Laurie Star

Lazy Sunday

2012-01-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

Haven't posted in a while and I'm trying to get back into being a regular poster. How's things with everyone? We are enjoying a very interesting winter here in New England this year, with cold temperatures one day, and then near 50's another day. I am not complaining! Snow shoveling gets tiring!

I wanted to share a project I did for Say It With Letters this month in honor of Valentine's Day. It's a set of five butterfly shapes and I did them all in pinks and blacks. I really like the way they came out. If you're interested in doing some of your own, check out this site:Say It With Letters

I have also been very busy planning for our PTO's Winterfest Craft Fair and Kids' festival at my daughter's school. This year I am organizing the crafters' spaces and helping with the raffle baskets. A lot to keep me busy! Also - here's some projects I've been working on between the laundry and house cleaning. Ahh.. I'm dreaming of spring!

Cute Stuff I Found At Target

2012-01-09T10:23:00.002-05:00

Why am I so attracted to the dollar section at Target, Michaels and Joann's? I have no idea. But I always seem to fill up a little basket with this kind of thing whenever I'm there. Look at these darling little birdie and owl bowls my daughter and I found there. And at Michaels I got these cute little pencil cases. I guess I feel that since Christmas is over I'm allowed to spend a few extra dollars on silly stuff. I just like looking at it! :)

Here's some Valentine things I've been making lately for fun and for my shop Trinkets. Valentine's Day is a day just made for crafters - don't ya think?

Happy early Valentine's Day! :)

Christmas is Everywhere!

2011-12-06T11:15:00.001-05:00

I had a very Christmasey weekend this past weekend. My daughter and I went to about six craft fairs in one day. SIX! And I scored some very cool, old Santa figures for my collection. Even a nesting doll style Santa set that was a real steal at just $6! :) I will post pictures of them in my next blog post.I wanted to show you some of the Christmas projects I've been working on - this first one is for "Say It With Letters". It's their wreath shape which comes unfinished and you get to decorate it any way you wish so of course that meant I junked mine up! :)

I put on it all the things I love about Christmas - the decorations, the food, the bling and color!

Check out the SIWL store and blog to get ideas and to get one of your own! :)

Also - yesterday I did this fun project. I got some adorable free printable images and added them to these little birdhouses. Fun!

And I got the nicest surprise today! My sister made me this BEAUTIFUL ring for my birthday! Isn't it gorgeous??? It's a moonstone set in a beautiful sterling silver gallery wire setting with a carved band. She made it all herself and makes gorgeous things. If you want something nice for yourself or a unique Christmas gift for someone, check out her Etsy shop: Shire Jewelry

It's me....

2011-11-10T20:31:00.001-05:00

I don't think anyone reads my blog much anymore! I know I have neglected it. :( I guess it's not my fault that my real life keeps me just so darn busy! I have been gearing up for a holiday craft fair that's next week. I made a lot of new pieces and also had a lot of other things to sell, but nothing was packaged or priced. That takes a lot of time! I couldn't believe it. And, since our PTO is sponsoring it, it's a lot of sign-making and organizing for me. I am looking forward to it and all the holidays bring. I am a Christmas girl! Here's a few of the projects I've been working on lately. Fabric Christmas Ornament Balls - super cute, scrappy and fun!

And lots more pillow ornaments - I have a house fetish!

Lots of wreaths too!

Tomorrow the kids have the day off and I am so excited to get to chillax for a little while and just be with them and not be driving to school and back or running errands. Enjoy your weekend! :)

Hooray! - Update!

2011-09-12T21:24:00.000-04:00

EDIT! Here's my latest Say it With Letters project! A fall wreath using their leaf shapes. Check it out: Say It With Letters .They have so many fun shapes for fall and Halloween!

Once again, I am honored to be accepted as a designer for the fabulous Say It With Letters team. It is so challenging and fun each month to take one of the awesome shapes they create and turn it into something wonderful that I can hang on my wall!

Here's some projects I created fairly recently that are cool and even functional! I get a lot of comments on these and you seriously need to go and check out these cool, inspiring shapes and letters! Get something fun to decorate for fall at Say It With Letters!

Makin' Headbands...

2011-08-19T20:03:00.004-04:00

So - I'm super excited that today a headband I made was featured in the Simply Handmade Blog Create and newsletter click here! The editor there, Delaney Gates, is such a genuinely nice, warm person and I was so thrilled to be contacted and featured in this way!
If you haven't already signed up to subscribe to their newsletter you should! northridgepublishing.com It's full of super fun ideas!

Here's some other headbands I've made this week that you can find for sale at Trinkets if you're interested!

Take a walk in my garden ...

2011-06-30T12:20:00.010-04:00

Today is the last day of June and we are finally into the summer here - we've waited a long time for it in northern New England. And the last few days have been really beautiful. Today it's sunny and warm yet there's a beautiful cool breeze blowing which makes the curtains dance and makes you happy to be alive.
I am so happy this year too, that my favorite flower bushes - my hydrangeas - all have MANY blossoms on them! When I first got them they had them and then each year after that they produced nothing or only one bloom if I was lucky. But this year, I don't really know what happened but each plant is full of blooms! It's silly what makes me happy!

Our little strawberry patch too is the same - doesn't look like much in the pictures but has produced many edible, good-sized berries. Super fun for the kids to pick and eat. Especially when they're out swimming in our new pool that my husband put up this year. Our summer now revolves around that - sunscreen, swimming, and then hanging out the towels to dry for the next time. :) I could think of worse things!

Here's a wreath I made today which will go in my shop Trinkets tonight.
Hope you're all enjoying your summer so far.

Thank You Teachers! :)

2011-06-11T09:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the final installment of the "Thank You To Our Teachers Blog Hop"! It's been a pleasure having all of you come visit - I really appreciate all your kind comments and I hope you'll become a follower and come back and visit me again sometime! :)
If you want to start again at the beginning head here: Memories with Jen..
My last project is another fairly simple thing to make if you can sew a straight stitch! These are stress-relieving pillows filled with plain white, uncooked rice. The pillows can be left in the freezer and used as cold packs for all kinds of injuries and little bumps and bruises. The can also be heated in the microwave for a few minutes for a re-usable heating pad. When I pulled a muscle in my back these were a lifesaver! Imagine what a great gift this would make for a tired teacher!

Thank you to everyone who has come by already and left comments! I am excited to meet you and see your blogs as well! Here's the next blog in the hop! AnitaAndBugs.

Also - check out this month's "Simply Handmade" magazine for a tutorial on one of my rolled flower headbands! :)

Teachers Blog Hop Post #2

2011-06-08T09:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the Thank You To Our Teachers Blog Hop! If you have arrived here from Say It With Letters then you are on the right track. If you just happened to stop by my blog for a visit and want to hop along with us, start from the beginning with Memories with Jen.
This is a week long hop and we will be posting on 3 separate days. (June 5th, 8th and 11th). Please make sure you hop on those days or throughout the week to see all the wonderful inspiration on what to make our teachers for thank you gifts.

This is my second project idea. Here I've used fabric scraps to make some pretty and functional drink coasters. For these, all you need is some clothesline and a sewing machine, and lots of fun scraps. I made sets of these for Christmas gifts, and people really loved them! They're highly absorbent too, which is especially great in the summer!

Another fun project using these same supplies is little fabric bowls. These are fun to make up and don't take very long. They look super cute holding craft supplies or paper clips. These would make a great teacher's gift too if you filled it with something yummy or useful!

Thank you to everyone who has come by already and left comments! I am excited to meet you and see your blogs as well! Here's the next blog in the hop! AnitaAndBugs.
Also - while I have your attention - go check out my friend Natalie's cute Etsy shop Hot Glue Hangover. (Isn't that a cute name?) She has the most gorgeous handmade wreaths and other fun stuff! She recently did a feature on my shop, just to be nice! And now I want to return the favor! Go see some cute stuff!

Thank You to Our Teachers BLOG HOP!

2011-06-05T09:32:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Thank You To Our Teachers Blog Hop! If you have arrived here from Say It With Letters then you are on the right track. If you just happened to stop by my blog for a visit and want to hop along with us, start from the beginning with Memories with Jen.

This is a week long hop and we will be posting on 3 separate days. (June 5th, 8th and 11th) Please make sure you hop on those days or throughout the week to see all the wonderful inspiration on what to make our teachers for thank you gifts.

Here's my first project honoring teachers. This gift is neither functional or edible (ha!) but I do think it's cute and a constant reminder to your teacher that you value them. I have made many of these this spring and also sold a lot of them in my shop Trinkets .

Each one is made from text printed on my computer and heat set with an iron. I then stitch it on to the front of the pillow in a zig zag stitch and add a cute little owl or other decoration. They are filled with polyester fiberfill but could also be filled with lavender! These would look super cute as a gift topper as well or with a bouquet of flowers. Thanks teachers! :)

Here's the next blog in the hop! AnitaAndBugs. Thank you for stopping by - please leave a comment! Have fun! :)

Adorable Projects!

2011-04-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone -
Just wanted to show you some pictures of adorable creations that some of my Trinkets' customers sent me recently. Each uses Trinkets' flowers in creative fun ways. Check out what one of my favorite customers, Maria, has made!
This is her beautiful daughter modeling things she sews. She then adds some of my flowers for decoration.

Check out her adorable Etsy store Ri Lala and her Ri Lala Webshop Shop Ri Lala .
Maria lives in Hawaii and I'm jealous! And she is the sweetest! Another of my customers also lives in Hawaii and she created this beautiful dress adorned with one of my bird appliques. Her name is Desiree and she has a gorgeous Etsy shop called Palm Tree Princess . Her shop is colorful and filled with more yummy goodness!

And here's some things that another great customer made - Monica used a flower to be the "O" in the word Home on these cute blocks she decorated. She also made this bag. Very creative, isn't it? Here's a link to Monica's blog: CC Vinyl . I love seeing these projects! Thanks to everyone who sent them in - send me more and I'll post them! :)

Oh! Before I forget - just wanted to show you another project I created for Say It With Letters! with some of their spring shapes.
I did the word "bloom" and I love the bright cheery way it came out! I added some of my Trinkets' flowers to these, too! Go check out Say It With Letters! for some fun of your own!

Check it Out!

