Go Make Something Downloads

For any of you looking for some great images to download for free, check out Go Make Something's 25 days of Christmas downloads.

Christmas downloads


I have downloaded a bunch of Lisa Vollrath's images and they make great use for collage work and any other crafting. So, link it and get to downloading!

Recoop

I think that's all I have been doing since Sunday. I had such a fun time at Silverbella. I met so many wonderful people and learned some great new things from some awesome teachers. I just love that I was able to partake in this!!

I am finishing up a couple of the projects this week and I will start posting them when I get them finished. I just have to say that I feel so inspired and I am now completely out of my slump I have been in since about March.

Thank you everyone for making this a wonderful weekend!!!!

Some inspiration

Well, I have been doing a few things here at home. I love crafting but I still don't feel completely there with all my things. A lot of my supplies are still in boxes so I am just really working with the bare essentials. Here is a little box that I made with one of Jenni Bowlin's papercrafting kits. I love this box and I may just have to give it to a special Bella come November.


Well, have a good weekend and find some time to create. I know I am.

Midwest Beauty

One of the things I kept saying over and over to DH when we were coming back is how much I missed the green of the Midwest. I didn't know I would miss it as much as I did, but I started feeling more and more alive the greener the scenery got. Now that I am back in the middle of all the green, I just love it. The smell of freshly mown grass. The clean smell of the rain. the dew sparkling like diamonds on the grass in the morning. I am just over taken by all the green. I drive down roads that feel like I am going through emerald tunnels. The shade from the trees is a cool touch to my soul. I feel more alive now.

Friendly Neighborhood Critter

There I was, sitting on the couch, watching television, when I hear this weird chattering going on. I look out our patio door and there it was. A squirrel yelling at something. It was the cutest thing. He stayed out there talking for a while. It's been a long time since I have seen a squirrel. I only got to see them when I came back to visit my folks. Now I get to see them everyday.

I'm Treating Myself

to a retreat. YEAH!!!

I have been wanting to go to a weekend retreat for a VERY long time. Every time one comes around that really interests me, something comes up or I don't want to spend that kind of money or some other excuse so I feel bad even thinking about attending. The whole guilt mentality here.

So, I found out that Silverbella was going on again in Omaha, NE. How cool is that. I am only an hour away from this wonderful event. I have heard so many great things about this paper arts event that I wanted to find out how much and if there was still room. EUREKA! There was room, but crap can I have the money rounded up to go to this? So, I talked to my mom about it and told her how I always wanted to go to a weekend like this, but I always talk myself out of it. She decided she would pay half for my birthday since it's in December. Close enough :)

I am signed up and getting involved in the swaps and am so excited to be a part of this. I can't wait to share with you everything that comes out of this.

Well, I goofed

I was really going to try and start blogging everyday but I got sucked into watching Dexter the series this weekend with my DH. We went and rented the first season at Blockbuster and we were up until 3 am Saturday watching it. It's a very interesting series and I got sucked right in, so did DH. It is a great thriller, mystery and I don't know what else. The third season starts soon, so we want to catch up on the first two seasons.

This weekend was a very nice, relaxing weekend with my DH. I hope you all had a good long weekend. September is one of my very favorite times of year. Summer is leaving, fall is on it's way. Our anniversary is this month. I love seeing all the trees starting to change colors. It's just a beautiful time. Well, have a great day and take care everyone!

My Goal

Well, I haven't been the best with keeping up on my blog, but it's not easy when you don't have internet access at your home. We finally got it hooked up here this last week so I am going to work on blogging once a day for the month of September. I feel the need to keep up something for me and this what I am going to work on.
I hope everyone is enjoying this long weekend and I will start my posting tomorrow! Now time to get the donuts.

We're Here!

Well, it took us a bit but we are finally here. We arrived on July 17th around 2 and managed to become completely drenched from sweat. I forgot just how bad the humidity can get around here. We emptied out our vehicles. Took longer than planned. Cussed myself out repeatedly for getting a third floor apartment. Got a good shower in and then blew up the air mattress and proceeded to crash. The next couple of days we went to see Jason's family, took him studying at Panera and his sister's house. We just couldn't find a place that was quiet enough so that's why we went to his sisters.

Monday, the movers came. They were here most of the day and I have a feeling some choice words were said outside my ear shot cussing out the fact that we were in a third floor apartment. Oh, and during this my wonderful DH started work the same day, but it was nice to have something to sit on besides the floor.

