It's Friday, otherwise known as: "the end of my freedom till Monday"

1st off, I LOVE my family: the Mister is awesome (yeah all you readers that know him...go ahead and tell him I said that!!) my daughter is fabulous, but... How much do I love a quiet house M-F??....  

I'm sure in a few weeks I'll be wandering around the house with tears streaming down my face missing those two like crazy, (when it's just the dog and I in the middle of a snowy Michigan winter...) Oh heck, who am I kidding!!  I'm kind of a hermit down in my studio!!

and...

speaking of studio, I REALLY need to get down there!  I can tell you I've spent so much time on the computer that the underside of my right wrist is SORE from rubbing against the edge of the desk as I move the mouse around!! 

 Now that's SAD!

I found a GREAT website with the BEST free fonts and you know anything "computery" get my brain in a scramble, so although, I can download them, I can't use them... Hmmm, kind of like how I can take a picture with the new camera 

but I can't get the pictures into the computer!!

Grrrrr!!

Hey, if you're a "font freak" head on over to this gals blog and grab them

FREE!!!!!

Fabulous Free Fonts!!!! click right HERE!!

Have a great weekend, I hope to do something "blog worthy" that doesn't involve a trip to the ER!

What I wore today...and other, better stuff!

Ok, so it was yesterday, but still!

You know how all those cute YOUNG bloggers in their vintage dresses like to post their outfits on their blogs and outfit remix sites?

Well, not wanting to be left out, I thought I'd join in...

Don't hate...

Oh yeah, then I have to give a run down of where I got everything: Shirt- TJ Maxx.  It's one of those running shirts that wick the wetness off of you, I wore it in 04 when I adopted my daughter from the sauna known as China.  Pants: Meijer, terry cloth and too short and WAY too wide.  Sexy, I know!

 I decided I'd better just post Darling's outfits, cause even if I don't wear them, I must say: I can pick them!!

Jeggings!!

(Target: head to toe)

I'm going to live vicariously through her outfits...

This year I'm going to stick to my goal of taking pictures of what SHE wears all year!  I know I love to see what I wore as a kid in the 70's!

Ok, so you know how I never finish what I start and I always have 1,000 projects and 999 problems with said project?!  Well, I watched the video on how to use my sewing/embroidery machine and I FIXED the issue I was having and look what I got done!!!

(please note improved outfit today!!)

Yes, my friends, it went from this

to this

note: fancy stitching

Now, don't get all excited, it's not me, it's the machine!

The sewing machine I have is smarter then you and I combined and it cost more than my car (although that might not be saying much...).

It is beyond me and I do NOT deserve to have this machine, but I do...long story.

Off to the dentist...will my $25,000 smile ever be done?

Where did yesterday go?

Yesterday was my 1st day of freedom and I swear it went by in the blink of an eye!  

Today I promised myself I would exercise with my Just Dance Wii "game", don't ya know, the remote thingy won't work!  Last week I signed up for a running club and promptly got an email message that the leader was having "scheduling conflicts" so I shouldn't show up unless they got back in touch with me!  Is it my lot in life to die of heart disease?  Good grief, I don't like to exercise that much as it is, let alone with road blocks!!

Today I have plans, big plans!  I am going to watch the video so I can thread my bobbin, 

I am going to sew my camera strap re-do 

AND I am going to get some more things cut out for my 2nd etsy store: papercutsarecute.

and, hang with this little guy...

(and YES, the Mister IS going to get that window trim put up soon...)

Have a great day and check back tomorrow!

PS: the new camera... I now am using it, but do you think I can import those picture into my mac??... NOPE! and I've spent a LOT of time trying, emailing for help, and reading...

My long, long...LONG weekend

Ok, not "long" as in bad, but let's just say "it was time for school".  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my daughter, but she was ready, I was ready and today is a good day!  Monday we decided to head out to Lake Michigan because we heard there were some GIANT waves and I wanted to see if I could be rescued by a helicopter and make the 11 O'clock news!

1st off: see how Darling is dressed?  1. hat, 2. hooded sweatshirt, 3. jeans... guess what? It was CHILLY, really chilly...

but do you see this?:

a lady in a bikini with a surfboard!

 the water WAS warmer than the air, which is fine if you plan on staying IN the water.

I found this pill and sold it to a hooker

Now this guy may have made the 11 O'clock news.

this is him walking along the EDGE (NOT THE main walk out to the lighthouse) with his 2 VERY young boys.  It's wet, it's slippery and the waves were totally crashing up along here... 