2011-02-12T00:40:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to pop in to say hello and see how you're all holding up with this winter! I am starting to get a little bit stir crazy - but on a good note, at the store today I saw spring items for sale! Garden gnomes, rabbits and sprinklers - that's got to be a good sign, - right? It was for me.
-----------
Also wanted to tell you about this:
A company I design for - Say It With Letters is one of the sponsors over at the
1 Month 2 Win It site! Hot off the tails of 'So You Think You're Crafty', four of the contestants from that competition have started '1 month 2 win it', a crafting competition. You can visit the site for more details on how to enter or even just to see the projects. Anyone can win it!
What is it?
One Month to Win It is a monthly craft competition that anyone can win!
How do you join?
Audition info can be found here. For Season 1 (held in March), the auditions will be on The Country Chic Cottage February 9th through 16th. Watch for a linky party! The judges will pick 11 contestants from the audition and the 12th contestant (The Wild Card) will be chosen via randomizer.org. Yep -- anyone can win this competition!
Who are the judges?
Angie with The Country Chic Cottage
Mandy with Sugar Bee Craft Edition
Jessica with Running with Scissors
Kalleen with At Second Street
Kirstin and Jordan with kojo designs
Wanna learn all about the judges?? Head on over here and read all about us!
Are there prizes?
Yep there will be prizes....you will have to stay tuned to find out what! SIWL is one of the sponsors. :) Ready to join in the fun?
Be sure to follow One Month To Win It to keep up with the competition! And get your projects ready to link up at the audition starting February 9th at The Country Chic Cottage! It sounds super fun and you all should give it a try! :)
--------

I've been making lots of spring things in my shop to get me out of my winter doldrums - but now I'm sleepy! It's late - off to bed!

About Time I Posted

2011-01-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

So... my good friend reminded me AGAIN that I needed to update my blog! It's pretty bad when it's nearly February and I still have Christmas pictures up! I have been a horrible blogger lately! I have just been so busy with projects and kids. And snow shoveling - let's not forget that!

We built these snowmen - my daughter and I - over Christmas break. And they still stand tall and proud in our yard nearly a month later. When the new snow piles on their heads and they look like coneheads, we just go out (over the giant snowbanks!) and smooth their heads over and readjust their eyes. :) I like coming around the corner in my car and seeing them every day. :)

What have I been up to? Mostly taking care of the ever-growing needs of my kids, keeping up with all their school functions and spending time in my studio with my cat, Badger. He follows me around the house like my shadow. It's a good thing I like him so much. He's also very photogenic!

Also - a lot of my time is taken up with the very important tasks of attending to the Barbie population here in my home. They all need to change their outfits numerous times, and here you can see we've had an awesome fashion show, complete with runway! :)

I've also been making piles and piles of flowers! What have all of you been up to???

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T11:39:00.001-05:00

I had to post something here for a few friends who must think that I have fallen off the face of the earth! I'm still here, -- just caught up in the whirlwind of the holidays.
But I wanted to send out greetings to all of you for a Merry Christmas and hope you can stop wrapping, grocery shopping, crafting (for others) and cooking long enough to enjoy a little bit of this holiday and get a little rest in before January starts! I know a lot of you are like me and just don't slow down!....
But I have been enjoying the company of some nice people - been working at my kids' school helping out. We had a very nice "Holiday Shop" for the kids and I made items for that and helped decorate and wrap. It really came together nicely and I so enjoyed watching the kids shop for their families.
I have also been spending a lot of time with my kids - and I can't imagine time better spent. We watched our traditional "Home Alone" movie last night together, all curled up on the big bed with a comforter over us. I never want to lose that tradition. We've also made a lot of cookies, fudge, and wrapped a lot of gifts together. We are super excited for Christmas! Happy Holidays to all of you!

Look What I Won!

2010-11-03T15:41:00.000-04:00

I am late posting this, but I had to show you all these adorable little guys I won from Carrie over at the The Violet Cottage. Aren't they so cute? You have to go check out her blog and store - very cool! (I stole the picture she took of them - I hope she doesn't mind!) Thank you so much Carrie - my daughter and I loved these and enjoyed displaying them this Halloween! :)

Also wanted to show you this that I made from "Say It With Letters" products. It's a free-standing Christmas tree and of course I covered it in fabric! I love the colorful way it came out. And SIWL is having a big giveaway over at Everything Etsy. Go check it out and see what you could win!

And look at this adorable treasury that my Trinkets' items were featured in today! Don't you just want one of everything??? I do!
Lastly, these are new to my shop this week. I love them because they feature birds in the center that are really beautiful, detailed fabric pieces. I love the colors - imagine how cute they would look on a t-shirt or tote bag as decoration? I am a bird lover. :)

Okay - off to craft some Christmas ornaments - happy creating! :)

Check out "Say It With Letters"!

2010-10-16T07:49:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone -
Today I just wanted to tell everyone about a fabulous company I have been doing business with for the last couple of years - Say It With Letters! If you're a crafter like me, then you love painting and altering things, -- right? Well, this company sells unfinished shapes and big letters that you will be dying to get your hands on to create with!
Check out some of these shapes!

Here's some of the fun things you can create with them!

I have been lucky enough to have a coveted spot on the Damboise Design / Say It With Letters Design team for a while, and the owner, Deb, is super friendly and easy to work with! They are coming out with new shapes all the time, and you can custom order children's names or practically any letter in any font or size you want to hang on your wall! Check out her Etsy shop here: Say It With Letters!

Here's a link to check out the blog: Say It With Letters too!

I Love Quilts!

2010-09-21T14:11:00.001-04:00

When I was a little girl, my Mother sewed our clothes at home and used to frequent fabric stores with me in tow. How I used to hate fabric shopping! I would get a headache and plead with her to go home. And now, look at me! I am addicted to fabric and buy it like she did, until I have way too much.
I was thinking today about how much I love quilts made from beautiful fabric, and I love the way it feels to snuggle up under a large, soft quilt and read stories to my little girl and how much she loves it, too. My two kids fight over our quilts and we always keep two or three on the couch. Then I started realizing that I have a bit of a quilt collection. I have made a few (badly!) and I have acquired a few beauties along the way.

This one is a new cherished possession and a favorite - my mother made it for my daughter last year and it is big! It's pink with butterfly fabric and even has appliqued butterflies along the edge. My daughter loves having it on her bed. It has free motion quilting throughout and looks so cute in her room.

This one was recently made for me by my husband's Aunt. As soon as I met her, we hit it off (she's a crafter!) and now we're Facebook friends. She's a new quilter and very skilled! Look how beautiful it is. I asked for a colorful quilt. :)

This one I got when my son was little. It is well loved and stained, but a favorite.

This is my favorite quilt - another hack job of mine - but I just love the colors and patterns. It's super soft and a lap quilt.

These quilts I made - some are very small and one fits my son's bed.

This quilt I bought at an antique store - it is huge, soft and beautiful! I love it!
The scary thing is that these quilts only scratch the surface - I have about six or eight more that I have bought or have been given to me from Grandmothers and great Grandmothers! And some I have bought at craft fairs. I think I have a problem! :)

Fall, Shopping and Treasuries

2010-08-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I need to stop shopping online! Lately I have been so in the mood for fall and cooler weather that I've got Halloween and fall on the brain and went to Amazon and bought lots of books on fall crafting and decorating! I am afraid to see my credit card bill this month!
I also love looking/shopping on Etsy way too much! I buy cute fabric and other things - look at this cute Etsy treasury that one of my items was featured in today. I want to buy all the other things surrounding it!

And check out this one - so rich with fall colors. I usually like bright colors but these things are beautiful!

Pretty soon I'm going to drag my fall decorations down from the attic and start changing it up around here! I'm sure I'll hear lots of groans from my family - but oh well! Are you excited for fall?

Happy Sweltering Summer!

2010-07-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

Is it as hot where you are as it is here? I know I wanted summer, but come on! I am trying to forget it's 90+ degrees and get on with my life, but it's tough. How do all of you cope with this heat? I know it's worse in the south.
In other news... I had some excitement last week - I was selected to be part of a new scrapbooking/altered art forum called More Paper Than Shoes forum. Here's a link to their blog: MPTS.

Here's a project I did for their mixed media crepe paper challenge. I made a paper cone and decorated it with a crepe paper ruffle and flower in the center. I love the way it came out and the bright colors. My daughter and I make a lot of these to fill with goodies and leave anonymously for the neighbors. My kids love it and call it doorbell ditching. It's fun to try and not get caught leaving!

Just wanted to let you know that Trinkets is currently having a CHRISTMAS IN JULY Sale! Maybe it will cool us all off to think of Christmas! Check out my store for the sale info and go shopping here to save!

Early bird gets the worm!

Yay, Me!

2010-06-21T10:10:00.000-04:00

I am super proud of myself! (Mom - I hope you're reading this post!)
Last night I made a skirt for my daughter out of some fabric I had lying on my desk. Now, mind you, while I totally love sewing, I haven't made an article of clothing since Home Ec. class in the eighth grade. I was amazed at what a short time it took me to sew it (it was very simple with just an elastic waist) and how much fun it was. I wasn't even sure if it would fit since I was just guessing at the size - but I know her pretty well and just eye-balled it. Ya know?

My friend Derinda over at Emma Lee's Boutique inspired me with the pictures she posted of her own first attempt at sewing a skirt for her daughter. Check out her Facebook page and become a fan - she sells the most darling hair clips for kids right on her Facebook page. Check it out here!

Anyway - I won't show you the back of the skirt where the seams don't match up, or how the elastic portion kind of bunches up at the waist - but she liked it a LOT and was so happy to wear it to school today on her second-to-last day of school. I even made her a matching hair clippie! Okay, I'm done bragging now. Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Pretty Stuff from My Garden

2010-05-28T10:54:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone -
Enjoying your summer? I am super excited to have a three-day weekend this weekend and enjoy some time with my family. What a nice warm May we've had this year. Everything is in bloom - I took some pictures yesterday of all the color around our house. And my daughter is my favorite flower! :)

Every year my husband tries to throw away my garden rabbit because he's broken - but I love him - broken feet and all! He's not going anywhere!
I hope you enjoy Memorial Day with your families! :)

Ooh! Trinkets is also doing a big giveaway - a huge set of many varieties of my handmade flowers in a cute zippered bag! Check out my friend Michelle's blog to enter! Michelle Philippi. I hope you win! :)

Feeling Grateful

2010-05-02T16:28:00.000-04:00

So things have finally taken a turn for the better around here and warmed up! About five days ago it snowed, but today was over 80 degrees. I kid you not! New England is known for it's weird weather.

