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This week doesn't feel like a "real" work week so let's have some fun!
If you’re like me you love old style photobooth photos. It’s hard to find photobooths in real life but I found a fun substitute that you can use right on your computer. It creates photobooth pics that look like they come right out of the movie Amelie (my fav movie too)!
Just go to: http://laphotocabine.com/
Here’s a pic of what the site looks like along with a filmstrip of our late cat Stanley who was a semi-unwilling participant. We miss you Stanley cat!
The site is all in French but even if you don’t speak French it’s easy enough to figure out.
Once you’re done with your photoshoot you can even print out your pics and then scrap ‘em!I found this fun photobooth link on Website Bakery. If you're in the mood for some fun eye candy (and who isn't!) check it out here!
Have fun!!
Today is my birthday!! Happy Birthday to me! I can not believe I am 36. Actually I spent the better part of this year thinking I was turning 35 until Paul reminded me that I was already 35 and now am turning 36. ha!
Today I plan to relax and try not to work (we'll see about that!) Then tonight Paul and I will be heading out with our neighbors to a Christmas event at the Russian Cultural Center. Sounds like an amazing birthday to me!!Have a great weekend everyone!
Happy 9th Wedding Anniversary to my wonderful husband Paul!
I can't believe it has been nine years already! Thank you for being such a patient, incredible husband and friend. Thank you for taking such good care of me every single day! Without you, I would be living on microwave popcorn and cereal ;)
I love you so much!
I'm back from Arizona! I had a great time at the Creative Escape practice weekend. It was a treat to take all of the other instructors classes and get to test drive mine as well. Now we're all really excited for the real event in August!
After the practice event I went to Mystic Paper in Mesa AZ and taught a one day collage workshop there. Thank you Jennifer at Mystic Paper for hosting me and thank you to everyone to who came out to take the class!
I got home last night and a big mountain of work is waiting for me, but before I dove into the work pile, I took Maggie to the doggie park! Here's a photo of her with her new favorite toy - not a rock ... but a tennis ball!
Our search for a new apartment in DC is on! We're starting early to give ourselves time to hopefully find the perfect place. We love our little apartment here on U St. but need to find a place a little cheaper so the search begins! And while we are looking for a less expensive place, I think it's an opportunity to also find a place that is the perfect nest for us.
Inspired by Jamie Ridler (if you don't subscribe to her podcasts you should!) I started a little dream board to help get clarity about what I would love our new place to be like. I used the mosaic maker to create this one.
from left to right on the top row:
1) A cute row house or other fun building
2) has parking
3) a small garden
4) inside details have character
5) a clawfoot tub!
6) hardwood floors + studio space for me!
7) pets allowed
8) pets allowed again!
9) washer + dryer in unit + A/C!
A place that feels safe and cozy, with Paul and pets, within 6 blocks of a metro at a price we can afford. Asking too much? Universe help us make it happen!
I'm back home from teaching in Nebraska and I am now home for a whole month! Yay! Lots of time to catch up on work and snuggle with the kitties.
My next class is in Fredricksburg VA on April 10th but I can drive there in a day and back. Class details and sign up information are on the The Scrapboodles blog.
Then after that I'm onto the The Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Workshop event! You don't want to miss this one! Click here for all the details and to register!!
I've been hard at work on my online summer class for Big Picture Scrapbooking. More details on this one when registration opens! This is going to be an amazing 12 week class loaded with ideas and techniques!!
And just for fun, here's a photo of Mabel cat that I snapped yesterday!
I can never get enough photos of her. She is too funny. We love you Mabel!!
Every year I get a new kitchen calendar, I take down the old calendar and copy over birthdays and reminders into the new one.
As I go through each month seeing my old appointments, notes, trips it is like a year in review. When I read Dentist, Dr and hair appointments, I see between the lines of what on the surface seem like pretty generic calendar entries and they remind me of what happened in the last year. A vet appointment with Toby doesn't need to say much more than "Toby vet" for a flood of memories to come back.
2009 wasn't my favorite year. While it wasn't without happy moments it was a year in which change happened for better and for worse. I spent most of 2009 getting used to living in DC (after moving here from Orlando) and enjoying the city, the snow, making new friends.
Then just as we were feeling settled we learned Paul's company is closing their DC office and the renter of our home in Florida moved out. Everything is up on the air. Suddenly the future is uncertain. This time next year when I take down our kitchen calendar what will I see? A move to another state? Back to FL? Or will we be staying in DC?