Tuesday, unpacking started. It has not been easy. The kitchen is small with no pantry to speak of so I am storing items in the oven and I am having to take some of my favorite kitchen appliances and store then at my SIL's house. They have a nice, big house now with an empty basement.

It's now Friday. I have the kitchen unpacked to the point of the boxes I have found. I am still missing some things so they must be in the boxes in the spare bedroom. I have the living room unpacked and we have the stereo hooked up so we can at least listen to some music until directv decides to pop in next week and hook up our dish. I have our room unpacked and the bathrooms are doing good.

The spare bedroom is the monster room, but I will start that next week since my parents will be arriving any time to spend the weekend with us. I haven't seen them since Christmas, and now I will be living only a car ride away from them, not a plane ride. I never really knew how much I missed being around my family until it came about that we were moving back here. I used to always do things with my family, especially my mom. I loved going to the movies with her, going to antique stores, going to concerts or the community theater. I never really understood how much we did together until I started planning on coming back and all this stuff started popping up in my head.

I know not many people read this, but today, find the time to tell a loved one how much you care for them and how much they mean to you. I know I will be doing that.

Take care and I'll post some pics hopefully next week.

Monday's the day

Well, The movers will be here Monday morning. It feels like it's been just a whirlwind of activity and planning for the big day. I have a few more things to pack and I need to get the things we are bringing with us together, but other than that, we are leaving on a jet plane....oh wait wrong kind of transportation...How about east bound and down :)

Last night a group of ladies I have gotten together with for awhile now had a final get together with me at the lss. It was a wonderful night and I had many people come in and visit me that weren't able to make it into the crop. These ladies have been wonderful friends to me and I will miss them all terribly. They have made a big impact in my life and helped me stay somewhat sane after the fiasco with the store closing. I just want to say THANK YOU!!!!!!

How does one craft...

When ones craft supplies are in boxes? Many of you know that I am moving back to Nebraska. It's 7 days and counting when the truck comes to pick up all our goods. The last few weeks I have been purging 3/4 of my craft supplies and packing up the rest. When you are downsizing from a 3 bedroom to a 2 bedroom, the basics is all you can bring.



I had been itching to craft for the last couple of weeks but most of my things I was selling at a garage sale or I was packing. I was reading Vicki Chrisman's blog
and here was the answer to my prayers. She was sponsoring a card challenge for the first twenty to post on the blog. What a wonderful chance to work with some product that I can't get out here. With the help of Vicki and Crafty Secrets
I was able to do some cards with only a few of my supplies that I still have available to me.





I used some white bazzill since this was the only cardstock I could find and sprayed it with my Tattered Angels sprays to change the color. I also sprayed the lace. The frame I squeezed and smeared liquid pearls on it to color it up.


Same thing for the card here. I had white bazzill handy, but to take down the harshness of the white, I used creamy brown Colorbox chalk ink on the cardstock and on the edges of the other papers. A little glitz on the flower was done with Stickles. When I can get back to my stamps I will stamp a congratulations on the lined space and send the card off to my friend who is having a little girl in September.

I really enjoyed using the items in the package and I can't wait to find some Crafty Secrets when I get to Nebraska next week. Thanks Vicki!!!

Nebraska here we come

Well, it's been decided. We are definitely heading to Nebraska. DH found a job and we have an apartment lined up. The house is on the market and I would say the house is now half packed up. I am having a HUGE moving sale since we will be down sizing from 3 bedrooms to 2 and we may not have a garage to store a few things in. It looks like we will be heading out around July 15th. DH starts work on the 21st. I am nervous, scared, hopeful, frustrated and overwhelmed all at the same time. I am also happy and sad. I will be moving back close to my family and DH's family which will be nice and I hate to say it but I do miss the changing of the seasons that happens in the midwest. I am sad because I will be leaving behind our first house and all the wonderful people I have gotten to know as friends from Crafts Fifth Avenue. You have all touched my heart in many ways and I can't thank you enough for being there. I do hope to come back every so often and see everyone and I WILL keep my blog updated with all kinds of interesting things going on.

I am closing this chapter of my life and a new one is opening for me. I will keep you posted.

Oh and if anyone is interested, the moving sale will be on Friday June 27th and Saturday June 28th from 6 a.m. to Noon both days. I am selling some of the household items and I am selling off most of the scrapbook supplies I have now. I just don't feel like I can move all this stuff again. I moved some of this stuff once.

I hope I will get to see you all before I leave, if not, Thank you for everything!

