Happy Birthday!

Today is the Mister's Birthday!!

This was 2 years ago at his 50th Surprise Party!

Just in case you didn't know... it was a 70's theme party, I don't usually break out an outfit like this for the grocery store!

Happy Birthday to the BEST husband 

and daddy ever!!

We love you!!!

Happy 52nd and here's to 52 more!!

Tweet, tweet!

Remember this freebie I found the other day along the road??...

After 2 cans of black spray paint...

It's going to need 1 more can, but my trigger finger had a cramp and I was out of paint...

but, it looks SO much better, don't ya think?!

...and since this is a "bird post", I've got to give you a sneak peek at a new necklace I'm working on

I've never really worn my own jewelry, which I know is stupid.  It's like I knew what I liked but had a hard time making what I loved, but this week... I am LOVING these wood and mixed materials necklaces!

I have a little bit left to do on this one and then I'll show you the whole thing!!

My etsy store: Paper Cuts Are Cute is BARE, bare, bare!!! I worked on a few items last night and working on listing them today.

Have a great day, I have some birthday shopping to do for tomorrow...

Art books and Magazines... OH, how I love thee!

I use to think I had a problem, you know... a little thing called "hoarding".  I thought that until 2 things happened:

1. I watched Hoaders and realized I didn't have blue tarps in my back yard covering old cars and butter tubs.

2. I found all of you other artists with ever more "stuff" than I had... but I'm trying to catch up, I swear!!

I have stacks and stacks of art magazines, but to PROVE I'm not a hoarder I've got a stack (or 10) of  scrapbooking magazines going to Goodwill (6 years worth my friends)!  Yes, I thought about keeping them and making rolled paper beads, but I resisted knowing full well I'd never do it!  But gee, now that I think about it...

So here's what I'm reading now and watch out, some of the pages MIGHT be wet due to drooling!

I just got this last night from a gal on ebay!  She was selling it to make room for new books, gotta love that!

I have REALLY REALLY REALLY been spending a LOT of time thinking about my blog and who she is and who she wants to be...

I have grand plans :)

I got this book from the same lady and had to have it because I THINK I can sew!

I can't, but I think I can...another problem I have!!

Ok, not really a book or magazine, but a catalog!  Stampin' Up catalogs are FULL of fabulous ideas and inspiration so if you haven't seen one and are into card making or scrapbooking, give it a lookie!

You can see the catalog online at:

http://www.stampinup.com/

and IF you want something email me at:

chinamommy_04@yahoo.com

Ok, this last book...

Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures and ideas! 

If you like to make jewelry, go grab this, it will give you so much inspiration!  I've literally spent hours pouring over each and every page.  It goes in the car with me (when I'm the passenger),  and it sit ons my passenger seat when I'm the driver but know I'm going to be waiting somewhere for someone.  For a moment I thought about making a fanny pack to carry it everywhere with me, but that thought went as soon as it came- Whewww!

Seriously, I LOVE this book!!  Eye candy galore!

Book buying tips from me:

1. check ebay for awesome deals

2. Joanne Fabric and Crafts lets you use their 40% off coupons on books

3. Amazon used books- often like BRAND NEW!

So, what are you READING??

Any other art books that I MUST have??

Let me know!!

xoxo

Baby Hat Drive!

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!!

Winner, winner, we've got a WINNER!!

A biG stiTcHy ConGrAtuLatIonS tO: 

Laurie in Maine!!!

That's right Laurie, you're the WINNER of

Crochet Today!!

Thanks to the 4 of you that entered, well, ok 5 entered but when you write in Chinese characters, I can't read that, so I went with the 4 of you that wrote in English...

Laurie in Maine email me at:

chinamommy_04@yahoo.com 

and I'll get then sent right out to you!!

Happy Saturday!!

xoxo

Friday... where have you been?

I don't know about you, but this week was NEVER ending for me!  Monday seems like 18 years ago!  Why is that?