Tonight, as I fill out my 2010 calendar with birthdays and reminders, I feel as if I am trying to see ahead into the future. I turn to the month of April and think "this should all be figured out by then" ... fingers crossed!
today I...
- did yoga
- took Mabel to the vet for her millionth blood test. Still checking her liver levels - long story.
- worked on custom artwork orders
- played with ideas for Ranger's CHA booth Make - n -take
- answered emails
- looked at pekingese photos on Potomac Peke rescue group.
- updated A Place to Bark blog for Bernie - don't miss this important post!
- listened to the new Craft Cast podcast while I worked
- packed up samples to send off to Ranger for the CHA booth
- packed up 4 custom paper doll orders to send off tomorrow - they turned out so cute!
- organized lawn service and a handyman to work our house in FL that we are renting out
- now getting ready to watch Heroes and relax!
This week is one of those that has been swallowed up with errands. Every day I have had a list of errands to go on and it's making me antsy. I wish I could live in harmony with errands and do them, come home and get right to work. But I have found I have an errand threshold. I can do them one or two days a week but any more than that and it throws off my whole week.
I usually like to have at least 3 days in the week where I don't go anywhere and I sequester myself in our 700sq ft apartment to make real progress on my work. But that's not happening this week! I am already looking ahead to next week where I plan to hide in the apartment and get lots of things off of my to-do list.
My friend Lorraine is collecting unusual stories about rings... coincidences, lost and then found rings any personal story about a ring ... for a special book project. If you have a story that you'd like to tell about a ring in your life, please contact her, or post your stories in the comments and I will make sure she gets them! She will be thrilled. Her email is pink23@aol.com.
To get started I'll tell you my "ring" story. Like most ring stories it's about my engagement!
It was September 2000 and we were on a little vacation in London, Paul had brought the engagement ring with him on the trip without my knowing about it. He kept saying things like "how about we go sit in the park on a bench over here" and I would respond "no let's keep sight seeing!" Paul was so frustrated trying to find the perfect spot to pop the question, I was making it difficult!
Finally back at the hotel he decides he's going get it over with and he gets down on one knee and pauses the TV. I was clueless and was thinking "hey I was watching that!" then he asks me to marry him and of course I said yes! It was a beautiful ring, a square cut diamond in the center of smaller diamonds. I don't wear it anymore because I am worried I'll get it full of paint. Which is very likely! I just wear my wedding band now which reminds me of an ornate napkin ring, but I can't blame anyone because I'm the one who picked that one out!
I know my Mom has a great ring story, something about a little boy down the street who took his mother's wedding ring and asked Mom to marry her when they were all of 4 or 5 years old and then the ring had to be given back. Mom maybe you can share that story with Lorraine or with us? I would love to hear it again!!
Today was Hello Cupcake's 1st year anniversary so they were giving away free cupcakes! I couldn't miss out on this so my friend Lorraine and I met there and enjoyed our delicious cupcakes which tasted even better because they were FREE!! I read on the Hello Cupcake web site they gave away 2,500 cupcakes! That's a lot of yummy goodness!!
After cupcakes Lorraine and I walked over and stopped by the Textile Museum. Hard to resist the goodies in the gift shop! Fun fun fun!
Lorraine is one of my favorite people in DC. She is so much fun just being around her makes me happy! She wore a cupcake necklace to the event and brought me one to wear while were there too :)
I have posted this photo of her amazing garden at her house over by the Cathedral to my Twitter but I have to show you here again:
I have dreams of having a garden like this one day! It is like a magical fairy garden! And of course there is a GREAT story about how her neighbors did not approve of her purple painted shed! How could you not love that shed!?
Tomorrow I am headed over to the amazing Amy Powers' house for a day of embroidery with a bunch of fun gals!
I can hardly wait! I keep "saying" that I want to incorporate more needlework/sewing into my work and then I never actually get around to doing it -- maybe this will be just the push I need. We'll be making little sampler's like this one above. This photo is of Amy's work from her amazing blog. Check it out!
What I did today:
- Intense Hatha Yoga class with my friend Alex who also happens to be our pet sitter
- ate lunch
- checked email
- walked dogs with Alex on his dog walking route . I am missing Toby & needed some dog love!
- checked email
- worked on custom artwork orders
- complied online tutorial for Fiskars blog
- short nap to try to avoid another migraine
- brushed our cats teeth
- packed up orders I had finished to ship tomorrow
- checked email
- got photos ready to start custom artworks tomorrow
- walked 2 miles meeting Paul on his way home from work
- now it's dinner time and I am tired!