Can you even believe what a chance people are willing to take with their kids?  To the right (ON the walk) is Mom, I couldn't believe she was letting her idiot husband take her babies onto that ledge!!!

a little piece of "art" carved into the boardwalk.

We walked out to the lighthouse, watched some fisherman, walked on the beach and had a stranger take a picture of the 3 of us with my new camera (after we figured out that I didn't have it turned on).  

Suddenly Darling had to go potty-go figure.

We didn't have shoes (we left them in the truck)...

Yep:

public bathroom at the beach with no shoes!

1 toilet was FULL 

the stall Darling chose had a pantie liner stuck to the floor

wet toilet paper

sand all over

EXTREME grossness

So gross, even I didn't take pictures (yes, I know.... You're welcome!!).

I was beyond grossed out, I'm still shivering just thinking about it.

Headed home and saw this

No, not the camper... the GARAGE!!  

Can you say "Hoarder"?  The Mister even turned around so I could see it (and take a picture).  I would guess the inside of his home wasn't much better and who wants to bet that trailer is being used as a storage unit?!

Then as we drove up the road to our drive we saw our "Friendly" neighbors place

Nice, hun?

and then TODAY at 8:05 this little sweetie headed off to 2nd grade!

No, I didn't pick the outfit.  She's been dying to wear this shirt that says "Pick me, Pick me".  Out of all the adorable new outfits, she wanted the t-shirt.

Her face?

Well, I had this weird email a while back that "someone" was searching for me.  They wouldn't tell me who unless I joined their group, but by the 3 clues they gave me I knew just who it was.

It made me a little paranoid that perhaps she (yes, it's a she) was trying to keep tabs on me or spy on us.

It's not someone dangerous, just someone that is nosy and nasty and has no business being in my business, so I think I'll just keep my sweetie's face for us right now...

Ok, school has started and that means it's time for this girl to get to her studio and start makin' some stuff!

Have a great day!!

Have you met my weird-o friends?

No, not really!  Or maybe... I mean, I never take the term "weird-o" in a negative way, do you? I like quirks, I like unusual people, I like funny, I like creative, I like mischievous!  I like people that can laugh at themselves and I like people that don't have a lot of secrets- hey, I tell mine!!  I don't like boring, I feel the need to fill the space with chatter, wait- I always feel that need, but still, boring people BORE me!!

  Wouldn't you rather hang out with this... guy?

or maybe this one?

or...this cutie?!

maybe all these men would make your husband jealous?!

Perhaps this gal would be better

You could talk about your stuffed animal collection, as long as you don't mind the SMOKE!

I love how the Internet has connected like-minded people...  

Anyway, check out the links below and see 7 things about each of my very interesting pals!!

http://bundlesofblossoms.blogspot.com/2010/08/7-things-about-me-im-sure-you-didnt.html

and

http://inmyminditisfunny.blogspot.com/2010/08/award.html

and

http://melisthepositivepessimist.blogspot.com/2010/08/award-for-me.html

If I didn't include you in this award (AWARD-doesn't that sound prestigious?), don't be insulted, chalk it up to the fact I had a brain fart and just couldn't think of anyone else as I was typing out my list!  If you want to play along, grab the list, add to your blog and type in your own answers... or use mine if you're lame :)

No, I still don't know how to use my camera, I spent the weekend hiding in my studio (the pollen is about to take me down!) catching up on darlings scrapbooks, crocheting, and cutting the fabric for my camera strap re-do!

Workin' for the WEEKEND!!!

Not really, because 

1. I don't work outside the home 

2. I've done NO work this week...well, VERY little!

Last night as I was washing our bedding at 7 pm, the Mister says "what happened to Monday wash day?" 

My reply?....

"Well, I had an appt. Monday, Tuesday we were shopping, Wednesday we hung with our friends all day and so Monday wash day is Thursday this week!"

Darling starts school the day after Labor day and as much as I LOVE being with her, I am VERY anxious to get back to my studio, fill my etsy shops FULL, learn how to work my camera and get caught up on 100 other projects.  I also want to make some changes to my blog.

This summer has given me time to think about what I want to do.  It seems I have my best ideas when I just CAN'T get to my studio, so I've been dreaming a lot this summer.

My baby is 7, she's my only child and I wouldn't trade a second of the time we've spent hanging out this summer!!  There's always the school year for "working" and these days won't last forever!

Yesterday we were running all day and I wanted to show you the fabric I got for my camera strap re-model!