But I am always so happy at this time - everything looks so beautiful all around me and I find I value the simple things more. I love the colors too - the trees with their balled up leaves like pom poms in the sun, and all the flowers! Here's my kids enjoying the animals at a local farm nearby.

This weather also inspires me to create new things! Happy spring, everyone!

Happy Spring!

2010-04-16T14:14:00.000-04:00

So this is what I woke up to this morning! We went from 60/70 degree weather to this - SNOW! Arrggh...
Snow all over the daffodils, snow on my pansies. Yuck. It's such a dreary day here and the sky is black overhead.

Thank goodness I have a lot of color in my studio to keep me happy. How's the weather where you are?

What a Nice Weekend!

2010-03-22T07:29:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone -
Long time no post! I haven't had that much post-worthy to comment on lately, but this weekend I got out with a good friend, my daughter and my mother for some shopping and I wanted to share some pictures. We went to one of our favorite destinations, White Home Collections in Wilton, NH. It's an old Colonial House filled with three floors of treasures! And this weekend they opened a special new shop called White Home Market that featured the theme: French Country. My girlfriend and I had a wonderful time and came home with a few treasures! Fun, fun!
Also - spring came to us this weekend. Saturday the weather was nearly 70 degrees and beautiful! I saw crocuses popping up in people's yards and we got to see other signs of spring, like these adorable baby bunnies! Check out how happy my daughter looks cuddling these guys! Hope you're having spring wherever you are!

Is it Spring Yet?

2010-03-01T21:53:00.001-05:00

Okay - I am super tired of winter now. It seems like there has been snow in the forecast now every day and I am ready for some sunshine and shorts! :) I really can't complain, however - so many people here were without power for a few days, and we only lost it for a few hours this time around. We were lucky. It seems like there has been so much weather-related damage all around the world right now and it's scary what Mother Nature can do. Isn't it?
Here's what I've been doing to hope for spring. I altered another shape from Say It With Letters that I think is so cute!

She also has the most adorable "woodland" set with a mushroom and snail - I want this next! Check out her shop here!

Here's some other fun things I've been playing with lately. My studio has been taken over with fabric - it's my new obsession! The stacks of fabric are starting to rival my stacks of scrapbooking paper now! But I have always loved colorful shiny buttons! I don't think that will ever change.
But I am so ready for spring flowers. Does anyone have any bulbs blooming yet??

What's New?

2010-02-08T10:05:00.000-05:00

How is everyone doing? We've been super busy over here - just finished my kids' Winter Carnival. It was fun but I'm glad it's over! I face painted all day which I've never done, but I really enjoyed it. :)

I just wanted to show you this - my friend Heather over at MSK Wear made this adorable outfit using one of my fabric applique hearts - isn't it the cutest thing? You should really check out her shop especially if you have kids! Here's a link to her Etsy site: MSK Wear. Thanks for making my things look so good, Heather!

Here's some other new appliques I made this week! So much fun.

Have a great week!

Happy Hearts!

2010-01-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

Hello again! Just wanted to show you my latest altered project for Valentine's Day. Aren't these fun? The shapes are from Say It With Letters and they come unfinished so that you can decorate them to your heart's content! I love this shape with the wings - it's actually two shapes I strung together with wire. Check out that shop - it's full of fun things!

Also - my fabric hearts were featured again today on FoundHandmade . What a neat site. I have to check it out and find out more about how it works.

Now on sale at Trinkets ! :) Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Check it Out! :)

2010-01-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

Hey check this out! One of my Etsy products made it into the Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog today!

Kimber McGray used my fabric hearts as inspiration for a card she did. Didn't it turn out cute? I love it! Thanks, Kimber! :)

Here's more fabric hearts from my shop.
Lots more Valentine goodies at Trinkets!

Time for a new post

2010-01-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I haven't posted because I just haven't had the time or felt that I had anything worthwhile to say, but I think my blog is lonely!

We had a nice Christmas - did you? Now I feel like I'm playing catchup - paying bills, cleaning, rearranging. For Christmas my husband got me a lot of nice things, but one of the best was a new Keurig Coffee Maker. (Hope I spelled that right!) Anyway - all of us love that thing - it's the only thing keeping me motivated! And my daughter loves it too because I can make hot chocolate with it. Anyway - great present. The holiday was a bit different too, because my kids seem older to me, and lately I have just been so appreciative of them. They fight a LOT but sometimes they don't and they're just super loving and wonderful. I just feel like I need to document somewhere in writing for the world to see - how much I love them. They really are the best thing in my life and I can't imagine never having kids. I don't get out much - and so to have two people who tell you they love you daily - it's a good thing. Okay - sorry - don't know where all that came from - usually I try to keep this impersonal - but there it is!

Here's some things I've been making lately - late at night. I'm excited to move on to Valentine-y things and start thinking spring again!

Giveaway Winner Announced!

2009-12-19T00:17:00.000-05:00

I didn't forget! But it is midnight, so I did wait til the very end of the day to choose a winner for my Christmas giveaway. Thank you to all who entered - wish I could give all you nice ladies a little present - sorry! :( But the big winner is..... Lisa! Here's a link to her blog: Pupylov . Hooray!

Lisa - email me your snail mail address to laurie cass at comcast dot net, and I'll get your goodies shipped out to you as soon as possible! Thank you all for playing. And now, to bed! Tomorrow back to Christmas craziness! :)

Christmas Cuteness and a Giveaway!

2009-12-11T16:16:00.000-05:00

Hello girls - long time no talk! Lots of busy, pretty shiny Christmas goodness going on around here! Check out this adorable pink tree that one of my best buddies gave me this morning! I covered it with some of my flowers. I like it!
Also - look at these awesome ornaments I got this week from the swap sponsored by Deb at Say It With Letters . Thank you for organizing this again, Debbie! :) When I have time I'm going to come back and add each girl's link.
And Joyce went the extra mile and made me this! Oh I love it! Thank you Joyce!
Here's the ones I made. I am so into fabric and polka dots right now!
Also - check out the awesome bunch of giveaways going on over at Fresh and Fun! I'm hoping to win some yummy fabric from the Fabric Closet on Etsy. (www.fabriccloset.etsy.com). Thanks for the chance to win!
I'm also having a little giveaway of my own. Here's some fun Christmas crafting supplies - leave me a comment here by December 17 and I'll announce the winner on Friday the 18th and ship these goodies out to you in time to make some cute cards! Included is an adorable Martha Stewart bird punch (I have one and I love it!) as well as some super neat SEI clear Christmas stamps. Check out my Etsy shop Trinkets and leave me another comment telling me what you love and I'll enter your name twice! Blog about my giveaway and I'll enter your name a third time! Hope you win! :) Happy Holidays!

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing....

2009-11-18T19:42:00.001-05:00

What have I been doing lately? Sewing, sewing, sewing.... it's a good thing I enjoy it so much!
I'll bet my Mom never thought I'd ever take it up, although when I was younger she wanted me to. There is something so wonderful about making something yourself with fabric - such an: "I did this!" feeling of accomplishment. Thanks for not giving up on me Mom! I'll never have your talent but I sure enjoy playing around with it.

We're having an early Thanksgiving this weekend with my family and I am so excited! I am thankful that everyone in my family is well and safe at home. What is everyone else doing for Thanksgiving?

Best Friends and the Weekend!

2009-11-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone -
Last weekend I got to spend time with two of my bestest friends which is something that doesn't happen as much as it used to. We went up to see my friend Debbie who has twins and is pregnant AGAIN! Yay! I am so happy for her and her family. Here she is with one of her adorable babies. I hope she doesn't mind me showing this here. Also went with my other best friend Carole, and it was just so relaxing to spend time together. We have known each other for so long and I am so blessed to have these girls in my life.

And on the way home Carole and I stopped at this awesome Christmas craft fair! Yay! (Sorry, Debbie!) I spent way too much on some beautiful primitive/country ornaments and things (my weakness) - and there was so much to see. I came home with this huge handmade wooden house that is lit inside. I love houses. I put it on our dining room table and I love it - my husband didn't love it as much. :) Ha.
And this weekend there are more craft fairs - I love to go and see what other people have made - Christmas is such a fun time of year. I've already started decorating! Here's some things I've made recently for the shop both for Christmas and otherwise.

Hope you have a great weekend! :)

Happiness

2009-10-29T11:45:00.001-04:00

Isn't it funny that a paper plate full of buttons can make me so happy? I love color and I love looking at these.
I've been getting the kids ready for Halloween - I'll post pictures here of them after we get some good shots. My son is going as a Ghostbuster and my daughter as a belly dancer. Not sure yet how I'm going to make that one warm enough!
Here's some new projects I've been working on lately.

Hope you all have a fantastic Halloween weekend! :)

2009-10-19T15:28:00.000-04:00

So, it's been a while since I've posted, and I feel so left out of the loop! Thank you everyone, for all your sweet responses to my last post. Reading your comments REALLY cheered me up. I felt much better and got over my sad feelings - so thanks!
Getting this in the mail cheered me too - look what I won from Michele over at This Good Day! Isn't it sweet? And she threw in another beautiful tag that I wasn't expecting - and all of it was beautifully wrapped in tissue tied with seam binding. Thank you so much Michele! I love it!

And here's some new projects I've been working on. I made these trees and I really liked them. I'm going to try some more with non-traditional colors soon like pink and blue. I think that will be cute.
I've also started working on some new stuffed houses - here's a mini one just for fun and I'm working on a bigger one now. I don't know why I love them so much, I just do! Anyone else like houses as much as me? I have bird houses, doll houses, mini houses - all over my house - I think it drives my husband nuts! But I can't help it! I'll post the new ones soon.

And here's another project I forgot to post before - it's my "Jolly" letters from Say It With Letters. I decorated them in a kind of non-traditional color scheme and I can't wait to hang them up on my wall. After Halloween is over, of course!

