Starting AND Finishing...

I am beginning to see some light at the end of my psychotic cleaning cession! I have gone through boxes and bags and totes and shelves and closets and cleared out stuff that hasn't been used in YEARS.  Of course, I am no dummy, I realize what this means... I will NEED something I've donated or thrown out-it ALWAYS happens to us crafty gals!  Seriously, how much can one person (or 3 in our case) keep??  Much to the surprise of everyone that knew me before the age of 20, I keep a clean house, a tidy house, a super-picked-up-neat-as-a-pin house and although I keep my clutter in my studio, I can only take so much! Today -MONDAY- I will FINISH and by "finish" I mean get the guest room/sewing room (no, I can't sew) picked up also!  This weekend I did take a bit of a break.  I fixed a bed skirt that had a tear for about 10 months and has been hanging over a chair in my guest/sewing room, I fixed the seat of Darlings America Girl Stroller (also a tear in the fabric)

 and... I finished the Twinkie Chan Cupcake scarf I've been crocheting for Darling!

(don't bother clicking to look inside, you did, didn't ya?)

See Darlings pictures in the background...Isn't she CUTE??!! I took those picture of her a few months after coming home from China, she was probably about 14 months old... Oh do I miss those baby days!!  She was a great baby: quiet, obedient and 100% potty trained by 18 months! I know...I got the golden ticket with this sweetie!

Here's a sneak peak of my studio

I haven't seen this much counter space since I moved in!  Yes, that's glue, gunk, and paint on the counter... The Mister is less than thrilled!

Ok, off to finish my project!

Happy  Monday!!

PS: new stuff in my other etsy shop

www.etsy.com/shop/papercutsarecute

Lator tators!!

xoxo

Random Friday...

Yes, yes...It's time for random ramblings!

1. I was watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (hangs head in shame...) 

next thing you know I was buying these

 Those chicks are a bad influence AND....seriously, the most horrible, fake psycho women I've ever seen!  Thankfully I don't know anyone even close to those broads!  I also don't have billionaire friends, I'd like to be the 1st in my group to be one (a billionaire, not a nasty psycho!).

2. I still have not turned this on

I'm afraid of it...

3. I am STILL cleaning my basement.  It's not that it was even a mess, it just had too much stuff "stored" and I'm doing a purge.  I WILL finish it today if I have to drink 6 pots of coffee to get it done! I tend to get a little obsessively task oriented when I start something, add that to some ADD and you've got someone stuck in a lower level for a week +

4. I love LOVE love this artist...

If you don't know of Danita Art... my heart breaks for you!

Her etsy shop HERE

Go to her blog:

Danita's Blog HERE!

5. I love Vintage Rotary Phones, this will be my next collection after I get a few more gum ball machines under my belt

This is from my great pals shop

gingers girl

Go see all the vintage goodies in her shop!! 

6. Lofthouse cookies...

These are NEVER allowed in my house again.  I'm not a huge sweet eater, BUT... I become like a rabid raccoon when these are around!

"Move away from MY cookies"

7. I'm going to try my hand at making soap this weekend... 

you know, I need something else to do!  When I am a billionaire soap maker, you will remember this day!

8. Sephora...

I'd like to have my ashes sprinkled there when I die!

Yes, I wish I could walk around with glitter on my eyelids (bad for the contacts) and lips (bad if you don't like being stared at).

9. My favorite food (right after those Lofthouse cookies!)

and #10...

I am trying to get back to my cleaning before NOON, so...

I'm off like a prom dress!

Yes, this is my actual prom dress from 19 (cough, cough) 87!

Same dress, different date!!

Happy Weekend!

Same place next week?  See ya here!!

Why this dog is lucky i LET him live...

1st: Apparently he tore tiny holes in the trim around his bed...

 I washed it and then proceeded to pick fluffy stuff from my dryer...

 Next he tears the bottom part of his bedding apart, and again I wash his bed...

Lastly, I throw the bed away and he sleeps on a fleece blanket...

Yes, he IS a lucky dog!

I've been walking around GROWLING and picking fuzz from ALL over the house....

I've also been trying to take pictures and list a bunch of goodies in my etsy shops...

paper cuts are cute

Now to try and get a few more shots while the sun is out...It's Michigan in the winter, I have 20 min!!

Want some advice? I'm more than glad to tell you what to do!!

and seriously, who wouldn't want some beauty advice from this gal...??

The other day my pal Mel: mel is the positive pessimist had a blog post requesting "MUST HAVE" beauty products.  These aren't all beauty products, but just some things I have to have!

1st up:

flannel sheets and an electric blanket!!

The flannel sheets are more of a "i like to have", but the electric blanket?! You don't even want to know the drama I created when my 1st blanket quit a couple weeks ago.  You MIGHT (if you are the Mister) call it "a full on mental breakdown with periods of catatonic behavior mixed with some extreme weeping", but then again, that's just HIS opinion.  The 3 nights without my electric blanket are 3 nights I wouldn't wish on anyone...