I want to show you FABULOUS pictures of the fabric, but you're going to have to see it with my old camera because... well, you know why!!

Owl Corduroy!!!!

and

coordinating polka-dots!!!

(Jo-Ann's if you're interested)

I  printed out the manual for my camera (which is different from the book I have!!), all 200 pages!!  I ran out of ink once and out of paper.  Thankfully, I still had old 8-1/2 X 11 scrapbooking papers- ha!

No, this isn't intimidating at ALL...

 Have a wonderful weekend!!

We're hanging out with my mom today and then I'm going to study this manual!!!

Make sure you check out my OpenSky tab at the top of my page for some super cute goodies!!

Whoo-hoooo

We're off to a local Amusement and Water park today.  I'm pretty sure they call it "amusement" because of the people you can watch at these places- if ONLY i had those secret spy glasses!!

(I don't think these would be too obvious, do you?)

  

I need to get a pair so I can take pictures without being punched by a toothless Grandma with a hot pink mow hawk!

Every time I ever took one of those tests to help me figure out what career field I should be in

Private Investigator came up!!

(I think being nosey helped lead me in that direction)

I'm sure it's because of the hours I spent watching this man!

(Don't you love how i sneak this image in at every chance i get!!).

Happy Monday and I'll be back tomorrow with tales from the park!

We'll get back to some art and crochet too because I've been hookin' away!

Getin' my craft on...

 I've felt like CRAP for days, thanks to the cottonwood trees shedding their fluffy goodness all over West Michigan!  This stuff is EVERYWHERE and at times, literally looks like it's snowing.

Yesterday I was at the dentist in the morning havin' a little work done.  I got the "buttons" off my teeth, those are the little bumps that made my invisalign braces work.  She got them off by grinding them off... Yumm, I had that delicious burnt tooth smell/taste in my mouth all day!  I had molds made for my retainers, that was especially fun because my nose is ornamental only!  I get very little air in this honker on a good day let alone after a week of insane pollen counts.  Yes, I did drool, thank you for asking!

I came home, set the timer on the stove and slept until it was time to get Darling from the bus stop.

Today... much better!

I'm hoping I can finish some of my started projects:

The Chandelier (from Brassy Apple)

So far, I only have a few of them gems added....

I really hope to finish this today...

Here's a sneak peak at another project I'm working on...

(Owls Mel!!)

I also made a teeny tiny terrarium!

I need to craft it up a bit...

Want to know how to make your own??

It's an easy one, super kid friendly (as long as they don't eat the charcoal!)

1. get a jar with a lid (you can make open terrarium's also, but I had this cute little jar)

2. cover the bottom with pebbles or sand

3. layer the pebbles with charcoal bits - you can find these at any garden center, it will keep the stink out!

4. layer in some spaghnum moss (oops, I forgot this in mine)

5. potting soil

6. moss

7. mist with some water

With a closed terrarium, you DO need to open the lid at some point to get some air moving.

I just pulled up a little piece of moss from our yard.  If you want some REALLY good directions check this guy out:

 Terrarium Man!!

http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/index.htm/

His site is FULL of all kinds of ideas and advice!

Did I mention while working on my chandelier and terrarium, I'm also crocheting a skirt?!

Yes, I AM nuts!

I'll be back tomorrow with to show you whats up with THE SKIRT!!

Have a great day and don't forget...

a little plug about my BABY HAT DRIVE 

As most of you know, my daughter was adopted from China and I left a little piece of my heart there.  I'm collecting hats to keep the children and babies warm in the winter.  Many live in orphanages that are without heat.

1. make a baby hat, toddler hat, or kid sized hat (you can take the non-crafty way out and buy one if you must)

2. email me at: chinamommy_04@yahoo.com for my address.

3. I'll take care of shipping them to CHINA next fall.

any questions- please feel free to email me!!

The sticker club from.....HELL!

It seemed innocent enough...

a sticker club!

Darling daughter brought home a paper 2 weeks ago about a sticker club.  You send stickers to the girl listed as #1 on the sheet, move girl #2 to spot #1 and put yourself in spot #2.  Make 6 copies of the sheet with addresses and 6 of a sheet without addresses and give 6 of your GIRLfriends the pack of 2 papers.

Sooooooo, I write our address on the 1st sheet in the #2 spot, move #2 girl to #1 spot and make 6 copies, then I make 6 copies of the 2nd (blank) sheet and staple them together.  I tell darling to give SIX of her GIRL friends a packet.

