Running on Empty, Cupcakes and Girly Girl-ness

For starters, I want to go on the record and say that I love Daylight Savings Time. The Fall one. I really, really enjoy falling back and getting that extra hour - especially with Christmas only about seven weeks away. The Spring Forward thing I am not so fond... So between this extra hour and all my vitamin C and echinacea, I have been a scrapping fool...


It feels like Halloween was forever ago, and yet it was just last week! In fact, it was a week ago that I made these little yummies...


I felt sooo fancy because, while the cupcakes were from a mix, and the frosting from a can, I tinted that canned frosting orange. I know - Martha Stewart I am not, but for a gal who usually plops the batter in a pan and pretty bakes just so she can lick the beaters, going that extra yard and coloring the frosting and adding sprinkles and adding a fake spider, well - fancy! I packed the cupcakes in the van, crammed Johnny in his winter coat, and hit the road with an extra five minutes to spare, heading to Mikey's class party...

... I should have known things were going too smoothly.

Exiting off the highway, I was about to hit the brakes to slow down, when my van started to slow down by itself. Now, my "Low Fuel" light was on (it almost always is - I know, I know - naughty me. I put a few dollars in here and there...) but I was pretty sure it hadn't been on that long... anyway, by the time I got to the traffic light, my steering wheel was locking up. I coasted through the red light using every ounce of energy to turn right, and landed mercifully in the driveway of the gas station with my tailend still in the road.

It was raining, I didn't have my purse, and Johnny was asking, "Where are we mama? The party isn't here, is it? Hey mama, hey mama, what are we doing? Hey mama...." Long story short, two attendants, one random lady getting gas, and little old me pushed the van to a pump (they let me get gas on my honor to return to pay) while Johnny was yelling that he wanted to push the van, too...

I left the gas station with a grateful heart, and four cupcakes less :) I returned later that night to pay for my gas, and my faith in the goodness of strangers is restored. Thank you, Speedway on Hill road, and thank you Random Lady who helped push my van in the rain...

On a happier, and less soggy note :), I listed probably one of the cutest girly-girl layouts I have ever made on Etsy this morning...


It doesn't have any crazy elaborate piecings or anything, but I just love the colors, and the papers from Prima are some of my favorites. And I made these cutie little flowers - my new favorite things! I might just make a bunch of these pretties and finish watching Baby Boom tonight after the boys go to bed... I just love Diane Keaton, and every time I watch this movie I want to move to Vermont and help her make baby food...

Hope you are having a great week, too!

Great Pumpkin, Pretties for sale, and costume update

So it isn't even 7pm, and it is dark as midnight... when is Daylight Savings Time? But it makes the perfect ambiance for some Halloween movies, popcorn, and cuddle time on the couch. Of course, the Halloween movies will be G rated, and the scariest thing will be when Linus is spooked by Snoopy, but that is ok. I was going to make popcorn balls today, but I feel completely deflated after ruining two huge pans of pumpkin seeds yesterday :( It totally bummed me out. Trying to multi-task, I was carving pumpkins, keeping the twins away from sharp knives, baking seeds, looking for tea lights, chatting with my in-laws... the next thing I know, I smell smoke.

Many bad words were said. By me. My husband and his parents all ate handfuls, trying to convince me that the seeds weren't too burned... It was a sweet gesture, but by dinnertime, Steve's stomache was killing him, and I blamed the seeds.

I did manage to get some pretties listed on Etsy. My new favorite craft is altering and embellishing boxes. I had so much fun making the ones for my Halloween party, and I can't wait to make more! I also have a Halloween scrapbook layout up for grabs on eBay. It ends tonight, so you could get a deal!





I got the finishing touches for the twins' costumes today: pirate hat and hook, cowboy hat and badge. I also was delighted to find a little stick horse that Johnny can carry around (I know, I know - I will end up carrying it before the night is through, but it will be soooo darn cute!). I just need to cut Mikey's pants all jaggedy, and I think we are all set! Johnny insists he needs cowboy boots, but I think I have him talked into wearing his snow boots...

Don't forget tonight is the deadline to enter your cards for Pixie Cottage's first challenge! Woo hooo! I am having a blast seeing the cards made with my sketch.

Take care :) I am off to snuggle the munchkins (who are playing much too quietly... hmmmm...) and wait for the Great Pumpkin....