Next up: My MaryKay: TimeWise cleanser, moisturizer and Microdermabrasion...This is a MUST! I've tried every other product under the sun but will never again go without my MK! (NO, I don't sell it).

Petroleum jelly- not just for porn stars and body builders!

a MUST after the shower- I swear by it!! I've tried EVERY lotion out there and I really think there is NOTHING that compares. Small amounts at a time on your legs, feet and hands, it doesn't have a great smell, but when you use this consistently you'll be hooked and can thank me later :)

As far as deodorant I'm more of a "is it on sale" gal, but I like these 2.

Honeysuckle and Tea tree oil? You had me at suckle!

I like this:

it says "anti-aging"
it has SPF 20
it says "smart shade" and turns the right color-it's MAGICAL

Another MUST...EVERY day, every single day!

not a beauty product, but a must: The Mister Clean Sponge...yes it's time for a new one, I like to get my $'s worth!!

I never thought I would cheat on my Loreal mascara, but "Falsies"...

HELLO!

I like this mousse... it's a big bottle, it says "extra hold" and it has a 4 on it...I believe everything they say and if it says "4" that must mean the BEST!?

I don't drink soda so I get the 100% all natural Sparkling water by Faygo, sometimes I put a shot of OJ in it, sometimes I put a shot of something else:)

So there you have a few of my picks, feel free to share yours!!

Send down the search dogs..

but only you've given them a BATH! You know how I am about doggie-smells...  I've been down in my lower level cleaning as if we were moving, which we AREN'T!  I have never gotten rid of one outfit that belongs to my Darling...not 1 since I adopted her in 04!  She's a girl (obviously), she's the daughter I ALWAYS wanted, I use her as a canvas to show off cute girl clothing, I am a bit obsessive about my clothes shopping for her....so can you even image the amount of baby clothing I've been going through?  Ok, so it's nothing like my pal- Momof5, who has 2 girls, but still, feel my pain!  Thankfully, I have 3 friends with little girls that I've been able to pass the torch to.  I've kept a couple special outfits from each size... I have to.  I've also gone through every box, bag, and shelf in my studio "storage" room...it's insane!  I watched a marathon of "Hoarders" on Sunday and one episode featured an "Artist" that couldn't throw out ANYTHING! She was going to use it in her mixed media artwork...I felt her pain!

See that bottom shelf? Yes, there is an egg carton there, or I should say- "there WAS an egg carton".

 this is after I cleared the floor and cleared the end shelves...but before I did "Psycho Mom Organize Fest"

Yes, I swept the entire floor with the attachment, there were those sparkly party toothpicks all over...

 the studio itself is also undergoing a purge.... 

 how cool is this shoe rack for my cricut cartridges?

So, I'm on day 4 of cleaning.  We have no food in the house, I can smell myself (I just ran so I'll cut myself some slack on the stink), I can smell the dog, I have laundry waiting to be put away and I found a thousand items I've never listed on etsy... I've got to get going, but I will be back with lots of goodies I found and a new purged work area!!  Now, I just need to start thinking about a new wall color and painting my cabinets...

10 Random Things Friday...

It's that time again, Random Friday!  I love Random Friday 'cause that's how my brain works and the rest of the week I have to WORK to keep my thought together.  

1. It's OFFICIAL: I am training for a 10K.  The race is May 14, 2011.

2. These were in the parking lot of our Hotel in Florida.

I was convince they had been used to kidnap someone...you know how I love my A&E crime shows.

3. I bought this the day after Thanksgiving, I have never turned it on....

I am scared of it....Honestly, I don't know what it does, but it involves my mac, so that makes me nervous.

4. I just ordered these yesterday, I got a great deal and I had a wad of Christmas $ burnin' a hole in my pocket

I went back and fourth over color forever, I wanted pink, but they were only in the short version. I like as much of myself to be covered as possible here in MI-it's COLD!

5. This is what we are drinking in our house now...Jorge (Jorge Cruise, The Belly Fat cure: jorgecruise.com ) told us to.

We drink the original, Darling drinks the vanilla.  The Mister is less than thrilled, he LOVES LOVES LOVES milk and drank WHOLE milk for years!

6. Margarine is 1 molecule from plastic, eat REAL butter people!!!

7. I think this is just about the CUTEST thing I've seen!

Go here: luckyduct

8. The smell of a dog just makes me CRAZY! It is in my Top 3 most HATED smells.  Yes, he is sitting next to me, yes, he smells HORRID, Yes, he is getting a bath today!

 He's lucky he's cute!!

9. Speaking of dogs

This shoe is by designer: Kobi Levi...haha!!

10. This is still for sale in my etsy shop:

chinamommy

I'm headed out to run, it's snowing...I'll be glad I did it when I'm done...

Have a GREAT weekend!