My birthday

I will be taking a oh so tiny blog break for 2 days(!!!) while I prepare for June to arrive. I have grand plans for a birthday count down for myself (the 14th) I'm not blogging about my birthday for some coy motivation to get well wishes and surprise presents, BUT because I have been thinking about how when I turned 30 (2 years ago) it was one of the best years of my life and how I'd hate for getting further away from 30 to mean going further from that best year.

So I thought I'd prepare a daily post for the first 2 weeks of June for me, myself, and YOU! I might even have a birthday present give away for some lucky readers :)

I also need a little break because I am continually frustrated and let down by the web :) I can not tell you how many times in the last couple of months that I get a fabu idea, only to find out it's already been done...which is ok...but it does make me feel like a copy cat with no ideas of my own...maybe a little blog break will help me feel better about that???

See you in a couple of days.

Oh! and Jess correctly guessed the answer to my contest in the last post. The necklaces were inspired by KT Tunstall's song "Suddenly I See"...I love that song! Here's the video:

Better than Candy?

After a morning taking pics of friends' kiddos at the park, while my two little ones played, and eating scrumptious blueberry bundt cake my sister made, said sister and I met our mom at a quilt store/yarn store/store with a table of beads...I was very happy to find VERY reasonably priced lampwork beads, sure probably just the generic thing you can pick up anywhere, but to just be able to pic and choose and walk away with these baubles for $1.33 (tax included.) I have grand silver charm ideas for these...maybe I'll have to reopen my etsy shop???

And for all my lovely devoted readers...my contest is proving a bit difficult...further clues, she's Scottish, adopted, and has a sound that is almost indie but played on main stream radio stations...really vague, I know...

contest hint

It's from a song that has come out this year (?) and is sung by a woman

So I Can Hate Myself in the Morning

This 3 day weekend has really thrown me off! Yesterday didn't feel like Sunday (I ditched church ;) Today definately couldn't have been a Monday! I'm so mixed up! And now I am staying up tooooo late working on projects...I will be so tired tomorrow!

The first few things I worked on were these necklaces. The one above is the 3rd piece for my 3 piece series for myself...one here and the other:

And if you can guess the significance of these 3 pieces...where the idea came from...I might be pursuaded to send this next necklace out to you as a prize! (post here!)

I forgot to mention

I joined Dawn's fabric charm swap Go look and see if it's your cup o' tea.

book list: for the SAKE of blogging

In a fit of defiance and strength, I abandoned my family for ONE WHOLE HOUR!!! ha ha! I was a little little peeved because I cleaned up the kitchen for an hour after dinner (from a whole days mess) while they ALL played. So I told them I was going to go play for an hour while they cleaned up the front room...I really am trying to keep it clean :)

ok so, I ran away to Barnes and Noble and browsed the books and tables of promotional books, and bargain books, and craft books, and interior designer books and did it REALLY fast because I did have only an hour. I made a list of all the lovely books I thumbed through and thought I might like to read or buy or lift (j/k). Here it is for your browsing pleasure...all 5 of you that read my blog LOL!

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez I've heard about this book a number of times and I think I would like it??? Any input?
Summer: A User's Guide by Suzanne Brown So cool! It's direction and recipes...basically a how to for summer...It includes directions for throwing a clam bake, using a boogie board, and entertaining kiddos. It was totally cool! Go look!
The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation by Paulo Coelho from the writer of "The Alchemist"
The Boy Mechanic Makes Toys I have "The Boy Mechanic" but this one looks fun too! I love vintage book reproductions!
Get a Hobby!: 101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle by Tina Barseghian Do I need to say anything else? Instruction/informational book about how to start 101 hobbies... I'd get this but I know I don't need any more hobbies
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith The description for this book swept me away. You can read an editorial version part way down on the linked page...totally magical...at least I hope so! If I BUY one book this summer it will be this one.
The Personal Organizing Workbook: Solutions for a Simpler, Easier Life I liekd this not only because I am on an organizing kick lifestyle change, but because the photos were so great!
Knitting for Peace What a great book! A list and info of chafrities to knit for, plus it's super cute too!
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint decorating book w/ a biut of Southern Ed. Really a lovely book. I especially loved her remodeled and beautifully decorated pigeonnier similar to this one. I WANT A PIGEONNIER!!!

Blogging for myself

We went and saw Pirates yesterday. loved it and hated it...anyways, I forgot to frink my gigormous soda that hubs bought me, so I started chugging it through the credits (stay unitl they're over to see part of why I hated it!) Well movie upset and a chugged coke did not make for a happy tummy, so I was sent to be early (is it bad that no real dinner ever was made and my kids survived the night on the gobs of candy they ate during the movie?) Anyways again, I went to bed at 8 and slept restfully well until 7 this morning. And they are still all in bed, and it's so lovely and quiet (like the night) w/o me being tired (unlike the night) and in a few short minutes I must wake them to dress and set out our yard sale...but it has been so sweet and lovely this morning.