Have a wonderful week, everyone, and thanks again for your kind comments - you're awesome friends! :)

Stopping to Count My Blessings

2009-10-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone - I am feeling a little sentimental tonight and emotional for some reason and just wanted to post to see if anyone was out there! I feel like fall is whipping by and I just can't catch five minutes of time to enjoy it. Fall is my favorite season and it's just so beautiful here in New England. I am spoiled!

Here's some funny pictures of my two kids participating in the Harvest Fest Corn eating contest a week ago! Neither of them won, but it sure was fun to watch them gobble up corn as fast as they could. I am super blessed to have such wonderful kids.

Later we went to see the fireworks and I snapped this photo of my hubby and daughter. It's one of my favorites. It was a super relaxing evening and we just don't get many of those with everyone's busy schedules. So looking at this makes me feel good.
I hope you're all enjoying the fall and taking time with your dear family and friends. :)

Feels Like Fall

2009-09-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!
I just spent all afternoon outside with my little one. She pulled me out and I'm glad she did. We spent an hour just sitting in the sun on the front lawn of the house, - laying around in the grass, wrestling and just doing nothing. Totally relaxing and totally what I've needed lately. I've been trying to teach her to whistle with a piece of grass between her fingers like my Mom and Dad taught me. A happy memory. Anyone else out there able to do it? It does take some practice!
And look at these beautiful tags I received in the mail yesterday from my friend Tracy over at Tied Up Memories. She uses kraft paper for the backing which makes them look like leaves which I think is so cool. I hung them on an old twisted wire tree that I bought a few years ago at a church sale but haven't used much until now. Check out Tracy's beautiful Etsy shop here.

Another one of the tags on the left in this picture is from Laura over at Busybee-Laura. I did a Halloween swap with her and she sent me the tag with the purple spider on it and the MOST beautiful Halloween apron (and many other wonderful Halloween goodies!). I wish I had taken a picture of it but it's been put to use many times already and it's hanging downstairs in my pantry! Check out her Etsy shop here!: Gigi Kay.
And last but not least, I was thrilled today to have one of my pieces featured on the front page of Lollishops! Sadie Lou sent me the sweetest note and then I went to go see it - set amongst the most beautiful things ever! Go check out Lollishops if you have time - it's worth the trip!

Busier Than A One Armed Paper Hanger

2009-09-17T12:01:00.000-04:00

Ha. That's what my Dad always says and that's the way I feel this week - super busy! This weekend is our small town's Fall Celebration. It's called the Home and Harvest Festival, and everyone I know in town is volunteering their time in some way. I am also appointed to a few extra town tasks and I am feeling the pressure! I can't wait til a lot of it passes and I can breathe a sigh of relief! So if some of you haven't heard from me in a while, that's the reason why!

On to other news - my little shop Trinkets was featured today on one of my favorite websites:
On the Dot Creations! What an honor to be put right up there on top! Thank you! My work has also been featured in a few Etsy treasuries, which really made my day! :)
I have been super busy with creating as well, and just finished a huge order. Here's a peek at some of my newest products!

Check them out at Trinkets!

Flowers, Quilts and Halloween!

2009-09-09T11:13:00.000-04:00

So, I thought that now that I have two kids in school that things were going to slow down a bit. Why do they seem busier than ever? With soccer, school forms, new friends and new projects - will there ever be enough hours in the day? That's why I haven't been around as much. But I'm going to try to be better. Just wanted to show you some things I've been working on lately. Here's a quilt that I made out of some fabric that I really love - it's Oh Cherry Oh, by Moda. My daughter loves it so much I never really got to finish it. And of course, I royally screwed it up in many places! But it doesn't look like she cares!

And here's more projects I've taken on. Lots and lots of flower bouquets! I have always loved flowers and it seems that many of you out there do too! I enjoy making them and I enjoy looking at them - real or fake! :)

I also can't seem to get enough Halloween lately. Are you like that too? I just finished decorating these letters last night. They're from Say It With Letters and they come unfinished. Check out her website for all kinds of shapes and cool giant letters for your wall!

I start to get in a Halloween mood every year when it starts turning "autumny" in New England. I am so ready to break out my fall and Halloween decorations but I don't want my husband to yell at me. Ha. I might do it anyway! Happy Fall!

Giveaway Winner Announced!

2009-08-25T16:53:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone -
It's time to announce my first giveaway winner! I just want to thank everyone who participated and especially all the people who made that extra effort and posted about it on their blogs. I would like to think that I have made a few new, good friends from this giveaway because a few of you have become followers and have come back to chat, which is really why I did it in the first place! I love blogland and I love making new friends. So without further ado, here is the winner of the pincushion and book that my lovely assistant chose from the bucket of names.... drumroll please....

Penelope Ann of Candy Stick Lane. I think she also goes by Renee. I'm not sure. Either way - send me your snail mail address, and I'll ship this right out to you! :)
Again - thank you all for playing along - I wish I had a prize for everyone, I really do.
And speaking of my assistant - we've had a lovely week together - just the two of us. (Her brother is away on a trip with his Father.) We've kind of been celebrating the last week of freedom before she starts school for the first time on Monday. Kindergarten. We're both a tiny bit apprehensive but mostly excited. She's extremely social and I'm hoping she'll love it. It will be weird without her here though, as we've been together nearly every minute in all of her five and a half years. It will certainly be different!
Check out what she made today! This cool Halloween haunted house. She designed everything herself - neat huh?
And here's something I made this morning. I never get tired of these cheerful, bright colors. Have a great week, everyone! :)

Up Too Late At Night!

2009-08-21T08:43:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone -
Have you been as busy as I have? I have been crafting into the wee hours of the morning, and in this heat, you feel pretty sapped of strength in the morning. But I really wouldn't have it any other way. Except for the heat, of course!
Look what I finished yesterday. The pictures aren't the greatest because I took them late last night! And this was a fun project. I got the idea from this blog: My Lily Eden. Her blog is super cool as well as her creations. Check out her darling Etsy site: Lemon Tree Studio. A girl after my own heart, obviously! :)
These letters were sewn onto a fleece interfacing and free-form drawn/cut out of fabric. (I didn't have any letter stencils handy.) It's hard to get a good picture because they're so big - nearly 4 x 6" each. But they are super fun and now my daughter wants me to make some in the letters of her name. I'm glad her name isn't that long!
And this is a fun black and orange Halloween bouquet of felt flowers I made this week. I am totally in a fall mood all of a sudden - are you? I just wish the weather would cooperate now!
Also - don't forget to enter my Pincushion and Book giveaway! See below or: Laurie Star Pincushion Giveaway!. You have until Monday the 24th to enter!

Pincushion Giveaway!

2009-08-10T12:37:00.000-04:00

Hello my blogging friends -
Things around here have been super busy - super crazy. But in a good way - ya know? Still, sometimes I wonder if my head is screwed on straight, and if I'll remember to get everything done that I promised to everyone. Yikes! I usually do though. I think I am the over-achiever of my family. Ha. Okay,.. on to more fun things. This week - something new for me. A giveaway!

I have been doing a TON of sewing lately, and I would be lost without these little things - pincushions! I have one in my sewing box, one near my machine, one near my cutting table. I really don't know what I would do without them. This is a picture of one I made and one my mother made for me years ago.

And since I love them so much, I want to pass one on to one of my loyal readers to share the love! This is one I made with really fun, bright fabrics. And it will come to you with a copy of this adorable book - "Pretty Little Pincushions," by Lark Books. This book is full of the cutest pincushion designs so you can make your own!
So, all you have to do is leave a comment to this post by August 24th, and I will randomly draw a name the next day on the 25th and post it here. Please make sure I can find you somehow through your comment - and if you blog about it and include a link to my site, I will enter your name twice! And I will ship internationally, so my new friends can play along too! Good luck everyone! (And thank you, Elyse, for pushing me to do it finally! :)

Check out some of the newest pincushions I've made in my shop! Trinkets!

MIA

2009-07-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

So... I haven't been around as much this week in blogland and I feel left out of the loop. I miss it! But we've been doing a lot of swim lessons, house stuff - you know, summer types of things. Here's a picture of my grouchy daughter at the lake today. Sometimes she's really a sour puss and doesn't want me to take her picture, but I did anyway because she's wearing the little hair clip I whipped up for her. I thought she looked cute even with a scowl on her face!
But it's all these type of activities keep me away from my computer and usually that's okay, but sometimes I really miss seeing everyone's pretty blog posts!

In the evenings I try to squeeze in a little creating - here's a new polka dot birdie I made and put on a decorated spool. I think he's kinda cute - especially on one side where his eye came out in the dot. Cute.

And then this morning I made this little pillow/wall hanging, and soon I'm going to make more for my Etsy shop Trinkets with different birds because I really love birds - can you tell? :) I'll post more pictures of the other ones when they're done. What have the rest of you girls been up to this week?

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-20T10:16:00.000-04:00

Hey - I'm back from vacation! We had a glorious time. You can't get much better than this! We rented a little cottage by the lake, and it had all the amenities (running water, indoor plumbing...) but seriously - it had everything but a dishwasher, - and with two kids, - this is my kind of camping!
I loved just leaving everything around and never picking up or making beds. And the weather was great - we spent most of the day fishing, swimming or just hanging out. It only rained once at night.
I caught up on my Solitaire skills (ha) and even read an ENTIRE novel! Oh my God. That was my goal for the week, and I accomplished it. I still can't believe it. But truthfully - I am a real homebody, and I am so glad to be back. I missed our two cats terribly, and I missed seeing my flowers, my yard, etc. It's good to be home.
I was also having fun creating! Put a few new things in the shop today. Hope you're all having a great week! Write me a comment and tell me how much you missed me. (You didn't even know I was gone, did you?? :)

Summer is Here!

2009-07-04T22:23:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Independence Day! We had our usual one here - very low key - just hanging out at home. This has been the first nice weekend we've had in about a month - seriously! So it was so nice to stay at home and be together. The weather was just gorgeous - 70 degrees and breezy - beautiful!
Here's my two enjoying sparklers. They were so excited to get out tonight and set things on fire! Little pyros! :)
Also - I've been doing even more sewing lately, although I don't have much to show for it. Here's some little lavender sachets I made just for fun. I especially like the one with the bird house on it - I free form sewed it right on top of the material. It was like drawing with thread. Fun!

