Artsy Chaos

Over at Etsy , there's a discussion in the forums on what keeps you coming back to a blog OR what turns you off from a blog. It got me thinking. As a parent, I have tried my darndest (dangdest? are these even words?) to raise my children to be individuals... to be true to themselves... to not follow the crowd just for the sake of popularity. I want them to be comfortable in their own skin, to trust their own feelings, observations and preferences. I want them to know that it isn't the person who does something big who stands out from the crowd over time, it's the person who does smaller things consistently who ultimately stands out. I never want them to feel that they have to conform just to "fit in". Yes, there are times when it's necessary to be part of the crowd but I want them to understand the difference. You could say I am fierce in defending the right to stand out and be unique in a world of cookie-cutter thinking. What a boring world we would ha...

Today was my baby's birthday party. My 12 year old baby ! Does that make me old if my baby is nearly a teenager ? Well, let's not go there. *smile* Seems just yesterday he was such a little guy. Now he's big and grumpy ! Seriously, why does this junior high age, pouty, know-it-all, bad attitude, leave me alone, listen to me but don't give me advice, I'm going to blow my eardrums out with my iPod age happen anyway ?? I, for one, find it completely unnecessary and I am sure parents everywhere would be in complete agreement. I can't help but love him to pieces despite all that though. :) Hugs your kids, tell your parents you love them and smile despite it all... xoxoxoxox ~Wendy

I'm currently reading the book The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory which is loosely based on the life of Mary Boleyn, sister of the more famous Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of King Henry VIII of England and mother of the great Queen Elizabeth I. I say loosely since not a whole lot is known about the details of Mary's life. My sister loaned this novel to me since she's an avid reader and devoured this one in just a few days. I was particularly interested in reading it because I knew that in our family pedigree charts, Mary Boleyn was in our line and always found it fascinating that somewhere in the really not so distant past, I am related to royalty and well-bred courtiers. (You'd never know this by coming to visit at my house though !! haha) Seriously, I just think genealogy is so cool. My husband doesn't have much in his pedigree charts so we've decided his family popped up from a rock somewhere. ;) You may have to click on the image below to make it bigger and...

Four hundred buckaroos for a car wash in this neck of the woods !! They better spit-shine my car for that kind of money !! My husband found this sign the other day and did a double take. Too funny. Want or need some great tips for scrapbooking on a budget ? Here's an article at All Things Frugal that might give you a few ideas. I have used the brass brad tip before using embossing powder to change the color to match my layout. Some of my favorite tips are to save fun and interesting clothing tags, cut buttons from old clothing that can't be donated or reused, use beads and pieces of broken jewelry and save ribbons from packaging - just iron and they're perfect for reuse. Here's the cover of an altered board book I made and adoring it is a clothing tag and a piece of broken jewelry that I saved: Hope everyone has a wonderful week !! xoxox ~Wendy

Just a quickie today... here's a little reading and a giveaway to keep you occupied this evening. Persimmons Gal is giving away some really cute stuff on her BLOG to celebrate 10,000 views. Go forth and leave comments ! (You might win, you never know.) Are you a fan of color and fun patterns ? Print and Pattern is a really fun place to check out new scrapbooking papers and just plain get inspired ! Seriously, this blog will just make you happy. xoxoxox ~Wendy

I'm not normally one to publicly point out problems with friends, family or neighbors. However, I am going to drop this self imposed rule and share a little story of neighbor drama. We have a neighbor that's.... well, interesting. She has an ex-husband that shows up in some sort of modified truck/van that he obviously sleeps, makes curbside meals in and travels in like a gypsy. Kind of like a little odd circus on wheels. Not sure where he showers or even if I want to know. Her grown children often sit outside in the yard with guitars and what sounds like a sick banjo playing and singing very loud folk music. Her yard is full of old tires, rusting yard furniture and dead grass. The porch is littered with bags full of what I can only assume are items destined for yard sale or thrift shop fame. My last encounter with her porch brought me close to a bag of shriveled green marshmallows. I thought marshmallows were white, who knew. This leads me to tonight's drama and fun... My h...

