My Name is Wendy

This week the CTMH blog challenged us to write about the origin of our names. I really didn't have a clue where my name came from, so I called my mom to ask.

She told me how she'd had a best friend when she was little with the name Wendy. Not Gwendolyn or anything, but just Wendy and she'd always liked that name so she named me Wendy. My middle name is the same as my Mom's middle name. there were four of us, and she just named us all names that she liked.  I had a different sketch for this layout, but then I saw the Sketchy Saturday Challenge post at Paper Issues and I fell in LOVE! I was originally planning to do a baby pink thing with a baby pic, but then I decided that the sketch needed something bolder, so I grabbed the awesome pink plus orange color combo from ColourQ, and everything from my stash that was Baby Pink, Hollyhock, or Sorbet/pale orange. 

I used my Shin Han markers in pink, red, and pale orange to alter my stash of cork arrows, sparkles, and these cute Irresistibles chipboard letters. I gave the letters a wash of orange, then a second coat of pink, and finally an edging with the red marker. I built the striped background out of White Daisy Cardstock layered with extra strips of White Daisy CS edged with Baby Pink ink.

I did my journaling with a sharpie onto sanded Hollyhock cardstock mounted onto leftover scraps of HeartStrings B&T paper, and popped up with foam tape. I love the look of this journaling technique! I also added some pink glitter gel to some of the cork arrows I had colored...because it wouldn't be me without glitter. I'm so glad that CTMH challenged us to learn about our names for the #jrlcreativechallenge - I want to do a companion page for my scrapbook with the story of John's name, too.  

CTMH Weekly Creative Challenge

OK, I know I was supposed to be sharing another koala card today, and I swear I will, tomorrow. But today I got distracted by another project and a sick 5 year old today. Between water bottle refills and cuddles I couldn't stop messing around with this project for CTMH's new weekly artistic challenge.

So I have this running embroidery hoop project going, for a wall display I'm building in my stamp room. When I saw this week's challenge to make a scrapbook page with our new year's resolutions I knew I needed to make a new hoop. I don't do resolutions, but I've already said to a few friends that my motto for 2015 is gonna be Choose Happy. As a mom of three little boys I find myself saying "yes" to a lot of things I don't really want to do...but this year I want to focus on choosing activities that will be happy for my family, friends, and myself. I know I'll need a reminder, since I find it hard to say no, so I used the sketch over at Sketchabilities (a bit loosely, since I'm scrapping into a circle), pulled a few photos that make me smile, and fancied up my motto with lots of scrappy things that make me happy.  Now it's hanging on the wall in my stamp room, making me smile every time I glance over there.

I wove the background from pretty much every bit of Slate Polka Dot Ribbon I had left in my stash and a lot of Beacon's 3 in 1 adhesive. Then I sprayed a large splash of silver glitter and traced some circles with a white paint pen. I added banners from the new Heartstrings papers, some leftover Heartstrings Complement stickers, silver sequins, and metal flowers from the Yuletide Carol assortment.  The 3-D flowers came from Art Philosophy, and the HAPPY sentiment from Artbooking. I added lots of red glitter gel to my title, and filled my 3-D roses with more glitter. It sparkles, and catches the light - I love it! 

Tomorrow I'll be back with the other Koala Card. Today, this made me happy!

My Crafty Christmas List

Oooh, it's the most wonderful time of year. The lovely Stasha over at Northwest Mommy is asking for a Listicle with our top ten Christmas wish list items. I've been checking off my little guys lists, or at least helping them to write their lists, but I haven't given any thought at all to what I might like to receive. So now I'm making a Wish List(icle)...hopefully John will check it twice!

My Top Ten Non-CTMH Crafty Christmas Wishes

1. Sizzix Big Shot - I am mostly a Cricut girl, but I do own a very heavy, old school red Sizzix machine and that's what I use to emboss with my Cuttlebug folders and a bit of spellbinders die cutting. I know it's not the newest coolest thing anymore, but I really want to upgrade to a Big Shot...because I can't emboss with the new bigger folders.

2. Big Embossing Folders - I drool over the Tim Holtz bubble and Honeycomb set...but like many of the newer folders, it's too big to fit into my little red old school machine.