Wild Strawberries

2009-06-23T13:49:00.000-04:00

Look what my daughter and I have noticed this year - growing in our yard all on their own - wild strawberries. I saw them earlier this spring near the driveway side of our house and decided not to mow them, and today the little patch actually had ripe berries on it. My daughter, the gardener, helped me pick them and has been eating them all morning. So pretty and so tiny!

And I hope my Mom is reading this post! I have been doing quite a bit of sewing lately - all on the sewing machine she gave me a few years ago. I have been buying little pretty bits of fabric and I'm having fun coming up with things to make with them. Now - I'm not a very talented sewer - but I sure do enjoy it. Here's a pillow cover that I made.
And here's a little lined tote bag. I am so proud of myself because I never made anything that was lined before!

And now I'm off to post some new creations on my Etsy site Trinkets - hand-painted button hairpins. Aren't they funky?

Button-Eyed Creatures! Oh My!

2009-06-09T16:14:00.000-04:00

Hey - check out this cool creature! She's "Farnesworth" and is a creation made by Anne of Creatures Northwest. Farnesworth's eyes are made from my Trinkets' hand painted buttons - stacked one on top of the other. Isn't this the neatest use for buttons? I think so!

Anne was super nice and right after she ordered, my daughter and I had to immediately go check out her site. Look at all these other funky creations! We wanted one of each! You have to get yourself over there, and of course, get some funky buttons for your own creations at Trinkets.

And new this week - another mixed media birdhouse! I just can't get enough of birds and bird houses! :)

Help! I Have Cute Plastic Bin Disorder!

2009-06-05T08:40:00.000-04:00

Ha. This morning as I looked at my very messy studio desk, I realized that I couldn't get any work done because my desk was cluttered with yet more tins and plastic bins that I got at Target this week. Does anyone else share my affliction? I tell myself that I "NEED" them to organize my craft stuff, but soon I think I am going to "need" a new room to organize my craft bins and buckets! But I just love them - I love their bold shiny colors and junk-holding ability. Look what a mess I have going on in my studio! They don't seem to be doing their job.
On another note, check out this cool critter I saw this week - he is a Pileated Woodpecker. Huge and beautiful and not something you see every day. He actually let me walk up fairly close to him to get this shot. Cool!

Also - new ribbon flowers for sale in my shop this week - check them out! Trinkets.
Okay - off to fill some bins. :)

Memorial Day Musings

2009-05-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

What a stellar, beautiful Memorial Day we had here today in my very small town. The weather was absolutely perfect - a dry, sunny day in the 70's with dappled sunshine and breezes ruffling my white curtains. I love these kind of days. And living close to the center of town, we have the good fortune of the parade passing right by our house! Our neighbor's son plays taps on his bugle, and kids we know all march in the parade. Here's a shot of my tall sweet son and pretty little flag waver.

And here's some of the brave veterans that march every year. I always get a bit choked up on Memorial Day.
And look at this! I won a fabulous Mother's Day gift giveaway from the very sweet Noelle. She sent me a huge box - with a beautiful Mother's Day card, a cd, spa treatment stuff - the works! I love it all - thank you Noelle! Go check out her site: Lil Bits and Pieces of Me and you will make a new friend in a day!

And here's what I saw tonight out on our lawn. Our motion activated light was coming on with the whipping of the American flag in the wind. And I saw this fluttering around. A Luna Moth. Never seen one close up but it was big - nearly 4 or 5" across I would say. I think it's an omen of good things to come!
Here's some new Etsy items added this week in my Trinkets shop. Hope you all had a glorious Memorial Day!

My Etsy Shop Featured on the Everyday Scrapper Blog!

2009-05-13T13:52:00.000-04:00

Hi Girls - I'm super excited today because my little Etsy shop was featured on a very cool scrap site called: The Everyday Scrapper.
The woman who approached me, Catherine - created some really great layouts using some of my stuff. It's very gratifying to see things you've created used by others. And she is so super nice. You have to go check out the site - The Everyday Scrapper and tell her I sent you!
Here's a layout she did using Trinkets merchandise!
And here's a little felt birdie I made this week. He isn't real but the one below is!
I got this very cool hummingbird feeder as a Mother's Day gift from my Mother-in-law. Isn't it neat? And on the first day I put it up, we had many birds come! I couldn't believe it. And don't ya know I was standing right there, of course, ready to snap a picture??? :)

Cuteness

2009-05-06T17:12:00.000-04:00

I just had to post about these cute little dollies my daughter and I made. I saw them online with a tutorial here: Clothespin Doll. I was immediately smitten with them and had to try making them. We finished a few and my daughter literally carried hers with her everywhere today - to the store, in the car - outside planting flowers. I was amazed that something so small and handmade would entertain her for so long.

They also fit perfectly inside our dollhouses. (Yes - I said dollhouses - plural. We have THREE dollhouses!) Check out the big terrifying tiger in the living room!

Birds and Butterflies

2009-04-29T12:17:00.000-04:00

These past two weeks have flown by! How many activities can you cram into each day? I am starting to wonder. But the weather has been so beautiful and everything is buzzing with life - I can't complain. My daughter wants to spend nearly every waking hour outside so that's where we've been. Making sand box castles, chasing butterflies and picking dandelions. It's a wonderful time - 5 years old is a fun age.
And it's been fun getting outside and doing different types of crafts. Ones inspired from nature and taking outdoor photographs. I love natural light.

Hope all of you are enjoying the spring! I'll be posting again soon with some new projects! Send me links of what you're working on!

Spring is Here!

2009-04-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

Spring is finally here at last! This week the weather has been beautiful and there are only traces of snow left in our yard. I went and bought some of these colorful pansies today on the first day the farm store in town opened.
Speaking of our store - these are pictures of Tenney Farm here in Antrim - they were nice enough to again sell my greeting cards this season. Stop in if you're in the area - they're right on Rt. 202.
And I just had to share this picture of my poor cat. His name is Badger and he is the most wonderful, relaxed cat. He was playing with the kids and they did this to him but he didn't even care! I had to snap a photo!

And this is just one new kit for sale in my Etsy shop, Trinkets. I have more to add today and tomorrow - I think they are so cute! Check them out here.

I love color!

2009-04-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

I have been super happy this week - despite the fact that both my poor kiddos have been quite sick. They are starting to get better - so that inspires me. Plus - everything outside is gradually starting to green up. Green is my favorite color! The snow is melting away and every day my daughter and I go out and count the tulips popping up through the muddy earth. We are very happy it's spring in New England!
And look at this - my friend and neighbor brought this by and left it in my porch yesterday. It's a small cupboard that she painted a greenish blue color. She's moving currently and is sending things my way - this is the third small cupboard she's given me this week. How did she know that I have a thing for cupboards/cabinets? Thank you, Kristen! I'm sure she's too busy now to read my post, but I want her to know that I love her offerings and I really appreciate it. And look what I put inside - it's a great place to house and display my new Trinkets merchandise! I love all the colors and I enjoy having things displayed there.
I have been having a blast making new colorful things for my Etsy shop and also using them in my own layouts. And spring is great picture-taking time - this weekend is the town Easter Egg Hunt!

Addicted to Etsy

2009-03-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

Here's what's new in my Etsy shop this week!

So.. you know how some people are addicted to Facebook? I'm addicted to Etsy. I've figured out how to "heart" shops and now I have nearly ten pages of favorite stores that I need to look at every day. I have to say that seeing little squares filled with beautiful things all stacked up against each other is the start to a wonderful day. I just have this thing for color and creation, and that's why I love Etsy. I don't buy as much as I'd like - but if I see something really good, I am not hesitant to hit that "buy" button! Because what I've found so far is that everyone who sells there is genuinely nice - extremely nice, and it makes shopping there even more of a pleasure. And now, I'm going to stop because I'm sounding a bit like a commercial!
But here's some of my faves. I am always looking for fun, colorful new shops!
Karen Fields Gallery
Sew Fragrant
Calico Daisy
Tinkered Treasures
And my sister's site: GlenShire
And here's one of my favorite Etsy shops - they sell these wooden shapes that you can alter to your liking - this is a set and you can find it here at Say It With Letters.

Do you have some Etsy faves that you could share with me? Leave me a comment with a link so I can check them out!

Messy, messy

2009-03-20T08:55:00.001-04:00

So... I've been super busy lately. Helping my son learn his multiplication tables, bandaging his soccer injuries, and trying to keep my little daughter entertained by going bike riding and exploring with her. And then I'm sneaking in some community meetings at the same time - and all the while our house is being dismantled around me while my husband and a friend do some work painting and renovating. It's exhausting but interesting!
At night I come up to my studio to try and relax but I end up only making a bigger mess!

Here's some of what I've been working on though.Some of it is already for sale in my Etsy shop or will be soon!

And here's the cushy chair that I never get to sleep in...

Cards, cards, cards.. and some signs

2009-03-10T08:47:00.000-04:00

So here's a couple of recent cards I did for myself and a few for the "Cards" magazine cover contest. Of course I didn't get chosen as a finalist, but I still like the cards I did.

And then this weekend we had our third "Crafternoon" event and there were nine of us there! Oh my. It was pretty cool that all of us came together to craft and we all made different things. I focused on sign painting for spring. (A few of these are available in my Etsy shop.) It's so much fun to get together with other people that like to craft as much as I do.

Thinking Spring

2009-03-03T08:14:00.000-05:00

So even though we just got dumped on - again - with snow, I am still thinking spring and couldn't wait any longer to start taking out a few of my favorite decorations. Look at this beautiful bird house that my sister got me - it is so me and I love it. I leave it out year round. And this is one of my favorite bunnies - he's very big and heavy and I love how different he is. I fill his bowl with eggs.

And this is a new decoration that I got this year at T.J. Maxx. Too cute and inexpensive too!

And these two projects I did a while before but I like them because they are house designs. I have a thing for houses - real and not so real. My house is filled with doll houses, bird houses and houses like this. This one is from Say It With Letters and the other one is sheer from an album. I turned it into a little wall hanging with my two cute kids.
And I don't have any new cards to show you this week - I've been busy finishing up other mini albums I started. It's not as fun as doing new work, but I feel good when I finish those few remaining pages. I love looking at them later with the kids because I forget so much of what happened. Thank God for scrapbooking since I don't have a very accurate memory!