http://www.tichelmae.etsy.com/ Today I am featuring a very talented seller on Etsy. She makes beautiful and unique hair bows out of ribbon, silk flowers, buttons and charms. They look amazing. Her daughter is usually wearing one of her creations and moms often stop to ask where she got such unique hair bows. How do I know you ask ?? Because she is my sister Rachel ! Rachel is a dedicated mother to one beautiful and lively young daughter who shows no indication of her very difficult entry into this world. My niece weighed a very tiny 3 pounds at her premature birth. She spent time in the NICU where she let everyone know that she may be tiny but she was a fighter. Today she is still petite and still a fighter... she knows what she wants ! TichelMae offers fun and custom hair bows with yummy colors and styles. Many different styles of ribbons and silk flowers are used to create these custom hair accessories. Each creation is attached to a fully covered alligator clip to avoid pulled hair...

I'm a little sick of the snow. This is the view I see when I step outside my house... gorgeous, yes ! But will it ever end ?? All of my tulips, daffodils and lilies are doing more than mere peeking out and I'm scared for them. They must be terribly cold. Can you imagine sticking your head out after a very long nap and getting hit with a freezy frost ?! Certainly doesn't sound inviting to me. I'm so sick of the cold and snow that I decided to wear capris today. I froze my ankles off, but I felt good about it. ;) My daughter did bring a little bit of spring cheer home today though. She's involved in a cake decorating club and made this sweet little cake today. I think she did a wonderful job with the flower ! Happy Spring thoughts to all... xoxoxox ~Wendy

I'm the sort of person that gets attached to things. I'm sentimental. I was reading a blog by Octavine Illustration and started thinking... actually, more pondering as to why some people attach themselves to tangible things from their lives and some do not. It seems that my memories get wrapped up and tangled amongst pieces of paper, bits of jewelry, photos, fabrics, even furniture and I can't seem to let them go. Now I don't consider myself a packrat. I like things neat and tidy wherever possible but I'm afraid I have far too many boxes full of nostalgia, dressers covered with shiny bits and baubles and scrapbooks filled to overflowing with photos, ephemera and keepsakes. My children have inherited this sentimentality gene, sometimes to sweet excess. I remember shortly after cancer took my father away, my daughter, in her wonderful little girl love, got attached to a styrofoam cup. Yes, she could not go on if her styrofoam cup was thrown into the trash. She had b...

Anyone got the Monday Blues ??? Check this out !! ---> The Monday Blues

Yahoo !! For some days, I have been thinking of adding *kits* to my Etsy shop ( http://www.artsychaos.etsy.com/ ). Just some fun and easy options for those of us who feel lazy sometimes, yet still want to be able to give a handmade keepsake to a friend or loved one with our OWN touch to it. Voila !! I've been working on the elements for these kits for a few days and got the formula down. The kits currently in the shop are "Thinking of You" and "Diva". I've got gardening, pets, little boys and other themes in mind and in the works !! P.S. The cute kid on the example finished kit is my ever-so-handsome oldest son. I also wanted to give a shout out to Etsy seller, Aquadoo ( http://www.aquadoo.etsy.com/ ) who sells wonderful scented candles ! If you are a fan of candles that smell throughout your home, this is the place to get them. I have one and it smells great ! Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. :) xoxoxox ~Wendy

I'm just having a kind of "chilled out" day. Enjoy !! Your Emoticon is Cool You're not feeling particularly up or down, just relaxed and calm. You're ready for whatever is going to happen next! What Emoticon Best Represents You Right Now?

Yesterday, I got Etsy mail. Yay !! I had ordered from Jadedmind - http://www.jadedmind.etsy.com/ - and received my order very promptly, a very gracious seller. I also got the final result of my Alchemy request... a little chubby bright pink owl for my cell phone. He's adorable ! He was made by kishcrafts - http://www.kishcrafts.etsy.com/ I just love him. So unique and fun. I think he needs a NAME. I've also been doing a lot of blog reading lately and found a new digi scrapping site, Tangie Baxter Design... there are several freebies (**freebies !! wahoo !!***) on their blog - http://tbdloft.typepad.com/ I love the colors of the site and the overall feel to it. Digital scrapbooking is a lot of fun and really rewarding. I have several friends who were scared at first to try it but did and were happy they did. The thing that kept me from doing digital pages was the fear that it would be really expensive to get them printed. I found out that you can get them printed at Costco ...