It feels like forever since I have been home and working in the studio. It has been 3 weeks but it feels longer than that! I am still gathering my wits about me, usually a lot of travel will get me off balance and it takes a few days to settle back into artwork and getting into the flow of being creative in the studio.
Last night Paul and I rescued a baby bird who was hopping around in the street. We took him home and he snuggled down in a box with blankets and this morning I raced him over to The Second Chance Wildlife Center in Gaithersburg MD. What an amazing center! There were baby ducks and baby squirrels all being given a second chance! Turns out our bird was a baby Robin and the prognosis is good! I said a tearful good-bye to my little Robin and wished him well. Paul and I are now members and we are so relieved there are places and people like this where you can take injured song birds. I know he'll enjoy flying around in Maryland much better than in the city here in DC!
Hello 2009! How did you get here so fast? I was just getting used to 2008 too!
Have you come up with your New Year's Resolutions yet? I am still working on mine! In the spirit of the new year, I listened to a Get Your Year in Gear seminar. If you haven't heard it, check it out. Some good tips and things I want to try too!
This weekend was the last weekend for Holiday custom orders. Everything has to get finished and out the door and I am almost done! Sorry I haven't been blogging as much, I've been keeping my nose to the grind stone! In a few more days the decks will me more clear and I'll be able to get into the holiday spirit! Right now Paul is putting lights on our teeny weent christmas tree and our cats Stan and Mabel are destroying it at the same time.
I did get out to play a little bit this weekend!! I have been getting cabin fever being here in the apartment almost 24/7 so Paul declared on Saturday that I needed to get out! We went to Georgetown and walked around while our car got an oil change. Makes me look forward to car oil changes if it means I get to walk around Georgetown and visit the Paper Source. There was a Craft Mutiny Show on and we got to stop by that too!
Saturday night we went to see the White house Christmas Tree. Looked at the Macy's holiday window displays and then walked back and had some hot chocolate by the fire place at the Tabard Inn.
Today I have been work work working and I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it feels so good! see you tomorrow!
PS thanks to Craft Zine Blog for the mention of my holiday tutorial!!
It's crunch time for me this week wrapping up custom artwork orders to get them on their way in time for Christmas. I have been a busy bee!
Just an update to let you know that I'll be doing a chat with Studio Calico tomorrow night at 10pm EST. All you have to do come and chat is register at Studio Calico! Hope to see some of you there!
Saturday I headed out to Angela's Happy Stamper where I did a two hour meet-n-greet + demo. We packed the store and I was so exited to see so many people came out on a freezing cold Saturday! Angela's quickly sold out of all the products, but don't worry if you are in the area, she'll be getting more in soon!!
After I got back I was exhausted, had a big huge nap, then headed to an office party for Paul's work in Georgetown. I love Georgetown it is so cute! I just wish it weren't so expensive or we would be living there.
Today I worked all day on various projects and custom orders, illustrations and things I need to get done by Tuesday evening. Wednesday we'll be doing the 14 hour drive down to FL.
If you get the NY Times, check the small business section on Thanksgiving Day, I may be mentioned as part of an article about artist entrepreneurs. I was interviewed last week, and I hope my part of the interview makes the cut into the article!!!
A big linky shout out to Jenny Doh who made a cute lazy susan project using the Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas and paints!
I am feeling a lot like one of Santa's elves working away in my workshop on custom orders for Christmas! Right now my work table is filled with canvases in various stages of completion. I have a lot to get done before we leave on Wednesday for Florida for Thanksgiving.
It didn't help that I smashed my hand by accident on a kitchen cabinet and then spent a good part of the day icing it down so I could draw and type! It's still swollen, I am wondering when the swelling will go down. At least it doesn't hurt anymore so tomorrow I should be nice and productive barring any unforeseen injuries!
The only good thing about cold weather in my book is the fact that I can now buy as many scarfs as I like! I am a scarf-a-holic and not afraid to admit it! Most of the time even in semi warm weather I will be wearing some sort of scarf. I am always cold, and there's nothing like a scarf to keep to you warm. I have spring, summer and fall scarfs and now a cute winter scarf too!
This is one that I got from Betz White. Love her work! So whimsical and fun! You should check out her felted cupcakes. Too cute!
It warmed up last week but now it's cooling down and soon I'll be able to wear cute scarfs like this every day! That might make the winter seem just that little bit more fun!