The 1st day she comes home and says 2 of the girls she wanted to give a paper to weren't on the bus and then she gave 1 sheet to "naughty boy" (a boy in her class that is quite intriguing to my good girl!).  I say

"why did you give it to "naughty boy? (NB from here on out)  It's for girls, I"m sure the girls don't want to pick out yucky boy stickers and NB probably doesn't want to send them girly sticker!  I told you to give them to girls only".

Of course, I know that NB is NOT going to participate anyway and you're suppose to do this within 6 days and now we're running out of time and we're already got 1 down for the count, so I run another copy of the 2 pages AFTER I dig through the recycling bag 

where I've thrown the originals because I thought I was DONE with my part...

In the meantime, I address an envelope with girl #1's name and address and put her stickers in the mail to her.  So, today.... which is FRIDAY at 7:43 AM, darling daughter mentions something about the 12 girls she gave the sticker club papers to. 

TWELVE GIRLS? i scream.... "why 12 girls?"

She says "well, you gave me 12 papers"

Well, this, of course, send me off for my morning melt down because

THERE ARE GIRLS COUNTING ON US, THERE ARE STICKERS INVOLVED, THE EARTH COULD END!

It's Friday, we're now 2 weeks behind (the deadline was 6 days and people, I DID MY PART which proves you can't trust a  6 year old girl to do the important things in life!!).

I rush to the printer (rush because it is now 10 min before we have to leave for the bus stop) where I am printing off a request for garnishment (due to the fact some IDIOT owes me over $30,000 and hasn't paid .01 in almost 4 years to date.... but I digress...).  I notice the paperwork is printing light which means I have to get a new black ink cartridge- lucky for me I ordered $50 worth at Christmas!  I wait for the paperwork to print (SLOWLY) and then start the RE-printing of the sticker club sheets.... I'm down to the wire, but I work best under pressure!  I'm printing, I'm yelling "did you wash your face? do you have your lunch? is your folder ready? over my shoulder, I'm collating, I'm stapling, I'M ON A MISSION! 

I put the #*%&# STICKER CLUB sheets in darlings backpack, give her a lecture on the fact that I'm 41 and know how this sticker club works and she doesn't listen to directions and now the entire human race is counting on her to GET IT RIGHT, so get out there, hand those sheets out to the original 6 girls -this is the point where she injects that she's handed them out to 12 and I have to say...ok, YELL "just pick 6 girls and hand them a packet, a packet of 2 sheets, each girl gets 2 papers which I have stapled together for your EASE!!"

We hope in the car with the backpack (sticker club sheets enclosed!), the lunch box and the worlds most needy dog (another day, another story!), back out of the garage (Thank you to the Mister for putting the garage door up on my side!!!) and, fly over to the bus stop.  I tell darling how much I love her, how I hope she does well on her spelling test and how I hope she has a wonderful day and to get rid of those sticker club sheets NO MATTER WHAT!

There is a blog out there called "Mommy wants Vodka"... 

she must have a daughter in The Sticker Club!

Have a great weekend my friends, I KNOW I will!

Crochet mamma!!!

Remember the 2 crochet classes I took and my granny squares?  Well, I'm still at it & lookie, lookie what I did!!:

I made a cuff!

I've had this vintage rhinestone pin forever & love the size & style of it, but never really knew what to do with it.  It's in GREAT condition & the perfect touch, don't you think?

I don't know that I stayed exact to the pattern, but for my 1st cuff, I'm pretty happy with it... I may even make more!

I was feeling like such a pro, look what else I made:

Another pin for the finishing touch.  This handmade pin is by Juliet of LittleMissCrafty (go check her out!)

Anyone else out there crochet (or knit?)?  It still feels uncomfortable, but I can tell you the more you do it & the more you MAKE yourself hold the yarn correctly (& the hook), the more your hand gets use to it. I HATED how you have to hold the yarn & kept trying to find a way that felt normal... it never did, so I went back to holding it the RIGHT way & I'm so glad I did.  I'm amazed I've stuck to it, because it's not easy & I just want to know HOW to do it & be ABLE to do it: NOW!  I found this GREAT site: 

http://cache.lionbrand.com/

If you crochet or knit, or you want to, this site is awesome!  Yarn, FREE patterns, a learning center, "community", shopping, help... it's ALL there!  If you're like me you'll have to check out every free pattern & then feel the need to download & print them all off.  Like I can live long enough to finish all these projects I have...