3. Sparkly Sequins - These are all over pinterest and Mo over at Stamp Nation just made the ca-utest CAS card with a band of sequins on it. I needs me some sequins...in a rainbow of colors!

4. Glitter! Ok, I know. I need more glitter like I need a hole in the head. But what crafter doesn't want a rainbow pack of 24 colors of micro glitter? Seriously?

5. Washi Tape Dispenser - Totally unnecessary but I super want one. I pick it up...I put it back. Rinse and repeat. I have a cute glass jar where my Washi lives. I like to tear it by hand. But I can totally see myself spinning the tray to peruse my washi tapes. whoosh....

6. Say Cheese Kit - I need more paper like I need more glitter...but this Disney-fied collection from Simple Stories is just so golly gee adorable!

7. Spica Glitter Pens - These are supposed to be amazing, just the kind of thing that I know I'd fall in love with but won't let myself buy because I can get a two pack of Stardust gelly roll pens for $5.

8.Copic Sketch Markers - I cannot imagine actually collecting Copics. They are so expensive...but in my dreams, just owning Copics would make me much better at coloring. This is a tiny 6 marker starter set, just to dip a toe into the Copic waters. I'm sure I won't get hooked.

9. Photo Light Box - because I'm positive that if I had a really real light box that my card photos would be really real better than with my current science fair cardboard stand DIY set up. But I'm too frugal to buy a box for myself.

10.Inexpensive Flat Iron - 'cause I like my real flat iron too much to bring it to my craft room, but I wanna be like Susan Gardner Williams and have nice crisp ribbons and curled baker's twine!

Of course, I don't really NEED anything crafty or at all this holiday season. I already have a ton of craft stash, and not enough time to make half the stuff I want to make. So while the daydreaming has been fun, I'm just happy to be a lucky crafter with a happy, healthy, loving family.

But if those Spica glitter pens arrive under the tree, I won't send 'em back. Just saying. 

Ruffle my Feathers

This week Stasha over at Northwest Mommy asked for a list of top ten irritating things. I could probably write a bazillion about things little boys do that drive me crazy...but since I love them so, instead I'm gonna count my blessings and do a listicle on Crafty things that make me make a sad face.

Top Ten Crafty Things that Ruffle my Feathers 

See what I did there? Crafty puns totally make me giggle. Sorry if that distresses you! 

1. When you click on a Pinterest Pin that goes...nowhere. Seriously, folks, pin from the actual blog post!

2. When you finish a complicated scrapbook title page treatment (diecuts, glitter, distressing, layers...you know, the usual!) only to figure out that you've spelled it wrong. Like that Forth of July layout when I was preggo, right clubbers?  

3. When I hear repeatedly at a craft fair that my prices are amazingly low and my crafts are totally awesome...but not selling enough to pay for my babysitting bill. 

4. When you peel the backing off red line or foam tape, and then can't get the backing to get off your fingers. Sometimes that static is clingier than the adhesive!

5. When you drop a stamp/sparkle/sticker and cannot find it anywhere...until you ask your stamp buddies to help and then it's suddenly right in front of you.

6. When my sweet hubby reads over my shoulder while I'm typing to you, dear stamping friends...and corrects my spelling or grammar. Ahem.

7. When I finish a card and flip it over to stamp on my signature on the back...only to find that I've glued the card front on upside down. 

When in doubt, add glitter!

8. When you meet people who hate glitter. I eat glitter for breakfast, lunch, and tea. I cannot relate.

9. When you find an awesome craft blog, and they don't have a Follow by Email feature. I LOVE to Follow by Email. Every morning my email is happily filled with amazing projects and fabulous blog posts...and if your blog won't let me follow by email...well, then I'm not following at all. Sad.

10. When I'm in the middle of creating and I have to stop abruptly to go, you know, participate in my real life. It's hard to shift gears quickly, once you've gotten into the groove. There's just not enough time in the day for everything I want to craft! That is not to say I don't love every bit of caring for these three little monkeys. I just needed to finish applying that last coat of glitter!