Good things come in small packages

2009-02-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit late in posting both these items, but hey - better late than never, right? Look at these adorable "Petite Inspiration Boxes" I received last week from my swap with Speckled Egg. Heather does the best swaps and these were so much fun to receive from Lonnie, Jen and Tammy. Each one was so beautiful in different ways and crammed with stuff! I have already begun using some of the vintage flowers, tickets and other items in my work. Thank you so much girls! I loved them.

And here's something that really made my week - finally getting my copy of this in the mail - my first publication! I had done these "NeSt" letters for Say It With Letters a while back, and really loved doing them. How exciting for me to see them here in the new "Simply Handmade"!

Now my goal is to be published in "Cards" and my life will be complete! Ha ha! :) Thank you for all your kind comments, girls, you are all so sweet! Have a great week everyone!

Card Creating and Doorbell Ditching

2009-02-09T14:59:00.000-05:00

So, I've got the card-bug again and can't stop making them. Every time I get new supplies I just can't seem to stop. I went into Michael's again last week with my daughter and of course had to get a few cute things.

They have new K & Company lines there that I've never even heard of! Those designers are busy, busy!

And then, my daughter and I made these cones and filled them with candy. We put them on neighbor's doorknobs, ring the doorbell and run! What fun - and we don't leave our name - we're trying to stir up a little Valentine's mystery. I wanted to do it for Halloween and never had the time, - so Valentine's Day is just as fun. Anyone else ever go doorbell ditching?

A Passion for Polka Dots

2009-02-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

So, one of my papercrafting idols is hosting a challenge on her blog - the challenge was to create a card using polka dots, and funny thing was, I just did! I bought this paper at a new scrap store called NH Scrapbook Cabin in Amherst, - with my bestest friend and my daughter - we had a fun time shopping! I love this Imaginisce paper - it just screams "storybook" or "Hansel and Gretel" to me. So cute. My daughter loves it so much we're going to buy the whole line, including the stamps. Too cute. And here's a few other polka dot inspired cards I did for the challenge. Hope I win! :) Check it out at: Lilybeans Paperie.

Here's a picture of the newest scrap store in New Hampshire: NH Scrapbook Cabin. You should check out their web site - they have wonderful personnel and even serve coffee! Now that's what I call shopping! :)

Gettin' Crafty!

2009-01-27T09:14:00.000-05:00

This week has been so busy! I have reconnected with many friends and it makes me feel happy and alive! Where would we be without good girlfriends?? Here are some cards I made today inspired by my friends.

Also - had my first "Crafternoon" this weekend and it was so much fun. There were just four of us, but we had a lot to talk about, a lot to share, and some interesting projects were made. One of the girls was sewing bags for Morsbags. Go check out the site and make one of your own like I did! Here's mine made out of old dinner napkins. Reuse, renew, recycle!

Another girl was making draft dodgers for the local church windows, and another was knitting on a loom. It really was a lot of fun and great therapy! I have some more projects to show you but they'll have to wait until another time. My little one needs me now. Have a great week! :)

Resolutions

2009-01-11T16:09:00.000-05:00

So.... it's been a while since I've updated my blog - I have just felt so unproductive lately. By the time it's time to craft - I'm all worn out and have no energy and just want to go to bed. Could it be all this snow I've been shoveling lately??? Perhaps. Here's some non-traditional Valentine cards I made lately using the new K & Company "Cut and Paste" line which I just adore! There's also some Basic Grey here - two of my most recent faves.

And oh! On an exciting note, a friend of mine here is attempting to start up a group of local crafters to get together once a month. She was inspired by a book called: " Crafternoon " - has anyone ever heard of it? I haven't read it but I am dying to read it and do more crafting. One of my New Year's resolutions was to create more and have more fun. Sounds good, doesn't it??? :)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone -
Just wanted to wish all of you out there in blog land a very happy Christmas. It's been a bit of a different one for me this year, and I'm trying with all my might to regain my Christmas spirit. Hope all of you have it or find some one thing that is just for you this holiday.
Merry Christmas.

All things Christmas

2008-12-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

Why am I so fond of Christmas? I am not really sure why I am Christmas obsessed. Why do I feel the need every year at this time to decorate and bake as if I'm nesting? All I know is that I can't help myself! I love everything about this time of year. Here's some ornaments I have been making and a funky Christmas countdown calendar that I made with a cookie sheet and magnets. It turned out a little "busier" than I had imagined, but I still like it.

Here's a pic of my daughter helping me bake sugar cookies. I'm glad I have a partner in crime!
My studio has been a wreck all month with preparations. How are all of you celebrating/decorating for the holidays?

I'm a bad blogger...

2008-11-24T14:14:00.000-05:00

So yes - I have been a very bad blogger. A very busy blogger. I love this time of year - but it's also my busiest - most stressed out time of year. So that explains why I haven't posted in a while. We had everyone over early this past weekend for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. I'm glad all the cooking is done but now what will I do on Thanksgiving? Ha. Isn't this picture cute? It's my two adorable kids outside of this cute new shop called "House Too Home". Full of adorable things I love. Old cupboards, signs and primitive decor. Love it.

And here's something I should have posted about ages ago - it's the beautiful, beautiful box of autumn goodies that I received from Cathy over at Cranberry Cottage. We did an autumn swap and she was my partner. She makes the most beautiful handmade soaps and other products. Go check out her blog (where you can see photos of what I sent her) and her Etsy site: Cranberry Cottage Shop for some great stocking stuffers! Thank you Cathy - still lovin' my stuff!

And these photos are a project I just recently finished - it's a spool wreath kit from Say It With Letters. Isn't it darling? I love the papers - everything's included! And I had enough stuff left over to make a few cards and this little wallhanging. Go check it out and get one for yourself.

I'll try not to be such a bad blogger from now on!

Christmas on Halloween

2008-10-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

So, my daughter thinks I'm nuts, working on Christmas cards on the day of Halloween. But I love the holidays so much that I start working/decorating for Halloween in late August, and then I've already moved on to Christmas halfway through October. Yeah, I guess I am a bit strange. But I love it!

Here's some cards I did for a local shop, and just for the sheer joy of creating. Also mixed in here are some designs I did for Say It With Letters , my favorite holiday shop, right now! Go and check out all her cute kits, shapes and letters. I'll have more projects coming soon to show you, including a new cookie sheet advent calendar for Christmas. Happy Halloween! Ha ha...

Been Busy

2008-10-08T13:52:00.000-04:00

I have been so busy lately with - life, I guess - that I haven't had as much time for creating. And after a while, I really start to feel bottled up and frustrated, so it's good when I can do any little thing with color and pattern, and then I feel better. :)

I've also been trying to finish up this summer book I made so that I can start working on a fall mini-book. I used my Zutter binder to create this and I love the way you can punch holes in a lot of different things and then bind it all together. Fun stuff.

I've also been trying to do more scrapbooking lately - this summer I made so many cards but not so many layouts. I'm trying to be better about journaling and documenting things in words instead of just pictures!

I tried my hand again at one of these metal cookie-sheet calendars. I did one last year after I was inspired by Teresa McFayden's version, but mine never gets as good as hers. Still, I enjoyed making all the little Halloweeny dates and trying to come up with more clever ideas. My kids love to play endlessly with all the little magnets.

Oh! And I added a few little pincushions to my Trinkets shop if you're interested! Too much fun to make! Have a great week!

This time of year

2008-09-24T12:39:00.000-04:00

I love this time of year. Look at this photo I snapped while driving down the road in my car this morning. It is just so glorious in New England right now and I feel so lucky to live here!

Here's some new products I've been making for our show at the end of October at Talk Paper Scissors. I love these little flowers! I just love looking at them because of the mixed-up colors. They use vintage novels and felt for the backgrounds.
I have also been having fun making these little keychains that use acrylic tiles. So much fun to add to a package, to your keyring or to a backpack!

Also these little tree shapes put me in a fall mood. All you need to do is add your favorite photo.

I am starting to accumulate too much for our show now and may need to move this over to my Etsy shop which has nothing! Once I list some items, I'll edit this post! Hope all of you are well and enjoying fall! :)

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2008-09-07T22:15:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I'm thinking about the holidays already. Wasn't it just summer? But I so love fall. I just finished altering some of these shapes from Say It With Letters. Don't they put you in a fall mood?
I've also been enjoying making these little things - tag tins for the holidays and cute little pincushions. I don't sew a lot, but these make me want to! We're having another Early Bird Open House here at Talk Paper Scissors October 24th. If you're in the NH area, you should check it out! See the site for more information.

Something New

2008-08-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

So I have a new project to share today, and it's not a card! :) Isn't this album the cutest? It's called a bracket album and it's a kit from Say It With Letters.
It comes with the album, papers and fun embellishments (which I love!) and there was even a lot left over for other projects. Everything coordinated beautifully - you really should go check it out and get one for yourself.

These next two projects are also from Say It With Letters. The tree is a Maya Road chipboard album that I made into a little wall hanging. This project uses darling Say It With Letters shapes. I altered each one and then made a background and grouped them all together. I love how it looks on my studio wall.
And this last project was something my daughter and I did together. A good friend of mine gave me some fresh lavender from her garden and we sewed it into these cute little pillows. She sleeps with hers under her bed pillow because I'd read somewhere that it helps when you can't sleep. I'll turn my daughter into a crafter yet - and get her to sleep! :) Hope you're all enjoying your week!

The rain finally stopped!

2008-08-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

It sure has been rainy here - storm after storm. This August feels more like April or October. But today it is finally sunny - the pick of the week, the weatherman says. I got some new supplies recently and have been having fun making new little things. Have you noticed how everything has a bow? I guess I am going through a bow phase. But it has made me use up some of my ribbon - I have a LOT of ribbon! And I love it almost as much as I love buttons. Ha. And I'd sort of forgotten about it because I have so much and just threw it all into a tangled mess in a bin. So it's good to use it, right???

This is a picture of my two bestest friends. We have lots of pictures like this, and they always make me smile. What would I do without my girl friends? Go insane, I think!
And as you can see - I've been in a fall mood lately. My favorite time of year here in New England. I love making Halloween cards - I always loved Halloween as a kid, and it still continues today. Anyone else out there getting ready for fall?