I wanted to share some new pictures for some new listing in my shop.

Darling was my assistant yesterday

My favorite picture of the day...

Cute and maybe a little creepy?! haha!

This Cutie Cupcake is full of vintage goodness: vintage lace from my Gram's sewing kit, vintage buttons and a vintage tin!!

This is IN my etsy shop NOW!

Doll-face made her debut in eyeshadow pallet earrings!

A ~CUTE~ cupcake necklace with pink velvet trim!

A new Swarovski crystal pendant.

Hot Pink button stacker pendant with Swarovski crystals.

Tween Owl necklace with chain :)

We had to clip these necklaces in the back or they hung too low, so it's really NOT a choker necklace!!  See how HAPPY she is with her jewelry on?!

**don't forget today is the LAST day to enter my Crochet Today give-away**

***go to LAST Friday's post to enter***

Have a GREAT weekend!!

I'm off running with Darling today, I need to start blogging at night until school starts...

I go from feeling bad that I'm ignoring her to wanting to pull my hair out if she interrupts me one last time.  These years are going TOO fast, so I'm off to enjoy the day with her!!

I'll post the winner of the magazine tomorrow!!

Crochet Today give-away and...OpenSky!

Well, first of all, I want to remind you that you still have one more day to enter my give-away for a "Crochet Today" magazine.  All you need to do is go to Friday's post and leave a comment, that's it!  Post about it somewhere else, let me know and I'll put your name in the magic hat another time...

 But now for my "announcement"...

I'm opening my own OpenSky store, right here on my blog!!

NOW, before that scares you off and you think I'm going to shove "stuff" down your throat or suck you into some pyramid scheme, let me ASSURE you that is NOT going to happen, unless of course, you'd like that! :)  

chinamommy is going to be the same old chinamommy that you've come to know and love, just with an extra bonus!!

WHAT in the world DOES that mean??

Well, OpenSky is an online boutique full of unique and interesting products that are made by passionate artists and craftspeople.  OpenSky lets ME connect YOU with those products right here!!  I will ONLY share products that I love and hope you will too~ unique products that are given the ok by yours truly! You know... how you always find out about the coolest unique things from a friend, well, that's what I'm offering!  Cool stuff that I can introduce you to right here!! 

IF you buy something and aren't happy... You have up to one full year after purchase to return it at NO cost to you!

I just wanted to give you a little head's up...

More details are coming and products will soon be available!

Well, my darling bought herself a Magic Kit at Michael's so I gotta go help a girl pull a rabbit out of a hat!

Meet my new friend...

Don't ya love her?  She's my new etsy model!!

The Mister wasn't so sure what to think, but then again, he's not so sure about a lot of things I do and drag home!!

Did you realize sometimes the packing material is just as much fun as what's inside?

Doll face came with those foam "glasses" and Darling has been sporting them ever since and who doesn't love a good bubble wrap skirt?

Speaking of dragging things home...

We were coming home last weekend in the DARK and I spotted this baby along the road and my junk seeing eyes were pretty sure it had a sign that said:

FREE!

So, the Mister, being the awesome husband that he is, pulled over and loaded it in his truck for me!

someone took a lot of time painting flowers on this bird cage and I hate to tell them, but...

I have plans to paint it black.

Apparently several birds have had this as their happy home.

Saphire and Xanzabar

Looks like a few just didn't make it...looks like lucky

Pickles was one of the last.

Maybe that's why they were getting rid of it?

Well, don't worry, I'm not getting a bird, I'm going to use it on my porch as decor'.

DON'T forget to enter my FREE Crochet Today magazine give-away!!

You just have to go to last Friday's post and leave a comment!!!

Also I'm going to explain a new feature here on chinamommy tomorrow!!

Think a new and exciting shopping experience.

I'll give you a hint:

Personal picks from yours truly!!

Go enter the contest if you crochet or know someone that does!!

lator tators!

Whewww, I thought I'd lost you!