Something Old is New Again

Over a year ago, I made a huge score at the libraries clearance sale, bringing home 4 bags of vintage books for $8. I put all my keepers on my bookshelf and stashed the others away for projects. It's been on my mind lately to get it done, and yesterday saw Kerry's post about her altered vintage books. I figured what better time then right now! (to look like the copy cat I am LOL!)

Mine's different though. I dissected a couple of 3 ring binders so I could keep the spines intact. The one titled "Birds in Our Lives" is for a special scrapbook about our friends and families. The "America's Wonderlands" will be a travel journal for any trips we make this year. I'm not very good at travel journaling, I get too wrapped up in the moment, so I think this will be a nice collection of many single paged but thorough road trips.

s'more

Less is sometimes better than more, but s'more is always better than everything else...

I'll just sum up real quick that my weekend was mostly not good, with a very fun dinner one night, and that today followed suit of being really not good with a bunch of good mixed in...I just want a break! LOL!

My day of goodness and it's evil conterparts;

Decided to declutter my counter:::had to stop before I finished to pick up "sick" C-bug from school
Cleaned off fridge and front of cabinets:::someone sprayed shaving cream all over the bathroom counter and cabinet
Made a healthy yummy dinner:::B threw 2 handfuls of uncooked rice all over the kitchen
Made s'mores for everyone:::stepped in something blue and sticky on the previously cleaned kitchen floor

Sooooo I made myself 2 extra s'mores...I feel better :)

Lucky Me

I did not have a good day...not a bad day, just not a good day...just a bit of a pregnancy blood sugar crash, some church needs that came up that are big, just exhausted me.

However I had bunko to look forward to. I feel like a traitor, because it's not MY game group, in fact it's a group of "them," "you-know-who's" or "those girls." ;)So I thought "muhahaha!, I'm infiltrating 'the group.' I'm gonna hit 'em low and hit 'em hard! They won't even see it coming!"

So I picked up these "lucky 7" charms that I actually made for no reason at all, constructed a quick necklace and long story short, I ended up with the highest score, the highest bunkos, AND traveler!!! Muhahaha! ;) I promised not to wear my necklace next time I play with them. But I'll have it in my pocket! ;)

The beginnings of a lovely quilt

Scrap quilt top, using this lovely tutorial from happy things

Ceramic Plate redo

First I saw a pic in either Blueprint or Domino with these neat-o stenciled on vintage ceramic plates...yes you too could

own one

for roughly $80! Next magazine (April's Country Home) had a great article on Danny Seo with the same kind of plates:

You too could

make one

for roughly $7!!! (Ceramic oven paint from the craft store.) So of course I did:

Mother's Day Bracelets

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Feeling a lot of love for all the moms I know. And all the sisters who mother, and friends who love whole heartedly.

Bracelets made by C-bug, me, and T-man. I love that with all this jewelry making I've been doing, I coincidentally got two lovely gems from my kiddos! I was thinking last night about what I have gained from my own mom, and what my kids will gain from me...they won't know how to keep a house clean, but they sure will know how to create someting beautiful!

Happy Mother's Day friends!

Saturday is a special day

For those of you that don't know the song, the next line is "It's the day we get ready for Sunday." Which is only true today for me because it's the day I can do a lot of fun things before my real boring Sunday ;)

Wore this reconstructed top today (men's old navy shirt, now cut up, gathered, tucked and sewn back together) and my necklace is part of a 3 piece series I am making for myself...and then there probably won't be any pictures like this for awhile...so I am sort of promising all you lurkers and loyal ones that I will stop boring you with these wardrobe posts LOL!

I decided at the last minute to go yard saling, so glad I did, spent $8!, got 3 picture frames, big blanket (for batting for a quilt), HUGE embroidery hoop, one bunny parasol, one paper storage box, 4 canvas totes (now have 6 for groceries!!!), 2 pieces of Indian fry bread (yay New Mexico yard sales!), and 4 name brand clothing pieces for B. Pretty good aye?

We cleaned the kids rooms after switching them around again...can see the floor!!! Fell asleep on the floor LOL went to Raesha's favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner, enjoyed a quick thunderstorm, planted tomatoes and green chile, and now I'm going to finish my Ben and Jerry's Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream ice cream!!! mmmm

1 apple up on top

I'm not sure what it is... I just want NEW maternity clothes...not my old stuff, not my sisters' hand me downs...something all me and all new.

This is the third shirt and coordinating piece of jewelry I made this week. I've been having green apple images on the brain. Would love to get a temporary tattoo of 3 green apples on my arm...I know...crazy.

