Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Hubby Is Home!

Ahhh... We are a two parent household once again. Once Dave got off the plane my exhaustion kicked in. I somehow fooled myself into thinking that when he came home the kids would be all over him and leave me alone for a bit... Nope. They're still my clinging vines.
I've been busy collecting motivation to craft... I bought the current Sommerset Studios magazine. If you're into mixed media art you have to check out this magazine. I love it. The pages in mine are often soggy from all the drool. There are Sooooo many talented people out there and they tend to make me feel a little drab... BUT it also encourages me to try harder.
Topic shift... I am such a geek. I wrote a fan letter to an author. OK, it was an email and I have met her before. Her name is Rosemary Clement Moore. I read her book Prom Dates From Hell which is a teen book but it has great undertones of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Heathers. If you've not seen either the original Buffy movie or the movie Heathers stop reading this and run out and get them. They are both amazing!
Any how. I LOVED it. It didn't hurt that, being a teen novel, it was a quick read. It's funny with a 'spunky' main character and some real twists. You can check the author out at http://www.rosemaryclementmoore.com . She, herself, seems super cool. I've waited on her at the bookstore I work at.
Anyhow. It is now bed time.

Friday, March 20, 2009

TGIF????

The week is coming to an end already and I feel I have gotten NOTHING accomplished. I have SOOOO much appreciation for how hard it must be to be a single parent when I have the kids to myself for a week.
I was sent a message about a scrapbook convention coming here to Arlington in May. It got me thinking about what a long way scrapping has come. I started about 14 years ago and had a hard time finding things that weren't too cutsey. You know, hearts, teddy bears, lots of old fashioned flowers. I am not and never will be a "cutesy" person.
It is so much easier to find cool, funky, edgy stuff now and now... I never scrapbook! Once you have kids you think 'I should be writing all of this down and perserving it for them' but once you have kids the little time vampires suck you dry! There are those people who keep their photos all nicely organized and know exactly the who, what, when, where and why of it all. I hate those people.
My photos float around the house. I have pictures from 2007 mixed with pictures from 2004. I will say though that I like to keep each roll of pictures in numerical order. It drives me nuts when people look through them and just start flipping randomly. It makes me cringe. Most of my stuff is digital now but I still like to have prints. I'm a tactile person and need to touch them. Not the same on a screen.
How do the Martha Stewarts of the world do it?How do they keep up on every photo? Every name? Why do their homes always seem so clean and orderly? How does it all get done with little ones running around? Is this some sort of crazy voodoo magic? Do I need to sell my soul to some one? Let me know who and I'm there!
The kids are sleeping so I think I'm going to monkey around with a t-shirt for a while. I'll let you know how I do.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Bookmark Happy

Ahhh... I have found a new mindless activity; Making bookmarks. they're super easy. I take 2 really cute pieces of cardstock and start trimming them into same size strips. The strip sive really depends on the pattern on the paper but a two inche width works pretty well. The length is also a judgement call. I use 12x12 sheets so mine have been either six inches or four inces.
I glue these two papers back to back making sure to weight them down pretty evenly while they dry so they don't buckle or bubble. I center a hole towards the top, loop some cool fibers through it and... Oila. If you feel feisty you can personalize them with stickers, markers anything really as long as it's flat. Keep in mind theat they are intended to hold the page in a book so you don't want them to be bulky.
I've been using these for gifts when I give a book. They'd also make super simple activities for kids. As soon as I get a picture of one I'll post it. Time is a bit short for the next few days so it may take a bit.

On the home front... I currently have 2 kids getting eye drops. I may just be paranoid about the little one but I'd rather be safe than sorry. My clothes did get hung up or put away but that's as far as I've gotten in my room. Oh well, it's somethin'.

Monday, March 16, 2009

A disappointing start...

So I finally figured I'd start a t-shirt for myself. I was pretty excited. I was going to try something with a bit of bleach to get it started. Now it looks like a mellow tie dye. I am NOT a tie dye gal. In my past I may have been and it doesn't bother me on others... in moderation... but ew. I am determined not to let that set me back. I am going to work on the rest of my plans for it and see what happens. Who knows, right?
I did start cleaning my side of the room today. I picked up the clothes. They are now in neat stacks (which are OBVIOUSLY neater than piles) on my bed. They are sitting there calling me... Put us in your drawers or on hangers. I currently have my back to them and am trying to ignore their pleas. I will be giving in momentarily because I should go to bed and they are blocking my way.
Thanks if you're reading this. I hope to get more creative with it soon.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Is my week headed down hill already?

OH NO! I fear the boy may have pink eye. I keep trying to convince myself that it's allergies but I don't know how that is better. The poor kid has eyes filled with goo. I'm one of those people that have a strange fixation with things like that. I continually want to wipe his eyes and get the stuff out. I'm like that with ear wax too. It drives me nuts to see wax in my kids' ears... Everyone's ears actually but you can't just chase random people down with a Q-Tip. Well, I guess you could but I wouldn't recommend it.

