A Little Sneakie-Peekie...

I'm working on a photo project for 2008.

I bought this Creative Imaginations Bare Elements set:

It's so sweet -- a large heavy-duty box with 12 small chipboard books. I'm going to use one book for each month of the year and fill it with our favorite pictures from that month.

So far, I have the outside cover for the box finished:

   

and hope to be finished with January's book this weekend. Lots of collaged Daisy D's Modern Romance papers, a few vintage wallpapers, Hambly overlay, my favorite flourish stamps (I have WAY too many of these) and a bit of gesso for good luck:-)...more to come.

RUN...don't walk...and GET THIS MAGAZINE!

I almost cried when I found this at my local bookstore. It totally made my day! Forget the laundry, forget the dishes...dinner?  What dinner???  It ain't happenin' today. I'm going to soak these pages in one at a time as slowly as I can. Yes, it's THAT beautiful. You must see this for yourself. I'm totally in love...



 

 

 

How Sweet is This???

Can you stand this?? How creative is that? I haven't a clue who these people are or who took this photo, but those little baby feet are soooo adorable!!

I was stalking Etsy this morning in search of Valentine's Day treasures and found a few "Good Things" (yeah, I'm still in Martha mode) I'm totally drooling over this and these. 

And then there's a ton of goodness at my friend Ann's store, Digital Paperie. 

And how cute is this idea?  And how about tucking these cuties into a card for someone special.

Would you look at what that sweet girl Nicole has in her shop. Everything she does is soooo pretty!

Moth To A Flame studio always catches my eye. Look at this old-fashioned Tussie!

Here's some Sweetheart Tinsel  and sweet images to use in your projects.

Although she's not on Etsy, Trish's idea of a Valentine's Day tree (or two) is giving me a ton of inspiration for my home next month. I just wish she would show us pictures of the whole tree!

OK..I better take care of those dirty dishes in my sink.  Let me know if I missed any of your etsy favorites. I'm always on the lookout for great shops! xoxo...

Guess Who I Met Yesterday!!

My friend Jennifer and I were part of the studio audience at the Martha Stewart Show! And guess what? There's an "Ask Martha" segment at the beginning of the show and I was one of the five people chosen to ask her a question on camera!  I was shaking in my boots but thank God she was very gracious and did not embarass me (I almost forgot to say my name!).   

Let me tell you, this place ROCKS. When we walked up the stairs and into the studio, it was electric. I can't describe it any other way. A million lights above us, lots of people scurrying to and fro moving props, setting things up, checking camera angles.  It was unbelievable.  There was so much going on and I was trying my best to take it all in! You see the people sitting on the floor? They are part of the audience and we were on the risers behind them.

This is Joey -- it's his job to keep the audience entertained, and believe me, he's very good at it! He coached us on what to do and when to do it...and he was really, really funny. I think he mentioned that he's a stand-up comedian, and has opened for a few other shows.  He was so funny -- and he kept cracking jokes and throwing free items into the audience during commercial breaks. It got to the point where we were chanting his name and clapping to get his attention during breaks! I didn't catch anything, but we still received some awesome goodie bags for attending.

After the show Jen and I had lunch at Saks, visted American Girl Place (it was right across the street!) and then went shopping in the garment district for some trims and ribbon. Oh my sweet goodness!!! I've never seen so many rolls, and rolls, AND ROLLS of ribbon,trim and fabric in my life....I was going ga-ga over this stuff...tomorrow I'll post a pic of everything I bought. Very cool stuff..

OK, now it's back to reality...I'm trying to finish a few sewing projects (yes, you heard me...SEWING! Can you stand it? I haven't looked at my machine in years!) and I need to start my Valentine's Day items for our boutique next month! First the laundry, then dinner, then a meeting at my daughter's school....oh, and I forgot about that closet with all the boxes falling out of it...I'll catch you later!...xoxo

This ATC is for Danielle's Itty Bitty White Book project.  White is such a cool theme. The possibilities are endless.  When I sat down to make this ATC I had so many ideas floating around in my head...but when it came down to executing the plan, I couldn't make any of them happen! This was definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be. It''s a real balancing act -- how much color should I add?...do I add any at all?   It was mind boggling!!!  Anyways, here's the final result. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I actually loved the challenge! I used Basic Grey background paper from the Scarlet's Letter colection, an image from my stash (I think this was from Lunagirl -- she's an Ebay seller), rub-ons, Swarovski crystals, gesso and oil pastels. Now I'm off to make 26 color copies!! That's a whole other challenge...Thanks for visiting...xoxo

Bonne Annee..Happy New Year!

Well, here we are. A brand new year...a brand new start. I don't know about you, but I've resisted the temptation to make a list of resolutions and goals, well...almost. I keep thinking I'd still like to drop a few pounds, learn how to sew, and finally pursue a few art-related projects I've put on the back burner.  At the moment none of that really matters (I guess because I've been cooking, cleaning and wrapping non-stop for the past week!). I'm counting my blessings and am content taking this year one day at a time. I hope you all take time to enjoy the new year and all it has to offer. My best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008!!!

Joyeux Noel...Alleluiah!

   "For to us a child is born
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isa 9:6

If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: "God with us." We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!

John F. MacArthur, Jr.

From my house to yours, we're wishing you all every blessing this holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year. May every day be Christmas Day for you in 2008!

See you in January...

Sean, Cris, Mandy and Allie Cunningham