular order (Allie hid my Sharpie when I was packing) and well, when it's raining and you're rushing, you tend to put things just about everywhere, just to get them in, QUICK! So far the only things I have managed to UN-pack are the TV (since the cable guy was coming this afternoon) and the computer and a few boxes of books and DVDs for the living room. In fact the whole living room is pretty much set-up(not a whole lot to it)... And the computer is good to go in the multi-purpose room, amid boxes upon boxes of everything else in the world... At the moment, you cannot even get into the kids room, so who knows what ended up in there...

Sadly, my craft desk did not take the trip very well... it snapped en-route, but Jim thinks he may be able to fix it... Keep your fingers crossed! :)

Anywho, I have lots to do before I sleep, though crafting will not be one of them... Booo-hooo!

:)

I'm feeling pretty fabulous of late...

...wanna know why?

...well... since posting my candy, and thanks to all of you who have helped to spread the word... (By the way you ALL rock, and I have greatly enjoyed peeking at everyone's stuff and reading all the lovely comments)... anywho, I have received a flippin fantastic award!

Tracey of Tracey Feeger aka Booyagirl, Jan of Paper Craft Pleasures, and True of True's Gifts From The Heart have all bestowed this wonderful award upon my little blog:

Thank you ladies!

I am so happy...

It totally made my week...

maybe even my month... :)

And now the fun part... the rules:

* Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. (check...dually noted and accepted...)

* Pass the award to 6 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. If you can’t pass it on to 6 just pass it on to as many or as few as you like! (ooo...the fun part, and I have so many new peeps to choose from!)

In no particular order and without further ado, I would like to pass on the loveliness to the following:

*Linda

*Alice

*Nunt

*Chrissy

*Helen

*Kim

Thanks and Congrats!

:)

So, today is my anniversary, and money's tight, but I wanted to do something special for Jimmy, so I made him a trio of photo holder that he can put in his "man cave".

Here is the "Big Poppa" Clothespin, it's about 9" tall:


And the photo frame (hold a 4x6" photo):

and finally the smaller of the clothespins, standing 6" tall:

No frilly ribbons for my man, he's a man's man... I also have some pics of him and the kids playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero, that I just haven't printed out yet, to put in the frames...

I think he's going to like them. :)

And just for kicks, I thought I might throw in a pic of my youngest this morning...

...she just doesn't understand that binoculars are supposed to make things bigger... not smaller... hehehehehe...

I had the flu...

... I thought flu season was over, but a horrible stomach bug caught me off guard and I was laid up for three days.... yes three... It was just awful, but I am feeling much better now, thankyouverymuch... :)

Everyday Wishes

I went to Walmart this morning to pick up my pictures for week 1 layout for the scrapping contest I talked about in this post . They had a bin with books on sale up to 70% off so I browsed a bit... I have a deep affection for books of all types. I found this cute little wonder for only $2:

Little Book of Everyday Wishes. How cute is that? Today's wish:

"When things are a little dull, make a silly, funny wish to brighten up your day.

It's just adorable. I think I will try to post each day's wish from now on, as part of a regular post, that may encourage me to continue posting throughout the busy summer months.

Well, I have to run and get packing, we are moving in 2 short weeks.! Yikes!

I just couldn't help myself...

...I dreamt about this card in my sleep. I needed to make a card my little boy who's graduating Kindergarten in a couple weeks, and a design idea popped into my head while I was sleeping... It was robots, and I knew I had a little stash of Cogsmo hidden soewhere in the craft closet.

I also wasn't 100% thrilled with the first card I made for the showdown at 2 Sketches 4 You so I used the sketch to make the card.

This card is also a milestone... I used acrylic for the first time. Woo-hoo! I even cuttled it with the swiss dots folder.

I totally love this card... Even Mr. Sure-It-Looks-Great-I-Guess liked it! Woot!

And here it is (front of the card):

Inside right:

Inside right:

Close up of the cogs, you can't really tell but they are different heights... I used foam stickies...

See.. I cuttled acrylic! Also the circle paper is a design I did myself in Design Studio and then cut with the cricut!

I totally love it!

2 Sketches 4 You Ultimate Card Showdown

...oh it is a biggie...

...so I figured I'd thrown in my hand and join the competition...

First, the sketch (Laura's sketch #27):

drumroll please...


The Card:

a close up:

and a lil' bit closer:

I wasn't sure about it at first. but I like it! I used Me & My Big Ideas Fashion District line. The floral stripe is actually fussy cut from another sheet of paper, but I like the way it looked layered on the bold stripes. I cuttled and inked the blue rectangle and punch the butterfly out of the striped paper. You know me, it needed a little bling, so I used the tiny rhinestones on the butterfly, and then it needed a little sumthing extra, so I added the ribbon on the seam and the buttons... and VOILA! I really like it...

Working on a gift...

...it's my very first paper bag album...

...it's not quite finished yet, but so far, here is the front cover:

The first and second pages:

the third and fourth pages:

the fifth and sixth pages:

the seventh and eighth pages:

I have two more pages and the back cover to finish, but I really like the way it's coming along...

I used mostly basic grey's urban prairie line that I have been hoarding for quite some time now... And I added lots of bling... I really like bling... ALOT!!! :)