BAM POP ! One of my very fav newer scrapbook companies. Their stuff is just so cool and hip with a retro vibe to it. Makes me want to go back to High School. Ok, I lie. I never want to go back to High School. ;) This is their newest line, released at CHA. I can see it on great layouts, fun little art journals and funky cards. Speaking of fun art journals, I am dying to try my hand at hand bound books. There's a fun looking tutorial on a piano hinge book at ScrapJazz: http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Techniques/Binding/938.php I think this book would look great in miniature size - something cute to sit bedside to write night time artsy ideas in ! Have a wonderful week !! xoxoxoxox ~Wendy

I found a fun blog tonight ! Who loves craft tutorials ? I do. I do !! It's called The Village Shop http://www.thevillageshopblog.blogspot.com/ and they have a great tutorial for a change purse/pouch. They're also giving one away. You have to sign up quick though - before midnight Sunday the 23rd. So run over there and check it out and mention I sent you, if you'd like. I'll be looking for fabric to make me a little pouch ! ;) xoxox ~Wendy

So I've been making headbands for Miss Josie (my daughter). She's a headband girl. She's got gorgeous, wonderful, lovely thick blonde naturally very wavy hair. She hates it. I keep telling her one day she will thank the stars above for such lovely hair. As it is right now, she wishes she had thin, straight hair like all the "other" girls at school. In the meantime, she tames the mass of hair with headbands. There is a totally awesome (yes, I am a child of the 80's) tutorial on how to make a headband here: http://www.kcquilts.com/blog/2006/09/reversible-fabric-headband-tutorial.html . (For personal use only.) Tonight I made a bright colored one with polka dots on one side and fun bright daisies on the other.... and another with froggies. She likes froggies. :) xoxox ~Wendy

Time flies. Have I mentioned I need more time in a day ? Haha. I miss making layouts. I haven't been scrapping much lately because I've been busy with my shop and creating. Plus, one of my design team terms has come to an end and the other hasn't begun and probably won't until summer. So to fill the "scrapping void" in my psyche right now I'll share a few of the layouts I've made recently. Maybe you'll be inspired to scrap a layout or two !! If you have the time, that is. ;) xoxoxoxox ~Wendy

Found this wonderful quote, I love it !! It made me laugh. It made me smile. How clever. Decided to goof around in photoshop. This is what I came up with. A few minutes well spent. Hope it makes you smile. xoxoxox ~Wendy

There's never enough time !! Seriously, who has enough time in their day ? Time to make sure everything runs smoothly, that all is well and everyone, including YOU, is taken care of. I sure don't. I stumbled across this blog article: http://scrapbooking.families.com/blog/how-to-get-more-scrapbooking-done-this-week by Nicole Humphrey about organizing yourself so you can get more scrapbooking done. I think her advice translates well for any craft/hobbyist. Now, if you *DO* have any extra time please, please feel free to send it my way. xoxox ~Wendy

Today we've been shrinking.... snack bags, that is. You eat a tasty snack, i.e. chips, ramen noodles, candy, cookies, and then turn the bag into a kitchy nerdy keychain or backpack charm ! Ok, they're not nearly as cool as all that but they were fun to make for a minute or two. Kids especially think they're fun. Here's how we did it: Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with crumpled tin foil, dull side up. Spray the tin foil with non-stick spray, like Pam. Wash and dry the bag you want to shrink. Place bag onto tin foil lined cookie sheet and place into preheated oven. Watch as the bag shrinks ! Remove from oven and let cool. We rinsed ours in cool water. Punch a hole in the shrunken bag (we used the cropadile) and add a lanyard, ball chain, keyring, etc. **Not all bags shrink. Ones made of foil won't shrink. Watch carefully and remove promptly after shrinking stops.***