October is here! Yay! Now I can put my decorations up in earnest and not get funny looks from the neighbors (Last year I put up my ghosts and gravestones in September and you wouldn't believe the looks I got... sheesh!) I can't help it - I love autumn! And the more Halloween decorations up, the better. The boys are at school, so it is a perfect time to go and excavate the basement and see what goodies I forgot I had :) I also need to get it in gear, because on October 17 is the grand gala of Halloween! A Fanciful Twist is hosting a fabulous ghoultide gathering, so be sure to come here on the 17th, and check out Vanessa's site for other parties that day!

In the spooky spirit of Halloween, I finished up a layout using some of my little haunted houses I made and showed here a bit back. I used a large pumpkin orange house, and the medium purple monster haunted house. I added a little ghost to the bigger house. If you like these little houses, I have more of them listed on Etsy. I am planning to make a card with the littlest house :) It is perfect for cards!

I really like the kooky color combination of greens and orange. The harlequin pattern makes me smile, and the polkadot ribbon feels just right :)

Not too shabby... chic :)

I have been doing the cards so much lately, that I feel like I have neglected my scrapbooking! After making the teapot card and playing with fabulous Graphic 45 papers, I decided to make a layout. I decided to go more shabby and chic, more like the layouts in my personal albums. I love black and white/off-white, and the shot of pink adds a touch of "Sex in the City" for me :)

One of my favorite little touches are tiny tags. Perfect for adding a name or a date, they are the just-right-bit-of-color near the photo mats...

My button obsession carries over, too, since the brads I used are tiny little button brads :)

This layout has no paper piecing, but instead lets the papers work their magic. Lots of distressing, lots of layering, and shabby edges galore! I am listing it on Sunday night on Ebay.

Ingredients
Papers: Graphic45, Cosmo Cricket, MyMindsEye, Bazzill Cardstock
Embellishments: Chipboard letters, little paper tags, brads
Techniques: Painting, inking, distressing

"Back to School"... Mojo100

This week at Mojo Monday there is a celebration for hitting 100! If you haven't been to this blog and you like to craft, you need to hop over there. The sketches are amazing, and the cards created by their design team are fabulous inspiration. I know that sometimes I feel like I have lost, well, my crafty mojo, and a sketch perks me right up! I haven't made this many cards in my life, and I am loving it!

The card for the Day 1 of Mojo100 challenge is a back to school card. I was planning on making a back to school scrapbook layout for eBay, and thought it would be fun to make a coordinating 5x7 card. I am luuurving how this turned out :) (that was for you, Saucy :) )

Ingredients

Paper: Basic Grey, Graphic 45, MyMindsEye, Crate Paper

Embellishments: Chipboard, ruler ribbon that I teastained

Ink and Paint

Here is the Back To School Layout I plan on listing on eBay. Both pages are 12x12, and I paper pieced the schoolhouse, tree, landscaping... I don't think there are any "store-bought" embellishments here. Well, I guess the vintage scrabble tiles? I didn't carve those out of wood - I used pieces from an old scrabble game :) Anyhooo, this layout has lots of room for photos, and those scrabble letters are attached to a pull-out tag. I plan to list it tonight, so keep a look out.

August is near, and I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by...

I think I am ok with that. While I love the idea of lazy summer days, I rarely actually have them.

And, most excitingly, HALLOWEEN is coming! Yes, with the end of summer comes crisper nights, and the air feels fresher and the trees turn a blaze of scarlet and sunset yellow. I love it! I am itching to start some Halloween projects. I did a few little pretty Halloween pieces for the Trunkshow last weekend, but plan to witch it up in earnest next week. Speaking of... here is a peek at what wares I offered... Oh, and my sisters of the Traveling Trunks... I will email you the pictures I took! I still need to edit them and sort out the pictures Johnny took when he got his little hands on the camera... Lots of self portraits and still lifes involving toys and juice cups...

