Let's help out a friend

Rhonda is asking for people to send a little something to her Mom who is battling breast cancer. Just go to her site and leave a message with your email address, so that she can send you the address. Her Mom also added some things to her Etsy shop..new tags....go check those out as well... http://LynniputionCrafts.etsy.com/ .

Pretty good day so far

Not only did we get a puppy...I just checked my email and got accepted as a vendor for Silver Bella. I'm so excited, I'm being stupid. Happy, flappy arms...you'd think I was autistic...I'm flappy..cause I'm happy. :) I'm definitely going to have to get off my butt and finish unpacking everything.

Still working

I got some things done...I ordered my business cards....I got two kinds. I got normal size business cards to put in packages and then I got little skinny cards to pass out at Silver Bella. I guess most of the ladies do the moo cards, I don't have any pictures worth getting put on Moo cards (yet...someday). They should be here in 4-10 business days.....they were quick. I'm keeping them a surprise until they get here. I'm so mean. :) I'm also waiting for some packaging. I was going to have Clark start taking pictures for me this weekend, but it got away from us. He did drop off loads of stuff at the Post Thrift Shop. I worked on more merchandise this weekend. I gave Clark a break and we didn't hit any sales this weekend....we had to go clothes shopping for Jr. I put sections in my store...I finally figured out my little thing that will make it "special' and my own. I'm such a goofball. It makes me smile. I may have screwed myself, but that is okay. Yes, Alisa....I'm going to have a shop....if you can have three...I think I can handle one...I hope. :)

Drumroll please......

and the winner is......Lili from the Netherlands. This lucky gal is my partner (actually I'm the lucky one) in Artsy Mama's "Sweet and Sinister Swap". Even though the swap is full (100 people in two days..oy) Kari has opened up the blog to people. You can get three months of inspiration for just $10.....come on people...it's Kari...you know it's worth every cent. If you still feel like you want to be in a Halloween Swap....Bella-Enchanted's swap is still open. I've still been working on inventory when I haven't been chasing psycho baby around.....argh, this time it was Baby Magic (at least he smelled good all night). :) I'm hoping to get a whole lot of stuff ready for clark to take pictures of this weekend, so that I can load them into my shop. I've been spending a lot of time perusing Etsy...looking at the shops....I don't want to "copy" what others' are doing. I want to put my own spin on it. We will be selling similiar items, but I don't want people to think I'm a copycat. I've been looking at prices...to see what people are willing to pay and such...research...I love it. Oh well, I probably need to get to work....I would like to open sometime this year. :)

Reading, writing and a headache

I read a lot this morning...got sucked into a book that I picked up at the PX (Post Exchange...kind of like a Walmart, but with less merchandise and no sales tax)....it's a crafty mystery. :) I'm finally writing...I haven't posted since Sunday. And a had a huge hadache most of the morning which made it hard to get anything accomplished. I did work on inventory this morning....finishing something I started yesterday. I also just worked a little bit more...bagging up vintage craft leaves in two colors...a hot pinky color and silver with a frosty appearance. I got my reclosable bags in the mail yesterday, so I can start bagging items. Woohoo!! We hit six sales on Saturday and they sucked...I just cannot pick them to save my life. I was so bummed. We even hit two Thrift Stores and they pretty much blew as well. Well, on Sunday morning while perusing the paper I swa an ad for an estate sale in AL...everything was 50% off. I mapquested and it wasn't far away...Seale, AL. So we went and I spent some of my birthday money and got some fun stuff for the house.....some more vintage ornaments for my little tree and five Limoges plates (I got all 5 for $14 and the ire of a chick in front of me). She had wanted them, but she should know at Estate Sales if you are even thinking of about it...pick it up or it won't be there by the time you make up your mind. You can always put it back. It was neat...you got a card with a number and they wrote down what you wanted on your card and took it outside for you. Your arms were free and it was so much easier to look around. It definitely made up for the last two weeks of crappy sales. How ever is a girl suppose to stock her Etsy store with vintage goodies if she can't find any??? Man, it means I'll actually have to start creating things....the pressure..oy. :) I do have some ideas of things I'd like to make for my store. They will probably have to wait a few weeks until the boys are back in school. Billy is driving us all batty.....he came up with a new game yesterday..."Let's See How Far I Can Fling My Yogurt"....lovely and impressive.