More Cards!

2008-08-04T11:59:00.000-04:00

Wow - what a fun and busy weekend we had. My kids had a yard sale and a lemonade stand. I did lots of moving boxes and hauling our old junk around. The good news is, though, that for once, we actually sold a lot of the stuff and got it out of the house! It was great seeing it go to people who could use it and not having to take it all to the recycling center. Plus my son was very happy to get all that money to save for his next video game system!
Here's some cards I made this week using some new kit supplies as well as some vintage yard sale trim! Anyone else love yard sales as much as I do??

Gettin' My Sketch On!

2008-07-19T22:19:00.001-04:00

Hello! Hope you all had a relaxing Saturday. I spent the most wonderful day up at the lake today with my family. We swam, fished, barbecued, talked and even picked wild blueberries! Tonight I made the yummiest blueberry bread and it's delicious if I do say so myself!
The card above and the below I created using a sketch from the talented Miss Melissa Phillips of Lily Bean's Paperie. Her site is pure eye-candy to me and I check it often simply to be inspired! She's having a giveaway this week but you have to make a card using the sketch. I had so much fun creating these using the new kit I got from the Keep In Touch Card Shop. I found out about that from Melissa, too, and now I am a subscriber! Such an enabler! And these cards were made using the new Making Memories clear stamps. I just had to have them because of this bird stamp. I love birds! But isn't it awful to buy a whole sheet of stamps just for one small one? Oh well. I think it's too late to try and justify my scrap habit!

Happy Sunday

2008-07-13T22:11:00.000-04:00

How's everyone doing? I just finished watching HGTV's "Design Star". Anyone else watch that show? It's so intense - they had to remodel an entire kitchen today. I can't imagine working so hard only to be voted off. Better them than me. I just design cards! :) Here's a few new ones from this week.

Also wanted to let you know that there's a contest going on over at Say It With Letters. They're looking for a Guest Designer for September. Deb is so easy-going and fun to work with, and her products are wonderful! Find out more information here.

A Contest!

2008-06-24T09:14:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone! Who's in the mood for a contest? You have to go over and check out Say It With Letter's new summer contest and their new ice cream cone shape. It's just the cutest! They also have a cupcake and other fun shapes, including this new banner set. Here's one I designed for a dear friend's baby's room. It was so easy and fun to do.

They also sell kits. These are some cards I made using a Say It With Letters card kit.

I've been in the card mood lately and I have stacks of them! Here's a few others I made this week with some new kit papers.

Am I the only crazy one out there that makes piles of cards? I'm running out of people to send them to! Are you a card creator? Let me know! I'd love to see what you create!

New Cards Available for Sale at Tenney Farm!

2008-06-13T21:40:00.000-04:00

Today I put a small sampling of my handmade cards for sale over at Tenney Farm. If you're in Antrim, NH, and you need a heartfelt, inexpensive way to make someone smile, stop by and pick one up! They're right on Rt. 202 near the Bennington line. And as you can see in my picture - it's strawberry time! Fresh juicy strawberries can be found there as well as my favorite - beautiful flowers.

Off to see my Daddy this weekend - hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day with those you love!

New Projects

2008-05-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful Memorial Weekend we had here. Hope all of you did too! It was so relaxing to just be home in our own backyard - cooking on the barbeque, swimming in the kiddie pool and seeing friends. The parade always goes right by our house so we never miss it! The kids cover their ears when the soldiers fire their guns.
The flower cone above was inspired by Teresa McFayden's that she made on her blog, My Minutia. Hers is much nicer, but I loved this project - it's so cheery by my door and only took me ten minutes to make - seriously!

And this page my daughter helped me make today. I have so many wonderful spring pictures and not enough time to scrap them all!

The best Mother's Day present

2008-05-16T21:43:00.000-04:00

Look what I got this year from my wonderful husband! It's a digital picture frame! Is this cool or what? All I have to do is pop a memory card into the side and turn it on, and it displays a slideshow of pictures. It even plays music and movies! (Haven't done that yet, though.) The nicest thing about it is that it sits up on top of my desk with only one wire going down the back and you don't need a computer. It even has a remote. I feel too cool for school with this baby on my desk! Thanks, T! You're the best! He even got me flowers too.

Here's some pics of recent projects I've done. I have so many but will only post a few here. The weather has been so beautiful all of a sudden. I can't stop snapping pictures of the kids, the garden, the yard, etc. I love spring!

And here's a card I made today - I had fun at the CK Convention today and used my new supplies. It's for my good friend who I know won't see it posted here because she's much too busy taking care of her new babies... but I miss you!

Layouts and a Giveaway!

2008-05-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, happy Saturday! Here, it's cold and wet. Not at all like May should be. But I'm sure it will improve in time. We've had a busy week and I'm only now finding time to slow down and smell the flowers, even though they're soggy! Here's some layouts I did recently that I actually liked the end result.

And I don't know if I ever posted a picture of these here before, but they are some letters from Say It With Letters that I decorated. I absolutely love the mixed-up typefaces and the the size of these letters. You should go over and check out the Say It With Letters blog because they're having a giveaway this weekend for National Scrapbooking Day! You might win something sweet and you can also check out all the new shapes and kits! Tell them I sent you - have a great week everyone!

Spring is finally here!

2008-04-30T21:59:00.000-04:00

So, I haven't been around much lately. The weather has finally warmed up, which takes me outside more - chasing around the kids. I love it - we just got a lot of rain these past two days and now all the yards are green. This is a happy time of the year for me. I love all the colors and just being able to get outside and plant and play.
Here's some flowers I did with my kids for my mother. They're a bit hokey, but I still like them with the kids' faces and the glitter. I think she and my Dad liked the jellybeans the best! :)

Sweet Babies

2008-04-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

I just had to share this layout I did last night - my bestest friend just had twin babies this week - a boy and a girl! She has had a rough time of it, including being on bedrest for months and feeling super tired. I can't even imagine what it must have been like - but look at how beautiful they are! Every time I see this picture I feel happy and at peace. I am so excited for her and her new little family.

And here's another good friend of mine who just had a baby. Look at that little sweetie! She's the best baby - never makes a peep and smiles all the time. I am so happy for both of these girls and their darling children. :)

And here's something I received a few weeks ago from a good friend - all I had to do to win it was answer a few questions on Jeannene's blog! Love Conquers All Isn't what she sent me beautiful? I love it - thank you Jeannene! You all should go over and check out her blog - it's like taking a European vacation. She's the nicest person and very creative.
Hope all of you are enjoying the warmer weather. I know I am!

Could it be ... Spring?

2008-03-26T12:26:00.000-04:00

So, we're having a heat wave here today - 43 degrees! But it's something. When you go outside, you can hear the birds singing and the snow is melting slowly on the front lawn. I can see grass! Oh my. Still it's not enough to melt the 8 foot high snow banks in the back yard. And another storm is expected for us on Friday. Ah well, I'll take today. Here's some cards I did recently and thought I would post. I love making cards and I love sending them! Ooh - I just noticed that every one of them has a heart on it! Ha.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2008-03-17T09:36:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone today! It's also my father's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! I am very close to my parents - I am lucky to have the very best parents around.
Growing up my sister, brother and I used to make him green cakes every year, until we got old enough to know that maybe he was sick of the green! I hope you have a great day, Dad. I love you! XOXOXOX

Feeling sorry for myself

2008-03-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while because I've been so darn sick. It's taken all the energy out of me and left me bored and lifeless. Plus it's raining and cold here today and I'm sick of winter. When will spring ever arrive??? Okay - enough whining! The best thing that happened this week was that my son finally came home after being away all week in Florida, - he had a great time but is happy to be home and we're happy to have him back. :)

And then I got the cutest little birdie in the mail from Jeanne over at Collage Art Studio. Here's a picture of the one she sent to me in a teacup (adorable!) and the one I sent her in return. Go check out her blog for more fabulousness. Plus she's a sweetheart.

Here's a few cards I did before I got deathly ill! Today I go pick up more amoxicillian! Hooray! Hope everyone else is having a better week than me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone - Happy Valentine's Day! I was going to post yesterday but we had an ice storm and lost power and phone service all day long. We all spent a very long day inside with a fire going in the stove. The kids were so thankful when the power came back on and their wonderful tv and PS3 was able to be turned back on! :)
This morning the school buses got stuck going up our icy hill and they all had to let the kids off near my house to walk up. Many mothers had to park their cars at the base of the hill and wait for the bus to back down and move. Ah - spring - where are you??
Here are some tags I've done recently for two tag swaps. The first is for "Close to My Heart" and the second through Heather at Speckled Egg. She hosts the best swaps! What have all of you been up to?

I have a crafting problem...

2008-01-16T15:12:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Laurie and I like to make things. Here's some cards I made this week using swap materials from my crafty sister. Thank you, Lisa!

I also like to paint things - things most people probably wouldn't paint. Oh well... I think I'm making the world a prettier place. Here's the yard sale cosmetic case my daughter and I painted. Cute, eh? Now it matches my melon-green studio accents. Kind of a kooky color - but I like it!

I have more things to post but Blogger won't allow me, so I'll save it for another day. Off to make more! :)

A New Beginning

2008-01-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

So - can you believe the holidays are over? They seemed to fly by without much pomp and circumstance - just a lot of hectic rushing around on my part. I am sad Christmas is done, but I am enjoying the slower pace and getting myself re-organized again. I took down the tree today which took quite a while. All those pine needles to vacuum!

Here's something I did before Christmas. It's a little altered house shape from Say It With Letters. I am really getting into collage these days. I'm not that great at it, but I enjoy the process.

And these are a set of Matryoshka/Russian nesting dolls that are new shapes for Say It With Letters that I got to design! Aren't they cute? I love that there's so many of them. I had fun decorating them.

Another thing I have been doing a lot of over the Christmas break was crotcheting and knitting. I have never done it before except when I was very young and my Mom taught me. Now, with the help of the internet - it's all coming back to me! My husband brought me home a huge bag of beautiful yarn and I went and got a few more skeins today - aren't the colors inspiring? So far I have made three hats, two scarves and am currently working on a new scarf which is my favorite color of seafoam green. Happy Crafting!