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Ack...10 days into NaBloPoMo and I missed a post. In my defense, we did the zoo yesterday and I pulled something in my back somehow so I spent most of the afternoon and evening laying down. On the plus side I am 15 days into the Whole 30 challenge, and not a slip-up yet! Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

Stasha over at The good life is asking about 10 Things That Bring Me Comfort this week. So I'm making this list all about me, since I've been seeking comfort since I pulled my back yesterday. Tomorrow I'm calling my Acupuncture dude to beg for a slot this week. 

10 Things That Bring Me Comfort

1. Gilmore Girls reruns on the Web - We haven't had cable in over 2 years. We don't really miss it much...but I do miss the daily Gilmore Girls rerun on ABC Family. I only own one season on DVD. I recently discovered the WB has a few episodes online, perfect for a sad and sore recuperating crafter. Plus someday, someday maybe I'm gonna have hair like Lorelai's. And her wardrobe. Once I owned a skirt from Ann Taylor that she wore on the show. It did not make me look like her, lol. I'm not a stalker - I had the skirt before she wore it. I swear!

2. My Uggs - Ok, I wear them all the time, not just when I'm sick. When they first became a thing I thought they were the ugliest thing EVER. Now I think they just make cozy sense up here in the drizzly PacNW. If I had a million dollars I'd get THESE Uggs when my current pair wear out. That's right, 'cause nothing says comfort like glorified slipper boots dressed up in an obscene amount of rhinestone goodness. But I'm FAR to practical to actually own these. Hubby got me some sequin covered ones last year but I returned them for plain ones that cost way less. Maybe I can bling mine myself with Liquid Glass and Sparkles? 

3. Pinterest - When you are trapped on the couch because you can't move from a back spasm and you've watched all 5 Gilmore Girl episodes, pinterest is your friend. Check out all the goofy things I pinned to my giggle board last night to cheer myself up! Now to search for boot bling...(NOTE - OMG it's actually a thing! People are customizing their Uggs...Squee!)

4. Tea - Oh how I love a nice hot cuppa tea. Even when I was at the height of my coffee addiction I still love a nice cup of tea with honey and lemon. Right now I'm on a peppermint tea kick to go along with my Whole 30. My friend Jen gave me some English Earl Grey once that I still dream about. 

5. Fuzzy blankets - There are no normal blankets in my house. Every blanket is some form of fuzzy, chenille, ultra-soft microfiber creation. Even the boys have picked up on this inclination, and only sleep with softer than soft blankets. When I'm not feeling well I need 2 or 3 piled on so I'll be cozy. Totally helps me feel better. 

6. The Ocean - I don't get to go nearly as often as I'd like, but just sitting by the ocean is like a balm to my heart. If I wasn't terrified about the eventually impending tsunami, I'd totally want to live on the coast. Wear fisherman's sweaters and go for long walks with my well behaved little boys who are totally carrying the fuzzy blankets for our picnic/reading stop...well if you're gonna dream, you may as well make it all pretty, right?

7. Books - If I'm upset or sad (or up forever with terrible back pain), books are the portal to a new dimension. I get pretty much all my books from Jacobsen's Books. If I see something I want I text Tina the owner and she has it for me within a week. I read pretty much anything she tells me to read too - she always has good suggestions. Just heading over to visit at the bookstore is a comfort to me. I'm currently reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I like English biographies...and Steven King. And anything food/Paleo/GF related. Or anything at all, really.

8.  A phone call from my sister. We talk almost every day. Sometimes multiple times a day. Sometimes multiple times an hour. Thank goodness for cell phones with unlimited long distance. And sisters who are always there for you.

9. My sweet hubby, who gives the best foot rubs, does all the dishes, and handles bathtime and bedtime like a pro. He's also really good at cooking breakfast, allowing me a few more minutes to sleep look at my phone in the morning. 

10. Spending time in my Stamp Pad - which has been in all too short supply lately. Something about getting up there and making something creative brings comfort and peace to my hurried-frantic-gotta-get-it-done Mommy Brain. And then I can be more present and there for the three important little people in my home the next day.

I wanted to say something sweet about my kiddos for number 10, but instead I had to go another way. Spending a holiday day at home with your back out of whack...alone with three excited little boys...on a freakishly sunny November day in Oregon really requires some extra comfort. Back to the regularly scheduled craft fair art posts tomorrow!