LindaJo's giveaway

This is what I won....a piece of artwork and fun things to play with...some of it is going in my Silver Bella kit (which I really need to start setting things aside for). Thanks, Linda Jo.

Swap with Tamy

Tamy of Simply Mein has started collecting vintage children's books and I had found some at a thrift store and offered to give them to her. She said she couldn't just take them for nothing, but offered a swap of destash goodies...I took her up on it and look what I got. I don't think I sent enough books to cover this bounty of goodies. :)

Jewels of the Sea Swap, Part II

Top to bottom:
1- ATC made by Jenny Fowler (www.fatedfolliesstudio.blogspot.com/ )
2- Speckled Egg goody bag from Heather
3- Shoshanah Jennings (http://www.hannahgrey.com/ )

Jewels of the Sea Swap, Part I

Top to bottom:
1- Bambi Doe Blake
2- Amy Duff (http://papertrailsleaver.blogspot.com/ )
3-Kim Boehm (www.artdogslife.blogspot.com/ )
4-Barbara Burkard
5- Diane Glass (www.dianeglass.blogspot.com/ )

Witches Unite

I went and joined two more swaps this morning. Oy...I figure I've been slacking in the swap department. I've got loads of time to work on these and they are Halloween swaps...gotta love that. The first one is Bella-Enchanted's "Wicked Witch Switch" and then I up and joined Artsy Mama's "Sweet and Sinister Swap".

Viv, this one is for you

I worked on my cards yesterday and made ten of them. They are pretty simple..I like simple. I used a bunch of rub-ons that I got on clearance (and one I got in my Easter Basket swap). I was afraid to use them at first, but they are pretty easy to work with...once you get the hang of them. I actually made twelve cards, but two of them have slight mistakes and are not worthy of sending into the swap. I might make two more today....we shall see. I've got them posted on my Flickr....just click on the title of this post and it should whisk you away to see my cards.

The Marvellous Mouse Designs 1st Annual Fall Fabric Swap

I joined another swap. Don't worry, I started working on my cards today. :) This one is perfect for a fabric whore like myself. I know there are more of you out there, so go and sign up. It's easy...you send 1 yard (or 1 meter if sending overseas) of 100% cotton fabric. It can be a whole yard or 2 1/2 yards or 1 1/2 yard & 2 1/4 yards or 4 1/4 yards. It's an excuse to either destash or go fabric shopping. I cannot see anything wrong with that and you'll get something new.

My meeting.....

was with JAG. No, I'm not leaving my husband and getting half his assets...why take half when I have all of it now. :) We are old-school military and try to follow the rules. I went to see them about running an online business from our on post housing. It's privatized now, so things are a little different. Well, the lawyer didn't think I'd have a problem and actually called Housing to double check...very nice man. I got the okay yesterday afternoon....not too long after we left his office. I am hoping to get an Etsy shop up and running by the end of the month. I've got all sorts of fun stuff. Some of it is posted on my Flickr.... www.flickr.com/photos/23996216@N02/ I figure since I won't be able to work outside the home and even volunteering will be hard with Billy.....this would be a fun thing to do. I've got so many different things collected up. It will primarily be things to use in your crafty endeavors...supplies and such. I'm kind of excited. I was so nervous about the meeting. :)

I got off my butt

I actually cleaned up some of my happy place yesterday...there is a path to my library desk. I even used it to pay bills this morning. :) I still have a long way to go....I've got boxes in the carport and hallway that still have to find their way into here. But it felt good to get something accomplished. I even have an idea for a card...I've been blocked and that's why I haven't worked on any cards for the swap. I just got done booking my flight and made my hotel reservation for Silver Bella. I still can't believe it. Happy, happy. Now I need to think of attire....the vintage prom thing is so cool, but my body is so not made for those dresses. I have an excess of skin (I put on too much weight during my last pregnancy and it was all up front) that is kind of a pain for me. Clothes shopping has sucked the last three years to start with, now add formal attire. :) I'll figure something out. Well, I need to get breakfast for the oldest and myself and get showered at some point..I've got a meeting this afternoon. Billy will be back in 45 minutes, so I need to get a move on.