I didn't blog yesterday but I have a good excuse... I was on-line checking out other blogs. I lie to go to http://craftychica.com and check her stuff out. It is sooo cool. Kathy Cano-Murillo does some really neat stuff and she LOVES glitter. I let her site lead me to one for Claudine Hellmuth who is one of my hugest inspirations. You can find her here at http://claudinehellmuth.blogspot.com . I recommend you check them both out and then see where that leads ya.

Have fun but don't blame me if you get nothing done because you're on-line being awed and inspired by all the crafty people there are out there.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Hoping for a crafty week


OK so the hubby is going out of town for a week. I will be a single mom. It's tiring but I get my nights to myself. when my husband leaves it is always my goal to get the house organized and get some crafting done. VERY rarely does the first happen. I do usually pull out a lot of stuff and do some project. Currently I have an altered book to work on. I am part of a round robin. It's fun. The theme for the book that I sent out is 'For the Love of Books'. First I received one about idioms and now I've received one titled 'It's Time to...'.
For those of you who don't know, and I didn't for a long time, a Round Robin or 'RR' envolves more than one person. You pick a project and everyone in your group starts something then you send that something off to the next person in your group. When you get your original back you have something created by a bunch of different artists. Pretty Awesome.
If you're not sure what an Altered Book is... Well, it's pretty much what it sounds like. You start with a book, any old book will do, and you turn it into something new. I'd never done one before and I"m finding that it's pretty cool.
I'm also vowing to make at least ONE t-shirt for myself this week. I'm going to pretend that I really believe I will organize my side of the bedroom this week as well. Maybe I'll just make a small goal like clearing off my dresser or throwing out all the junk mail I like to accumulate... OOOO maybe I can learn how to make paper... Hmmm...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Day 2



Wow. The kids are both quiet. Amazing. Today may be a day to ramble...
I went into Old Navy to look at kids clothes. I saw some pants hanging on a rack that looked HUGE. I thought... Hey, those may fit me... I walked over and they were fourteens! Now to some of you that may be a big number but for most of us not so much. I couldn't believe they looked so large. Then I saw it. The pants directly behind were a size ZERO! How is that a size? It's not even a number. It means that there is nothing, nada, zilch. It makes no sense to me but I will never be and have never been close to a zero.
So my new craft love seems to be t-shirts. I've only made one so far. I've done some in the past but it was either back when I was a youngun and I was making 'Cramps' t-shirts or later when I made them with my kids. Now I really want to try deconstructing some and painting some designs. I made a skull and cross bones shirt for my son. He likes it. Something is holding me back from doing one for me though. Some how it's hard for me to cut up a shirt that cost me $2.50. I don't even like the neck line or anything on it. Something is seriously wrong with me. I'm just gonna have to grab those scissors and go for it. Of course, I'll have to do that when the kids are sleeping or I may find that ALL of our shirts have been 'deconstructed' .
I went through a big cigar box phase. I still love them but I get frustrated that I can't make purses out of them that are more sturdy and practical. I guess if I really wanted to I could search on-line for some how-tos but I'm never thinkin' about it when I'm at the computer not doing anything else. I guess that's a project I could work on... Making an actual purse that I can carry and not have to hold shut with my hand the whole time.
See, I rambled. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a more linear stream of thought.
Take care.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Welp, here I am...

Hi. I'm new to this world of blogging. So it may be a bit rough at first but I'll try to muddle through.
I feel in my heart that I am a crafter and I would like to be able to do that for extra cash. I've always dabbled... Sold beaded necklaces, polymer clay pens, paper collaged picture frames... Nothing that really stuck. I blame it all on lack of time. In truth, I'm just not very organized. Never have been.
I was that kid that was always grounded for the messy room. My husband and I each have our own sides in our bedroom. If he could, I'm pretty sure my husband would ground me for my side. There are clothes on the floor but a good chunk of it is photos, papers, ribbons, yarns, books, cigar boxes and organizational items. The latter of which only works when you actually USE them. Somehow I missed that part.
I have 2 kids (which you could probably tell from the name of the blog). My son is 4 and my daughter turned 1 in December. They take up A LOT of time. Not that I don't love it... mostly... but I let that get in my way too. I like to have them out and about. I'm part of a local group for moms, Arlington Moms and Tots. We do tons of stuff together. Most of the kids have been friends since they were a year old or younger. The ladies involved are some of my very best friends. It's a good time but also a good excuse to put off doing what I should be doing.
I am a firm believer that if I don't try, I can't fail. Hey, it's my motto and I'm stickin' to it. Actually, I'd like to drop that as my motto and adopt something new. I'll keep thinking on that one.
Welp, Number one child needs me. Man, it's always something. Check back later. Hopefully I'll manage to keep this thing going!