Hey, is your sound turned on? I got all fancy and added a gizmo-dealie-do Playlist thing, and so now my blog has music! I hope it doesn't distract you... Pretty sure you can hit pause if you don't like the music, or you can skip through the songs... My addiction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer extends to music too, so if you haven't had the pleasure of watching this fab series, you can listen to some of its lovely music. I like the softer instrumentals myself, and chose those. I almost put the theme song to the show here, but it is kind of spooky and LOUD and rocky-rolly, and I didn't want to scare any unsuspecting bloggers... There are some non-Buffy songs here too, of course. I love soundtracks, and have started re-reading the Harry Potter books, so you will find some Hogwarts tunes here. If you haven't heard of Loreena Mckennit, you must stop reading now and click to one of her songs. Simply amazing. Her music will transport you with its haunting beauty...

I was going to make a sketch for this past Tuesday, but I was just tooooo tuckered out. It weighs upon me greatly, but maybe next week I'll do a card AND scrapbook sketch. Does that sound fair? Do you still love me? I love you... I adore you! Speaking of people I adore, I want to introduce you to Dee. I metioned meeting her in previous posts. Dee rocks, plain and simple. She loves Halloween, she loves artsy stuff, and she knows Sandy Mooney, a fabulous artist that I also had the pleasure of meeting at the Trunk Show! I don't have a picture of Sandy (you shy thing!) but I caught Dee unawares and begged to let me take her picture. Isn't she sweet? She makes me smile each time I see her :)

Like I said, I had the Sisterhood of the Traveling Trunkshow last weekend, and I decided that this week was a great week to totally revamp my studio. I know, I know... Is this just a procrastination of work I need to do? Things I should photograph and list? Pages to make? Most likely...I have decided to transform the bulk of the finished basement into my studio... I can't wait! Of course, moving all my stuff isn't thrilling me to death. I'll most likely run out of steam part way through, kick myself, and have my supplies and furniture half here, half there, half everywhere... Ah, well, such is the creative process, right?

Good morning! I have been up to my elbows in paper, fabric and ribbon! I have been getting ready for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Trunk Show, finishing up a few orders... and finishing my Tuesday sketch that I wanted to post a few days ago. I think it is worth the wait, however :) This sketch features my signature "quilt squares" that I stitch onto my scrapbook pages. Each little square is about 3x3 on this sketch, and when I make this layout I stitch the blocks together. If you aren't a sewer, or don't want to bother with a sewing machine, you could use rub-on stitches. I personally like the texture of the thread, but sometimes my machine goes on strike, and the rub-ons look quite lovely :)
Oh, and I also was able to make a treasury today! How exciting is that? I have been brewing the idea of a "time for tea" gallery, and when the treasury opened up, I jumped in and was able to make this little collection.

You will see that the last column is a little "ghosted." That is because these are my alternates, which I will be mixing in and swapping spots with the other lovely selections. The curator is usually the only one who sees the alternates, but I had to share my entire collection here; twelve spots are not enough for all the pretties I selected! Keep checking the treasury I created to see the most updated version...


Well, I am off to cut, ink and distress, layer and sew. Hope you have a great day :)

Sketchy Template Tuesday!

Tree Hugger...

I am loving making these little little trees! Maybe because in real life I am not so green with my thumb... In fact, the only time my thumb is really green is after inking these little pretties! I have several different varieties listed on Etsy :) I like to group these together on cards and scrapbook layouts, and when I pair them with little houses, the result is pretty cute! I love rolling landscapes...

Sketchy Template Tues.....Wednesday?

Now hold on just one cotton-pickin' minute! Is it really Wednesday? I knew I was a little behind with my Tuesday sketch (having been unable to post this morning, I had to do it this afternoon) but seriously didn't know I was an entire day behind.

That's upsetting.

What is it about summer that makes it hard for me to keep track of my days? I still can't fathom that it is July. Sheesh, I still have to be reminded to write "2009" on my checks... Maybe I am befuddled because I caught the ending of "Somewhere in Time" last night. I tried to explain the premise to my husband, about the whole time traveling thing, but I ended up just confusing us both. If you haven't seen this pretty little flick, I recommend it. Quaint and romantic, it was also filmed in the upper peninsula of my home state, Michigan. There's a little bit of trivia for you :)

Well, now that we have established it is Wednesday, not Tuesday, I am still going to post this week's sketch. I was on a real roll, too! Will you all pretend it's Tuesday, that I am not late, and that I was super on the ball?