Apple Blossom Photography Rocks!

Last month Dawn from Apple Blossom Photography came to Max's preschool and took school photos. I knew her shots would be awesome, so I brought Gabe and Ben in to have their photo taken too. She has such a fabulous way with kids. She got the boys laughing and taking great photos almost as soon as she met them. I literally wanted to buy them all, every single shot, but instead I bought these five. I was gonna scrap them before sharing, but they were too good to keep to myself!

She got them to hold hands!

She got them to hug!!!

She got each one to look directly into the camera and smile. 

No smirking, no strained crazy eyes, no tongues out...

She's is totally a photography miracle worker! 

You can clearly see that Dawn is an amazing photographer. With a million rolls of film the boys would not have given me these shots. We are getting a mini holiday session with her next week - I cannot wait! These pics are going straight onto Frosted papers next month! 

You can find Dawn on the web at Apple Blossom Photography. 

10 Things Halloween

Stasha is asking us to write a list of Ten Things Halloween this week. Being as I'm trying to slide in under the wire to keep my goal of blogging every day, here's our top ten from this year's halloween.

10 Favorite Halloween Stories 2013

1. Dressing the boys in their costumes, and suggesting that they wear shirts underneath...followed by much whining and crying until I gave in and let them go to a party with just the costume on.

2. Stopping at Freddy's on the way to the party to pick up plain black t-shorts to add under the suddenly-too-itchy costumes because by they time the costumes started itching we were too far away from home to go back.

3. Strolling through Freddy's dressed as Wonder Woman while my Batman (freaking out about people seeing his costume with no shirt underneath...the bare back peeking through the velcro!) sprints from rounder to rounder trying to hide all the way to the kids section. He's an international super spy. 

4. Watching my hubby (Superman) have a light saber fight with a ton of little kids all at once. 

5. Getting ready to trick or treat and finding the lesson was learned - no t-shirt fights!

6. Creating a rotating system for ringing doorbells so the boys would stop fighting in front of each neighbor's home.

7. Max's first school party (preschool). They ate nectarine oranges and banana ghosts, busted a pinata, and after he had an epic nap!

8. Listening to Ben charm every homeowner with his cheerful cries of "Thank You! Haaaaaappy Halloweeeeen!". 

9. Ending the trick or treating action after Ben barged into the SAME EXACT HOUSE that he barged into last year. They have a sliding glass door which seems to trigger a walk-right-in response in that kid.

10. Watching the boys take turns guarding the front door so they can hand out the candy. Take 1...or 2...or a handful! They were so generous and sweet.

10 Things Modern, Craft Style

This week Stasha over at the Monday Listicles almost stumped me. I'm avowed to write a blog post every day this month (thank you, NaBloPoMo), so of course I mean to hang with the Listicles as much as possible. But 10 Trappings of a Modern Life? 

How to wrap my mind around such a topic...I am a total lover of easy technology, yet I cling to my glass mason jars all across my kitchen.   We own a huge flat screen TV, but forgo cable in favor of Netflix and Hulu+. I'm unable to be away from my iPhone for .02 seconds, but my three year old is probably better at programming it. But up in my craft room, bastion of all things paper, scissors, and glue...am I modern? Turns out I just might be...at least, none of these items were hanging out in my craft room five years ago, but are indispensable to my crafting now.

10 Things Modern, Craft Style

1. Pinterest - The first and foremost place I head for inspiration now is Pinterest. It broke my heart when the scrapbook mags started going down, and I'm going to miss Paper Crafts something fierce, but I'm not going digital with them. I've got something more Pinteresting to do!

2. Cricut Machine - I distinctly remember a conversation in my stamp room oh-so-many -years-ago about how I'm fine with my heavy duty red Sizzix machine. Who needs to expense and hassle of this new fangled Cricut Machine? Turns out, I do. Almost every day now. Poor sad dust covered Sizzix.

3. Laptop - I recently moved my computer workstation upstairs. My CTMH team came over to help me build the new desk and rearrange the room. Now my computer and printer are right here ready to print out journaling, google a technique, or search Pinterest for some Pinspiration. It's heavenly.