Life turned upside down

Well, I don't know when it will happen or if it will happen but DH is looking into another job, possibly back in the midwest. I have more emotions running through me that I feel like I am going to go nutty. I don't know what to do.

I think it will be good for us if we do move back, because we will be close to family once again. I will miss everyone I have gotten to know since I have been out here but if this is good for DH, then I am all for it. He really doesn't enjoy what he does now but he does it because he needs to. If we can find something he would like doing, how amazing that would be.

I will keep you updated on what happens. In the mean time, I have been doing more things here at home and working hard on some projects I would like to finish. I will try and get some photos posted soon.

Take care!!!

What are you doing?

Well, some people have been wondering where I have been. I have been trying to take it easy and get my life back together. It's not been the smoothest ride. We are working on getting our bathroom finally put back together, landscaping done at the house and me trying to get myself finally organized so I know where everything is and be able to get to it. It has been hard. I only have so much space and it seems that it's not all going to fit. I have some great photos of what it looked like before and during but I am not completely finished yet so I'll load them up here when I get finished.

I hope everyone is good and if anyone can find a threading water border punch from Fiskars, pick one up for me :D

A Tough Moment

Well, I broke down today. I was needing to do some final emails and phone calls to wrap up everything from the store and when I got done, I broke down. I have been doing pretty good up until this afternoon and I lost it. I think I cried for the loss of the store, the loss of a wonderful place that felt like home every time I walked through the doors.
I am doing better now. I know I will have more days like this but otherwise it's ok. I still get a queasy feeling in my gut when I go into the other stores here in town. I can't explain it but it still just doesn't feel right. I am working at it though and I am sure it will come a little easier each time and eventually the knots won't be there.
Take care and have a wonderful evening fellow crafters.

Getting Ready

Well, I have been going through my things and sorting stuff to put out for the garage sale tomorrow. I have gone through so much that I can actually see my desk now. It's quite amazing.

I still have a long way to go to get my room the way I want it but it will get there slowly.

Take care and I'll be back later!

Lazy Days

Well, the last couple of days Jason has had off. We have had a very nice, relaxing last couple of days even though I have a lot to get done in time for the yard sale this weekend. It will get done just rushed as usual.

In case you don't know, Continental Ranch is having their community wide yard sale this coming Saturday. I plan on having A LOT of things out for the sale so I hope you will all swing on by and take a look. I am clearing out my stuff since I am working with different things right now. Plus I need to get my work area so I actually want to work in. It's awful right now. Plus I would like to get my spare bedroom back in case I want to be in there once they start to work in the bathroom.

Everyone have a good week and I will be back soon!

The Weekend

What do you like to do on the weekend? For me, I have a tendency to do the cleaning that gets done regularly. The bathrooms, the kitchen floor, dusting the living and bedroom, vacuuming. Those kinds of chores. I also like to fit in some time to craft. I love being able to spend a little time creating something. Right now I'm working on some gifts that should have been done back in December but of course the procrastinator that I am, they are getting done the day before I need them.
Even though the store is now closed, we are still having our Christmas party. I see it as a final farewell to the store and I get to see everyone at least one more time before life decides to invade and make it so I don't see anyone anymore. Unfortunately, that happens in life. Many of the people I met working at the store I would never had the chance to meet otherwise. I am blessed to have met so many wonderful people, especially the people I have worked with.
Well, it looks like it's time to run to the store and pick up a few things to get started cooking for tomorrow. I am going to make it easy on myself and try and have most everything done today so all I have to do tomorrow is get ready and enjoy each others company.

Take care!

Cleaning

Well, I have been trying to do more cleaning. I really want to get started in our office but every time I go in there, I turn around and walk right back out. It's a mess. It's more than a mess. I don't know what I am going to do with any of it but with a garage sale coming up I need to get busy. I would like to get rid of a bunch of stuff if I can. I am tired of clutter and there is a lot of things I don't need to hold onto now. I'll have to post a photo or two just to show you how big of a mess I have. That doesn't count my spare bedroom. That's full of everything that has come from the store. I need to go through those boxes and figure out what's going on the garage sale and what's something I am keeping.

So...if you are on the look out for some things, come and see me in about a week and a half. There should be some good items at the sale.

A New Home

I found out you can't post on my other blog unless you sign up. Well, I don't like that so I am moving to a new home. I will keep my blog updated on the workings of my life and let you all know what is in store for me. Thank you all for everything.