Yay! I feel much better :)

The ink blot looking thing on the upper right is a stamp/chipboard flourish. Or it could be an ink blot. Whatever makes you happy...
I like this layout for several reasons. One, the paper gets to be the "embellishment". Pick pretty papers, and they will really shine on this layout. Two, the mats are fun because they are so flexible. You can journal on a small mat, or use all four little mats for pics and journal on the big mat. OR, you could have a big ole color photo in the largest mat, and several black and white "variation" type pics in the wallet sized mats. OR, you could have a family photo in the big mat, and each wallet sized mat could be a journaling spot about each member of the family. Of course, if you have more or less than four people, that may not work out, but you could include the family dog or cat! You're smart - you'll figure it out.

Queenie's Kits!

So I am super excited about my new project - Page Kits! I realize how much I love sketching and playing with papers, and howI enjoy the planning process just as much, if not more, than the actual scrapping... So I am starting a new line of Page Kits.... called Queenie Kits (lots of imagination there, eh?). I just listed the first kit on Etsy. It is called "Life is Beautiful" and uses the cutest papers from Cosmo Cricket.

The kit comes with everything - papers, flowers, letters... I even pre-cut the mats and such. How easy is that? Check it out and let me know what you think :)

Sketchy Template Tuesday 2, Lemonade, and Dee...

So much to catch up on! I have a new scrapbook sketch to share, an award to accept, and some stories to share. Got your coffee? Fudcicle? Me too! Let's get started, shall we?

First, let me share this little template I created. It is for a 2-page layout. I initially created this for an 8x8 album, but just up the picture sizes and it works for a 12x12 too! Don't forget the ricrac layered over the strips of background paper...



I also woke up to a nice little surprise from Janny, over at My Little pieces of Art. She awarded me this sweet little lemonade stand award...

The award is for "Great Attitude and Gratitude". It works like this: After accepting this award ("I'd like to thank my husband, my kids, and all the academy..." Oops! Off track again...) I then award it to 5-10 others bloggers who make me smile with their great attitudes and sweetness. Then they pass it on, and those who receive it, they pass it on... I love spreading smiles and sweet lemonade! So, it is with great honor that I pass this award on to these wonderful ladies:

Andrea at http://andreaspaperboutique.blogspot.com/

Saucy at http://bloggedy-blog-blog-saucy.blogspot.com/

Rebecca at http://shopbyhand.blogspot.com/

Twyla at http://twocrazycrafters.blogspot.com/

Suzi at http://suziart.blogspot.com/

Speaking of lemonade stands, this past weekend my sister and I had a Craft Sale/Antique Sale at our house, and I helped the neighbor girls run a lemonade stand in my yard (seriously, how ironic and coincidental is that? Lemonade stands! Life is funny and quirky). I have a fancy stand with an awning and everything, so I set the girls up with a pitcher of Country Time Lemonade. They supplied the cups as I never seem to have paper cups. I tried to get my twin almost-four-year-olds to help, but they just wanted to dump the lemonade... So Hannah and Katie did the honors (and collected a nice jar of quarters to boot!).

We sold antiques, vintage finds, and other fun funky treasures. The best treasure of all, however, was Dee. She came to our sale each day and sat to visit with us. We drank coffee, and then I brought out my collection of vintage pictures. We had such fun looking at these timeless treasures! On Sunday, Dee surprised me by bringing her collection of vintage Halloween postcards.

I. Was. In. Heaven.

It is so nice to meet people who "get" old stuff, who love chippy cupboards and fancy a morning looking at old photographs of strangers. Dee is a treasure herself, and I am soooo glad we met!

With all this talk about lemonade, I think I might go mix up a cold glass of sugary goodness. It is supposed to be a hot one today, so join me in a glass! And be sure to check out the Lemonade Stand Award Recipients above - their blogs will inspire you and give you a smile, too!

Teddy Bear Princess

I had made this cutie little bear a while ago, and couldn't figure out what to do with her... then I dressed her like a princess and gave her a castle.

I want someone to dress me like a princess and give me a castle...

Ah, but that is the fun of creating. In my non-princess life I get to make lush landscapes and fierce dragons, tranquil twilights and sleepy teddy bears. I get to create stories, not just with words, but with paper and ink, ribbon and fabric. Pretty neat when you really stop and think about it...

This little cutie is on a layout I have listed on eBay.