4. Digital Camera - There was a time when just making a card was enough. Now I can't wait to whip out my white backdrop and digitize my artwork to send it off to the blog-o-sphere. Now when my family heads out for activities it's my iPhone that takes the pics. My big digital camera with the zoom lens? Hanging out in my stamp room ready to capture some more artwork, of course!

5. Instagram - words cannot express how much I love Instagram. I post to my feed much more consistently than I blog, as though it's the journal where I can go back to fill in my scrapbooks. I love that the pics don't have to be perfect (Thank you filters), and that I get to capture and share my little boys' personalities with my friends and family. 

6. Printstagram - Finding this service really kicked up my love of Instagram a few notches. Now instead of printing the little square photos onto a 4x6 and trimming them down I can get a shipment of perfectly square, sturdy little matted photos in my choice of sizes. It's easy, affordable, and I love having little stacks of Printstagrams around the Stamp Pad.

7. Instaport - My other favorite Instagram tool is Instaport, which can go in a grab everything from your feed and download it to your computer. Then I can add my Instagrams to the regular photos I take at events and it's just so handy!

8. Blog Challenge - I love blogging, and I love crafting. Best of all is someone in the blog world telling me some ground rules...ready, set, CRAFT! One of my favs is Paper Issues, where you have a month to ponder and play with the theme of the month. I also love Moxie Fab World, because they are so trendy and, well, moxie fab. There's something so satisfying about completing a crafty blog challenge.

9. Glitter Glitz Gel - Ok, Ok!  I've been super heavy on the tech stuff (told ya I love that stuff), but this simple gel revolutionized my crafting. Whether you use the CTMH stuff, or stickles or whatever your preferred medium, glitter gel is totally awesome. Pre-gel we had prisma glitter. Awesome sparkle, but it got on everything, everywhere and never, ever went away. Once at a workshop one of the gals dumped an entire tupperware of prisma glitter over...they are probably STILL scrubbing glitter out of that cafeteria floor 10 years later. Not to mention she was a-shinin' like a disco ball from head to toe. Now if you knock of the glitter glitz...so what! Just stand it back up and keep on crafting!

10. These three kiddos - For a gal who didn't think she could have kiddos, I've been so very blessed to call these three hooligans mine. I love scrapbooking LONG before I met these dudes, but it's so necessary and more fun now that I'm scrapping their sweet faces. Scrapping their pages reminds me of all the fun we've had and the silly things they've done...and makes the crazy tantrums and icky boy talk fade away. Do I want to remember that on this particular walk Ben sat in the middle of the trail and cried because Gabe wasn't letting him be the leader? Or that the reason he has no glasses is because he ATE the noseguard off of them? No, I'll take the sweet memory of three boys entranced by the pond (once we finally got there) and thrilled to sit on a rock wall (living la vida loca to small boys). They might be new to my scrap room, but I'm so glad they are here!

Turkey Time!

Happy November! I love this time of year...the leaves...the sweaters...the peppermint mochas. Oh wait. No coffee in over a year plus I'm doing the whole 30 = no peppermint mochas for me. Can I sniff yours instead? Sigh... Anyhoooo, this week my team met and we all whipped up Fall cards (which you can see out on my Instagram). This is my contribution, a multicolored embossed Turkey card based on the Sketchbook Saturday Challenge. 

I have two kinds of multicolored embossing on this card. For the background I stamped this Quick Cards stamp in Barn Red Pigment Ink that I sprinkled with bits of Goldrush embossing powder. After tapping off the goldrush bits I coated the whole image in Clear Detail powder and got to work with my heat tool. For the Turkey I inked the image with Goldrush Pigment ink, then used Sunset and Ruby pigment inks to add color to the edges. After stamping onto the matching Artiste diecut I coated the turkey with clear embossing powder and applied the magic (heat). That's a bit of the new Sparkle and Shine washi tape highlighting my stamped sentiment banner. His eyeball is a tiny dab of black fabric puffy paint. Gobble, gobble! 

I'm doing the NaBloPoMo challenge this month over at BlogHer, so you'll be seeing a post from me every day in November, boys willing. Head over to BlogHer to check out the fun!