I won another giveaway

I hate to admit it, but it had slipped my mind that I entered. I've just had a lot on my mind the last few days. But Linda Jo wrote me today..woohoo...I won't know what I get until it arrives....surprises are always good. So I figured I'd pass on some more giveaway news...go enter and good luck. You have until tomorrow to enter Danielle's (The Vintage Dragonfly) so hurry on over. Next up...Laura of Decor to Adore is going to give away a basket full of goodies for teatime. You have until this Friday to enter, scoot on over there and then head on over to Elizabeth's blog (Thoughts from an Evil Overlord) and enter her Christmas in July giveaway. You have until the 31st of July. I'm going to try and think of an elementary school level explanation on how I made my little flowers for another post. Thanks for asking, Laura. :)

I was crafty this weekend...but still no cards

I made these using head pins, sequins and beads. They were a fun little craft. I'm definitely going to make more. At one of the estate sales I hit in Birmingham, the lady of the house, had a box of sequins and beads. She's in her nineties and hadn't been in her house in over twenty years, so her family was trying to downsize or something. I got all sorts of goodies that day...best estate sale I've ever been to. We actually hit one yesterday (along with one yard sale and two church sales). We spent a whole $1.35 at all four places. A dollar of it was for a doughnut. Slim pickings and I picked the wrong sales to go to yesterday. Clark let me hit the Salvation Army and the Goodwill...I found more stuff for my Dad than for me. Blah. :( I need to work on my card (at this rate I will only get one done). This is the last week of Summer School for Billy and then he is off until school starts on the 5th of August. I need to take advantage of the two hours in the morning (T, W, and H) and try to get something done.

I'm a genius??

Who me a genius?? I don't think so. :) But it sure was a fun test. I heard about it at Cindy's blog ( http://yappingcatstudio.typepad.com/my_weblog/ ) Go ahead you know you want to do it.

I'm such a slacker

All sorts of fun stuff going on the blogging universe. I've just been slacking instead of updating. Let's see....first, head over to Cheryl's website (Confections) and wish her a happy one year anniversary and enter for one of her crepe paper creations. She just got her first fabric shipment in...she is starting a fabric webstore....they are just delicious....men will hate to admit they like them and women will swoon. You only have until tomorrow morning (CA time) to enter...so hightail it over there. Next, speaking of giveaways, Tamy of Simply Mein, is giving a box of junk away....you know me and boxes of other people's stuff. You have longer to get in on this one....the 20th....her boys are at camp and one of them is going to draw the name. Last (but not least) is a new swap, Bella Enchanted, is hosting a "Magic Wand Swap" and sign-ups are until the 1st of August. I've been working on some stuff....just not my cards (bad Wanda)....I really need to get my butt in gear. Billy's been a tad bit of a handful....with that lovely regression and all.....let's see he has broken one shot glass and a tea pot, ripped almost a whole roll of toilet paper into tiny pieces and showers himself with them, pretended to be a chimp (it's better not even to ask me about that), started climbing up on top of things again, stims like a mother f-er (he's making me dizzy), and took just about everything out of my three sets of little drawers my Grandfather made me...it's where I keep tiny things....trying to pick all that up last night just killed me. That was just the last two days. There were other things as well, but I am blocking them from my mind. We did have a good moment this morning while waiting for the bus....we have a nifty tree out front that sheds it's bark. Billy likes to climb up the tree anyhow, but we had fun peeling and throwing bark around this morning to boot. It's our naked tree. Yep, that's what I call it. Those moments make up for all that other crap. :)

Holy Cherries!!!

Now I can see why Amy of Inspireco was tipped over the fence she was sitting on. If you haven't decided whether or not to come...this is a good reason in my book. I was just excited that I was going to take two classes by Charlotte Lyons (who happens to be a reallly good friend of Mary E), but.....I haven't been this excited about a guest speaker since my days at Pitt and I saw Maya Angelou speak (that was back in '91).

Summer Random Re-gift Swap & Junk

The first three photos are some of the items I received from Susana of Slovenia in the justbeConnected's "Summer Random Re-gift Swap". There was more, but I thought I'd just share a little. :) The bottom picture is the box of junk I won the other day from Mary Ann. It was a box loaded down with odds and ends of all sorts of stuff. Don't forget to sign up for this week's box o' junk. Little Cottage In the Making has a giveaway going on now as well....for an Ooh La La package...it's open until tomorrow....her link is on the sidebar.