Of course, for more patterns, there is always www.etsy.com!  I bought patterns for 3 CUTE kids hats (for darling daughter) & a really cute neck warmer...

this neck warmer pattern can be found on etsy (of course), her shop name is:

BellaMcBride

for darling daughter:

this cute "newsie hat" by adrienneengar

how stinkin' cute are these girls?! & don't you love her fingernail polish?  that's how I tend to wear mine too :)

all 3 of these hat patterns also found on etsy at:

adrienneengar

she has a GREAT deal going on now with her patterns: buy 3 get 1 free!!

Gotta go get my stitch on!

Check back tomorrow for my new etsy goods!!

I'm excited about them & hope you will be too, let me just say, I felt myself chomping on glitter more than once this week...

Welcome new followers!!  Leave a comment, I'd LOVE to meet you!

My new BFF Martha...

Yes, Martha & I, we're the new "it" couple! Actually i think Martha would hate me.... me & my potty talk, my lack of sheet folding skills, my ignorance in the kitchen... I am NOT Martha's kind of gal. I am quite sure if i was ever was on her show (it would have to be for a craft of some type) i would totally get snapped at by her for not having my supplies organized. I found this great Halloween Glitter craft on Martha's site & knew Darling Daughter & I were going to have to give it a go!!

I ran to Hobby Lobby & what do you know- Glitter was on sale 50% OFF!--MARTHA STEWART glitter!!!! I was so happy i cried... not really, but i cuddled the package on my lap the whole way home like a new baby, except if it really was a new baby i wouldn't have cuddled it on my lap, i would have strapped it in a car seat, but i digress...

18 bottles of pure glittery joy!

I had all the supplies for our Halloween Martha Project- oh was i happy! It's the small things in life for me, except for the Range Rover I'm dreaming of, but again... i digress!

So if you'd like to make your own glittery skulls here are my instructions & these are the good ones because i did it wrong the 1st time & made a huge glittery mess! Let's just say we all spent the weekend looking like #1 customers at the local strip club- all our little faces covered in glitter (along with the rugs, the chairs, the kitchen table, the counters, the cell phones... you get the picture!).

1. Gather your supplies:

glitter (IF you're not using the Martha glitter, shame on you! Grab Ultra Fine glitter!!)

SPRAY adhesive (I used Elmers & it was VERY easy to use & did a great job)

plastic skulls & bones (Jo Ann's had the best skull it was $9.99 & had 1/2 off, bag of bones, bag of mini skulls & cheap skulls at the $1 store- these are "ok" & for $1 were the best deal, smaller detailed skull $1.99 at Target)

chopsticks/skewers

egg crate/bucket of sand/block of Styrofoam

dremel or knife

newspaper

2. pick 3 colors for your color scheme. I went with greenish gold tones, another idea: black, purple & orange. 3. make sure the skulls/bones have a hole in them. IF not use your dremel & make a small hole in the bottom of each- big enough to put a chop stick or skewer in. If you don't have a dremel use a knife & do NOT stab yourself in the hand, unless you're looking for extra gore in your display... Seriously, be careful! Most of these already had a hole in them. i drilled a hole in the tiny skulls because i wanted 1 in the bottom & they had one in the top.

4. put each skull/bone on a chopstick or skewer

5. take them outside & heavily coat with SPRAY adhesive, not so it's dripping off the side, but made sure you have a nice thick even coat of glue.

You can see in this picture we started by painting the glue on with a foam brush.... trust me, stick them on a stick & SPRAY!

6. Hold the sticky skull over your newspaper & pour the glitter. If you don't have large bottles of glitter you may have to pour it back & fourth a few times.

7. After you get them glittered stick them in the egg crate to dry. You have to be a little careful & spread them out so you don't tip the egg crate over. You can also use a bucket with sand, or a block of Styrofoam to stick your skewers in.

This is the one from Joanne's it sat flat & was the 1st one i did by brushing on the glue... I wish i would have used the spray adhesive! You can brush the glue on but it takes SOOOO much longer! You have to wait for each section to dry & then it's harder to brush new glue up to meet the area that's already dry without knocking off some of the glitter, your fingers tend to "tear" the glittered glue areas too. This made a REAL mess!!

Here's our final result:

The one in front is the most expensive skull & i really think it turned out the best. I think the $1 skulls look constipated, but that's just me... (some of my skulls in this picturelook orange, but they are actually gold) The $5 had a lot more detail & the deep eye sockets... guess it just depends how much you want to spend & how realistic you want them to look. Have fun & get ready to get glittery!

If you make these, I'd love to see them!

email me your projects at:

chinamommy_04@yahoo.com