I'm out of knit now, so next week will be a bigger challenge for making tops.

Sometimes I can do some magic

I was determined to make a maternity shirt today...

problem: no pattern...solution: make one

problem: no lovely coordinating necklace...solution: make one

Just (sort of) wasting more time

I know I'm not REALLY wasting time...I'm getting more scrapping done than I have in the last year. But because of my week off my feet I have a million things to do, including houseworks and business, and my list gets longer when I sit down at the computer to play and make new elements. I made all of these elements myself. It's pretty fun converting my paint on paper skills over to the computer. have some more ideas of elements I want to work on...some a little more complex thn others.

It's C-bugs first day back at school since her month off (year round) and I just don't know what to do..I've lost my helper, but I've also lost one of three fiesty redheads!!!

It's me

My C-bug took this pic of me today. And I thought I'd share it, since I have some newer readers, and i know I like to put a face with the blog.

We spent the afternoon taking pictures and playing. It was really nice at the little village just a couple miles from us. We love it there. A lot of artists, agriculture and trees. It's only a couple of miles from our house which is by the busy mall and walmart. Once you get there though, it's like you went on a road trip to some small town in the middle of nowhere. And the wind that was BLOWIN' at our house was completely absent there! It's like heaven! :)

Making LEMONS out of Lemonade

Because it's a tougher thing to do ;)

Shirt made and remade and remade again, because I like to do things the hard way (w/o a pattern)...but really because I hate to cut out patterns. And yes, those are zipper scraps that I used for the straps.

Something I CAN"T do

People always commend me (or tease me) about all the things I know how to do...asking if there's anything I can't do...well there is.

I CAN'T MAKE CANDY!

It might seem silly to you, but I have ancestors that were candy makers...it's supposed to be in my blood!. And I LOVE candy...the traditional types. Caramel, taffy, peppermints, nougat!!!

This was supposed to be my post abouth the torrone di pistacchi (pistachio nougat.) But my nougat never solidified and because I used some raw honey it was really brown. I ended up with a gooey yumminess with an obvious earthy flavoring of baklava!!!! mmmmmm

I attempted to salvage it by slathering it onto an apple honey cake...but alas, the cake was over baked a wee bit, and fell flat and dense instead of the promised light and fluffiness in the recipe. It's edible though.

If I ever do buy some torrone di pistacchi, I'll let you know how it tastes.

Beauty

I'm peeking around at different National Scrapbook Day activities and challenges. Over at CK, Ali Edwards is hosting??? and posted a challenge to take pics of what is beautiful today and do a page...well I am still in PJ's slept in late and I am HURTING. So the only thing that's beautiful right now is a couple tylenol!

After they kick in, I'm sure there will be more to appreciate. The cloudy cool weather, an apple cake in the oven (that I'll tell you about later,) a mommy daughter luncheon with C, inspiration for some projects, and hopefully an evening of quiet with my hubs.

My list for the upcoming week(end?)

1. torrone di pistacchi
2. Japanese inspired raggedy anne for my neice's b'day
3. Look for linens to copy this cute jacket but not make it until I dont know when!
4. Make some maternity tops
5. oh and do all the other things I'm doing in my packed weekend

Being Eco Friendly

I picked up a couple of canvas bags last weekend at the yard sales. I only have a couple of good sized ones for groceries and I dont want to have any excuses for having to use plastic or paper at the store anymore. Really, using a stores bags is one of the most preventable, environmentally damaging things I do...and I'm trying to change my bad habit...you could too ;)

On the second bag, I partially covered up a pet store's logo (see the cuddling cat and dog?) It would also work real well for a t-shirt that has a logo.
inspired by these bags on my to do list

I'm a copycat

I've been trying to be serious about getting things done around here...crafty and household...and I copped out with a total copy cat craft. It's a zipper pouch for tissue. I need to attach a ring or clip to attach it to bags. You can see the original here. The talented gal I copied makes really neat bags. Take a look at her stream!

So back to the copy cat board so I can have something to share tomorrow.

more mosaics

So I got a little obsessed and made 11 more of crafts I want to do. I had been putting it off because it was such a huge task. Go look if you want...but beware, you might see things you want to do.

Just things

Click the pic to go look at each one in more detail. I've been organizing my flickr faves into mosaics by theme so I can find things a bit faster. I really wish flickr would devise a way to do this like they do "sets" and "categories."

You can see my whole set of mosaic faves (trees, birds, colors, and soon more specific craft pics like bags and clothes) in my mosaic set here.

Speaking of organizing faves online...Regina made the most WONDERFUL list of tutorials she has been bookmarking! It's worth a look!

And Tammie is having the most awful day (at 38 weeks pregnant!) It makes my sprained bruise ankle pale in comparrison. Go give her some love.