September already??!!

Two years ago I posted that I was starting to branch out and sell a few paper crafting kits here and there. Well, my start kind of stalled.  I only ever made one. Don't get me wrong, they were great kits and sold out quickly but then I got busy with other things. Since the kids went back to school, I have had some time to created another. Based on one of my favorite holidays, these little Halloween monsters chipboard books are more of a treat than a trick. (giggle, giggle)

The kit is stuffed with goodness and just about everything you need to complete a project minus your basic tool kit and pop-dots. In addition to sending you the kit, I will email you instructions and full color photos of the completed project.

Here is a peek at the book:

You can see more photos and buy yours here. 
I have only made 10 kits and sold one already!   

Also, if you can believe it… (I still cannot)

we have adopted a little puppy.

Meet Charlie.

Charlie chews,
Charlie runs,
Charlie “teedles” (as my friend Holly would say) wherever Charlie likes…
Charlie is a baby.

Goodness. I forgot how hard babies are.

He is half boxer, half lab.

The person we got him from said he is called a boxador
back in the day we called a dog like that a mutt.

We just call him Charlie
and with all the chewing,
wild running,
more chewing,
and occasional teedle…
we love him
(and it is probably because he is just so darn cute.)

Please remind me of this when he goes after my anthropologie boots!

remain calm...

TODAY,

while shopping for some art goodies,

i happened upon a copy

of the newest somerset

Holidays and Celebrations edition.

(i think it is supposed to hit shelves sep 1st.)

I flipped through it and

GUESS WHAT???

My work is right there,

taking up all of page 17!!!

EEEEKKKKKK!!!

Those poor ladies in the shop looked over to find

me jumping up and down,  

hair falling out of the clip it was so carefully put in,

squealing to my 10 year old...

"Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness!!"  was all I could say!

At Silver Bella 2 years ago, I hosted a swap full of amazing talent and one of the girls (thanks Kim!) submitted the entire work along with an article about the swap to somerset and they decided to put it in their magazine!!!

(You can find all of the work of these amazing ladies blogged about here)

"Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness!!"

I know girls who have their work in these magazines and they are so cool about it. 

"yes, I have a few things in there"

and

"oh, that little thing?"

and

"oh, that really isn't anything"

Well, let me tell you...

I was not cool

AT ALL

Jumping up and down so very excited... I bought one. 

Now I am off to actually read it.

~hugs

It really was no miracle, what happened was just this...

The wind began to swish

The house, to pitch

And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch

Just then the Witch

To satisfy an itch 

Was flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch.

and, oh, what happened then was rich.

~dorothy gale

I have done it! 

Finished my tags for the Wizard of Oz Swap

(hosted by the lovely Karla Nathan)

Getting them packaged up and mailing them monday...

Yippie!

Now on to other goodies...

gotta work on:

my journal

birdhouse (yes, I signed up and have not even started!)

and some little albums I will be selling on etsy

Although, when I get to create, it isn't really work at all.  It is more of a recharging of my batteries.

aaaahhhhhh...

~hugs

my honey bunches of stinkweed...

first, as promised...


the answers to yesterday's post.

here is the back of my alphabet card with the answers:

now on to the real reason for this post...


while shopping with Hope the other day


I found a ring


you know when you find something you like


you make the move to try it on


and when you do,


it fits


AND looks good?


well, it happened to me.


it was not a big deal, just a sterling ring...


but it had a heart in the center of it.


i don't want to buy a heart for myself.


i know it sounds weird


i feel like I am saying "i love you" to me


and as we should love ourselves...


i don't need to buy something to tell me that. 


well, i suppose no one needs to buy something for someone else to tell them that.


it is evident in how we treat each other,


right?


Well, I went home that day,


ring-less


and told my husband about it.


it was the same day I got my little animal


(fox? bear? cat?  we still don't know)


I digress


(i do that a lot!)


So today, he told me to go put my feet up, take a nap or just lie down for a bit. 


and after a ton of lollygagging


(it is what i do best,)


i finally made my way into my room and found this:

Upon first glance, it looked as if she had a cast on...


but no!


It was the ring!!!


and then came the note...


I won't share it, because it is personal,
and mushy...


but it was the sweetest note ever.


really,


you are just going to have to believe me on this.


He was supposed to be setting up his classroom yesterday
with our kids
while i was out with friends
and instead,
he spent over an hour on the road
and somehow the kids kept this a secret for a whole day!

(my favorite is the heart in the middle)

I love my honey bunches of stinkweed!

~hugs

staying true to my word...

one more thing to check off the list! 

Yippie!!

I completed my ABC book swap page.

(hosted by the ever so sweet and gracious Marian Ballog)

as you can probably guess

my letter

was Gg 

it started out in a whole other direction, but as I worked

my page morphed into something whimsical.

and i can sit back and say

"i am happy with it"

so, I think I will...

I am happy with it!

There, another thing checked off my list...
being kind to myself about what I create.

Wow, this evening is full of check offs.

Here are all TWENTY SEVEN in all of their glory...

criminey!

Can you guess all of the "g" words included on the page?

Hint,
there are seven!
get it?
G is the seventh letter of the alphabet!!

answers coming tomorrow...

On another note,
I got to hang out with Hope this week while she was in town!

What a treat that was!!!

Anna and I took her

to blick (oh the copics!)

antiquing (vignettes is amazing!!!)

met up with LeAnne,

had lunch on the beach

touched our toes in the COLD Pacific

ate bright green ice cream

(well, Anna and I did... everyone else had normal colors)

went to Out of the Blue, Solo and Leaping Lotus

Love this towel!

before having to take her back to her hubby.

I just could not resist bringing this little one home...

She was just so sweet that I could not leave her.

she has a home, now she needs a name...

any suggestions?

~hugs

someday is here

I decided today that it is about time.

About time I start finishing up all of the old projects

i paid big bucks to create

there are so many

and yes,

they are neatly stored

and kept in the state they were in when the class was over

i packed up

exhausted from a long day of creating and good company

there was usually a long drive home or flight

unpacking and putting it up on a shelf for someday

well,

someday is here

it is now or never

use it or lose it

I think we all come to a point where it is easier
to chuck some things

rather than take the time to finish them

i am battling with that

and trying to win.

(silver bella alum 2008, remember this one?  this one will be done before bed!)

so, with that in mind...

i am already taking Hope's journal class (as you probably know)

and suzi's petit dolls class (you probably know this too)

i am in a vintage abc book swap (but hey, one is going to charity!)

just signed up for Karla's swap:

and planning on signing up for this class online because i just cannot resist.

I mean come on! 

2 weeks and $25... super cute and affordable. 

Who can resist this stuff???

now, I am creating, finishing and glad someday came.

paper is flying, scissors are snipping and glue is dripping

but i don't care.

someday is here and i am getting ahead.

~hugs

one word? really??

I was supposed to think of one word to describe myself...
and since it was difficult,
I cheated. 

I used a word that has more descriptors than any other I could think of.

I picked Libra

Here is my most recent journal entry
and
my first attempt at a petit doll
from the suzi blu class i have been taking...

on my last journal page,

I realized that my journaling

(well really my lettering)

needed much practice,

so that is really my focus here. 

Look at that ridiculous letter A in the middle of the left page! 

Well, it was a good exercise to get some practice in and stretch those creative wings once again.

~hugs