So yesterday I popped in ( I read that twice to make sure it didn't say POOPED) and ALL the blogs in my reader were GONE!!!   I thought, "well, I'm sure it's just some glitch" so I got ready to post and... NONE of my pictures would download... I spent the entire night tossing and turning believing that all had been lost, my reason for being was gone, my computer had a virus, the end of the world was coming and I had the swine flu... Have I mentioned that I'm the daughter of "An Extreme Thinker", this is NOT to be confused with "Extreme Sports", although in my family it is kind of a sport....

And as long as I'm sharing, I just went potty (cause it's the morning and I drink 1 cup of coffee which equals 927 pee-pees, yeah, "pee-pee", I have a 7 year old), so anyway, I went to the bathroom and what do you know... I wore my undies inside out since yesterday morning.  When I get dressed this morning (around noonish), I will be having darling daughter carefully check for me!  Darling is on my lap reading this and just asked why it said she had to check, so I showed her the evidence and she says "are you KIDDING?", it's hard to be the mother of a genius!

Let me give you a quick re-cap of my uber exciting celebrity-like weekend (not celebrity-like, as in: I spent time in jail, celebrity-like as in: exciting and glittery).

Had breakfast as this ADORABLE place that had "star" in it's name... Love stars so I forgot the rest of the name because the thought of a glittery star got me all distracted.

Went to an antique store and tried to keep this soul from escaping the painting so she couldn't come steal MY soul in the night!  I warned her I had the swine flu!

Went to the MOST ADORABLE kids store and DEMANDED the Mister bring me another baby immediately so I could dress it up in ruffles to the sky!  When he refused to bring me the child, we (Darling and I) demanded he build this in our back yard!  Don't feel sorry for the Mister, he can hold his own with his 2 girls!!

Went to a Brew Pub and talked more about the fact he did NOT bring me the baby I demanded!

See my "crazy bands", how fancy am I in my rubber bracelets?! Oh, the Mister has a bunny one on, for a second... it was a little TIGHT!

Saw 2 men in skirts... some call them kilts, we called them skirts.

See how my weekend was all fancy and celebrity-like?

Me either...

Tune in tomorrow... some exciting news!! No, I didn't get my White Range Rover with camel leather trimmed in black, but still... it's exciting, I think?!
**don't forget about my Crochet Today give-away- go to last Friday's post to enter, enter THERE, NOT here!!**

and...

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 this fall.

any questions- please feel free to email me!!

Crochet Mania!!!

I'm not really sure how many of my readers crochet, but... because I get a little excited 

(Think Flo from Progressive...) 

I have doubles of 2 different Crochet Today magazines!  I subscribe to the magazine, but jumped the gun and bought 2 issues that promptly came in the mail to me... of course!

So, I'm going to do a giveaway with my extra mags!

This is the May/June 2010 issue

it's full of all kinds of Baby and Wedding items

and SUPER cute amigurumi by Ana Paula Rimoli

There are also cute sweaters (like the one on the cover), a large tote, and an article on "double trouble".  Double Trouble is the crochet duo of identical twins named:

Monika and Erika.

I found these girls on youtube

(cause i'm a craft geek that types in "crochet" on youtube!)

and they do some things with crochet your Grandma never even though about!

Want to win this magazine??

All you need to do:

❤ leave a comment on this post, THIS post ONLY!

want an extra entry?

❤ become a FOLLOWER (new follower only) of this blog

❤ become a fan of chinamommy on facebook

❤follow: TheCHinaMOmmy on twitter

❤refer a friend to this blog (make sure they tell me YOU sent them!)

❤send me a 2011 Range Rover in white (camel leather with black trim interior)

IF you send the RR- you just GET the magazine no matter whose name I draw!

 Make sure you make a Separate comment for each entry!!

(makes it easier for me to count, I got a D- in math every time I took it!)

Example: 

twitter: your name

facebook fan: your name

I'll keep this open till August 6 (a week from Friday).

Get your craft on!!!