Stormy Weather

2007-12-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

So - I haven't had much time for scrapping lately. There's been so much else to do - Christmas concerts, classes, school assemblies, gift wrapping, shopping - whew! I'm tired. But I did this tonight and used my new "thickers" alpha stickers. Too cool. And I love this picture of my daughter in the snow. We went out and made another snowman today, too!

I also have been excited about posting my first project for the Say It With Letters Design Team! It was so fun to alter and embellish these three little houses! You really should go and check out everyone's projects there - very inspiring! There are so many cute shapes for the holidays. Happy wrapping!

A Banner Week

2007-11-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

Aren't these birds cute? My daughter helped me make these glittery birds to hang around the house and on the tree for the holidays. She enjoyed it as much as I did!

So, I had to check in because things have really been looking up for me this week! First - I got some really great news. Something I have wanted for a very long time - I was chosen to be a member on the Say It With Letters Design Team! Deb has an amazing product and I am so honored to help spread the good word about her creative alterable letters and shapes! The Design Team has already been assigned their first project and I'll post a sneak peek of mine very soon! Here's a picture of the illustrious Deb and hubby Steven, working hard at their home show last weekend.

Then my sister and I met with the very nice, Dee, over at Village Greenhouse in Henniker. If you're local, you should definitely check out her store. Not only does she sell beautiful holiday wreaths and plants, but she's also opened up consignment space for crafters! Here's some of my signs and wares for sale.

And then, if that weren't enough - over Thanksgiving my Mom, Dad and sister surprised me with gifts for an early birthday celebration! My Mom and Dad gave me a Mary Englebright crafting book and my sister gave me this beautiful birdhouse! Isn't it to die for? I have always wanted one. And it's huge! Thank you, Lisa, Mom and Dad! What a surprise!

Oh - and before I forget - my group TRINKETS is doing a show this Saturday at the St. Theresa's Church from 9 - 3 in Henniker, NH if you're in the area. Stop on by and say hello to us and do some holiday shopping! :)

A little bit of Christmas every day...

2007-11-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

So I visited a blog this week with someone who is crafting a "card a day." I was inspired by this idea and have since made one card a day in the last three days. They are very simple but I am enjoying the progress. My friend Deb sent me the link to these holiday sentiment stamps at PaperTrey Ink and I just can't stop using them! She is such an enabler! :) But I love them.
And just look what I received in the mail yesterday from the very talented Lori over at Faerie Window! Isn't this beautiful? Lori, my kids are fascinated with it. I put it by the kitchen window and the snowy glitter catches the light. Thank you so much for starting off my holiday with such a pretty decoration! Go check out her blog and see her other fabulous creations!

Now I'm off to my 101 other projects on this rainy day. Happy creating! :)

Pay It Forward

2007-10-26T10:51:00.000-04:00

Here is a wonderful little celebration of giving that I signed up for at Faerie Window. Thank you, Lori, for passing on the great idea! I even stole your wording here - hope you don't mind!
I have agreed to make a little hand~crafted item for three people who agree to do the same on their blog to "Pay it Forward"... The first three comments to this post who agree to do this will continue the chain of giving:

1. You comment on this post.

2. You receive a handmade gift from ME.

3. You post this message on YOUR blog and offer a handmade gift to the first three who comment

4. Thus, the cycle continues and everyone has fun and beautiful crafts to display in their home.

I will contact you for your addresses. Let's spread the handmade love! ~ Laurie

Busy, busy!

2007-10-20T22:07:00.000-04:00

I can't believe were halfway through October already. I am not prepared yet for Halloween - mentally, that is. But I am very proud of myself - I actually finished reading a novel yesterday. It was on my "goal" list for the summer. (Sounds silly, I know!) And although it's technically not summer, I still finished it and loved it. How I've missed books! Since my daughter was born, I've been much too busy to spend that kind of time on myself. Now that she's four and doing some more on her own, I've had more time. Anyway - I read "Here On Earth" by Alice Hoffman. It's a bit dark, but the story is set in New England and really makes you feel the fall. I enjoyed it.
Here's what else I've been up to. This is a shape from the illustrious Deb over at Say It With Letters. It was so much fun to make and really only took me a short time. I love how "fall-y" it is. :)

And here's some of the many layouts I've been making - not all of them stellar - but since I just scrap for myself it really doesn't matter, now does it? :)

Also cut up some fabric tonight - don't ya love these colors for a little quilt? I do!

Bling, bling!

2007-09-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Look what I made this morning. Isn't it cute? It's going to be for my daughter's room since she's such a diva. We had fun adding all the bling! The back had a hang hole but I covered it with paper and now we can use both sides. I drilled holes in the top and just ran wire through it - it's so easy to paint and alter. And, I just got all that beautiful purple paper (My Mind's Eye - Bohemia) and I can't stop using it!
The shape came from my good friend, Deb, at Say It With Letters. You should check out her site - she has the coolest shapes, kits and finished products and even an etsy shop.

Blog Slacker

2007-08-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

I have been such a blog slacker lately. But our summer has been so busy! My good-looking hubby is painting the house and in turn, I get to spend every waking hour with the kids (and non-waking hours too, I might add!). Not that I don't enjoy it - but both of us are pretty exhausted. The house is going to look great when it's all done, too - I can't wait!

Here's some layouts I've done recently. They're all 8x8's. I love having my new studio all to myself! I am so much more organized. I don't get more done, necessarily, (ha) but I do have fun doing it!

Crafting Goodness

2007-07-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

So I got together again with my favorite friends this week for our monthly crafting night, and each of us had brought surprises! I think women enjoy giving each other gifts. I know I do! Look what my bestest friend Deb gave me from Say It With Letters .

It was a plain shape and I altered it. So cute and so girly! I love anything with a scalloped edge! I'm going to hang it in my daughter's room. She also gave me some other shapes seen below. My sister gave me some other fun things to create with! Thank you girls!

Then we all tried our hands at making fairy jars. It was a fun project but harder to complete than all of us thought. We were all so quiet and intent on our work. But I think they turned out cute - don't you? We're going to try again in the future to perfect this craft - we all enjoyed it so much!

Has anyone else created a fairy jar? If so, comment and leave me a link - I'd love to see what you've done!

Summertime

2007-07-12T11:27:00.000-04:00

Just one picture for today. We've been so busy doing lots of summer time activities. We just got back from camping yesterday. First time for my kids - they both did very well, I think. But now we're happy to be back in our own beds and out of the pine needles!
We've also done lots of other things we've always said we'd do. And there's still more on the list! I am so grateful to my husband who has allowed me to stay home with the kids and spend our summers together. It's a sweet life!

8 X 8's

2007-06-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

I bought myself a new 8X8 album recently and have since been creating layouts for it. Here's a few I did this week. I love doing small size layouts. So much quicker! (And can you tell that I am loving those American Crafts felt flowers? They're on every layout!)

And here's a picture of the final swap gift I received from Sonda at Self Addressed. Isn't it beautiful? It's a tea tray, but I think it functions just as well as a scrap tray too! I also told her I think it might be a good margarita server. Eh, Deb? Anyway - here's a pic of the front and check out the sides with the rhinestones! I love it!

Only five more days of school! Yipee!

Swaps and Scrapping Goodness

2007-05-27T21:51:00.000-04:00

So - since I can't seem to blog on a daily basis, I have to save everything up each week, photograph it all, and then post it here. But it does make you realize how much you've achieved in one week!
And this week just seemed meant for papercrafting - even if the weather was so beautiful outside. I just had to make more time to cram it in. But I am getting awesome pictures outside now with all the flowers and trees in bloom.
Here's a peek of a layout I did about my Mom - we took these pics on Mother's Day. Of course I have the best Mom and had to do a page about her!

And my sweet sister who is also my neighbor!

Here's part of what I got in a Secret Pal swap I'm doing with one of my kit clubs. Aren't these wonderful? She personalized each one with my kids' names and even made photo mats for their pictures! So adorable!

And speaking of swaps, I participated in this "Bird Tag" swap organized by Speckled Egg. Isn't this the most beautiful thing? Especially if you're into birds - like I am. The picture really doesn't do it justice and my tag was so blah compared to all the others - but now that I know I can bend the rules a bit, I'll do better tags in the future! (I didn't know I could put so much 'junk' on them! Lovin' the junk!)

Here's a layout of my daughter I did this week too - I love this photo of her and her new dollar store umbrella!

And last but not least, I thought I'd show you this really cute wire tree thing I got for five bucks at a consignment store. I have been hanging all my little taggy things on it and it they really look cute. Makes me want to always create more stuff!

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Tag - I'm it!

2007-05-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

I've been procrastinating this week about blogging because I've been soooo busy! My life has changed dramatically since the weather warmed up. No longer am I allowed to sit for any amount of time - I must now be chasing kids and cats through the mud, pulling red wagons, going to baseball games and pushing swings. But I'm not complaining! :)

I've been doing a lot of creating lately - not all of it good - but still creating.

And then I received some wonderful things in the mail - here's a picture of one of them that I got from Mel at Little Melfie's Studio .

Look how wonderfully she wrapped it and even included a little tag too!

Oooh - I just love pretty mail! I also have to tell you Mel that I bought this not only because I love your style but also because when I was little - my Mother would ask me to fetch something and I never could remember! So it was almost as if you made it specially for me! A perfect Mother's Day gift to myself and I love it - especially the colors!

I've been tagged by Mel and Kelli. So here's my 7 unusual facts about myself.

1. Not a big secret - but I am a neatnick. I pick lint up off carpets and polish my sink. I make the beds every day even though no one ever sees them.
2. I ended up marrying the man I loved in college even though then we went our separate ways and had lives with other people. Somehow we came back to each other and are together today. I think it was meant to be.
3. I can't function each day unless I create something. Even if it's bad, I still have to do it - even for five minutes.
4. I have a magazine problem. I subscribe, I buy them at the grocery store, I buy them at scrap stores. I am running out of room to store them!
5. I had the most relaxing - awesome time today with my sister and parents. I feel totally comfortable with them there like no where else on earth. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
6. I don't know what I would do without my best friend. She's been gone for a week and I miss her!
7. I am going to quit my job tomorrow and no one knows yet but my family. Wow! :)

Thanks everyone - now let's see who else I can tag??

Deb
Maryfrances
Lisa
Julia