Progress Report...

Got the screen painted - also painted a little frame and the table on our back porch - I just hate it when I do things that AREN'T on the list - then I can't cross them off - bummer!

Got about a third of the way through the Girl's Loft project. I can't even remember what else was on the agenda...

But as I was searching for my clear acrylic stamp block, I found a few sets of handmade cards that I have stashed for teacher gifts. So leave a comment this week, and I'll pull a winner on Friday for a set of cards.

Last thing - it's never a good sign when you find the anti-anxiety medicine in the cabinet with the children's medicine. Even though the children contribute to the said anxiety, probably not a good idea to find the medicine in "their" cabinet...

Busy Sunday doing nothing...

The Ironman is still in DC, so the girls are hanging around the house. Thanks to Angel and her suggestion of http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/, my blog has a new look. I'm liking it, and since it is so easy, I may update with the seasons... or maybe my moods... do they have a "crazy" category???

So far today, I have sanded and painted the "screen soon to be corkboard". I'm working on a project with the October Girl's Loft Kit and I've edited the photos from our slumber party with Melanie and Bailey. I don't think three girls could have been better playmates. There was NO fighting - just another nod for mother/children communal living... We ordered pizza, made s'mores in the fireplace, scrapbooked, danced, read books, and laughed ourselves silly!

and, of course, we taught them the MOST important thing.... BUTTON EYES!!!

Hopefully I'll be able to post a completed project later, but see, that's where I usually have a problem... Finding the opportunity to FINISH my hair brained ideas!

A new business opportunity and the flower winner...

So many people commented - either here or by e-mail about wanting to tag along the next time Angel and I go "junkin" that we decided we needed to seize this opportunity. Just maybe we should start a tour company called "The Trashy Treasures Tour" or "Salvage Shops of Saltwater City". For a nomimal fee (just enough to cover OUR treasures), we will risk our lives to show you all of the hottest "junk" spots in NOLA. Forget Maquest, as Angel suggested, we will use the NOLA murder maps to plot our route. More on this breaking story as it develops...

Now for the FloWeR WinNeR.....

True Random Number Generator Result: 5 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Number 5 on my list is Mary Wunstel (aka "Sissy"). Mary, I'll bring your flowers to class on Thursday night!

I'm only awake blogging because Morgan is coughing and Avery is scratching mosquito bites and they are driving me insane! They were so adorable at our "slumber party" with Bailey and Melanie tonight. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, or uh, later today.... Is it time for Cinnamon Rolls yet???

The blog header saga...

Almost 2 years and 210 posts later - a cool blog header is WAY overdue... The problem is I have blog header envy... Almost everytime I open a blog, I am instantly envious of the header, the composition, the pictures, etc. Now, I could hire someone to make my blog ROCK - but I'm more of a "do it yourself" kinda girl (AKA 1) want to learn and 2) cheap)

Avery is covered in mosquito bites this morning - I guess from playing outside last night - so sinceI was having an easy day anyway, she's getting a "mommy day" - I know... SUCKER... But each of the girls deserve some special mommy time and since Ironman left for the DC this morning for a marathon, no one except Ashley will call me a pushover. She has already requested Shrimp Kabobs from Albasha for lunch, and of course, she wants Nanny and GiGi to come with us! She's too cute...

But right now - we are putting are creative minds together to work on a blog header....

Paradise...

That is the only way to describe today...

I went to NOLA to scour the city for treasures with the best junkin' pal ever, Angel, of course. We cruise at the same speed, fight over the same stuff, need breaks at the same time and have the same "top price" in mind everytime - it's kismet...

We started with project green - a place where people donate old house stuff instead of throwing it away, and people like me and Angel get dirty and sweaty searching for treasures. http://www.thegreenproject.org/ (just in case you want to check it out - but don't take all the good stuff!)

I left with:



the slate is soon going to be the background to a "scrapbook page", I'm going to deck out the HUGE clipboard and use it for my classes, I have been looking for a mailbox because I'm weird like that, and the texture on the tile is awesome!

then I bought...



couldn't pass up the frame, and thanks to Susie Harris (the Martha Stewart of Louisiana) (check out the link to the right) that old screen is soon going to be a corkboard...

and one more thing... but there is a story... I went searching for wood to make a picture frame. Some old, lead covered paint, chipped, tortured wood - and I found it - it just happened to be 10 feet long. So Angel and decide we should saw it in half. We find a dinky little saw and I start sawing - using the term loosely... I have only held a saw one other time in my life, and I think it was because the Ironman asked me to, I certainly wasn't cutting anything. But, hell, blade.. wood.. I can handle this... Well, the nicest old man was not so sure. After watching me and Angel for a few minutes then watching my pathetic attempt at lumberjacking, he said, "Oh, lady, you're making me tired just watching you, give me that saw"... and in two seconds flat that wood was in two pieces. That kind of stuff doesn't happen anywhere else....

So a clipboard, slate, tile, wood, trim wood, picture frame, screen, a mailbox, oh, and fabric - all for $25. I should have paid double that just because I had so much fun!

After sweating our butts off, we went to an Antique Mall on Magazine. Angel remembered it to have buckets of fabulous old buttons and trim. Unfortunately we found only WAY overpriced trinkets that were SO special they had to be locked away in cases - no fun in that! I did find two things that did make us laugh...



I really need to figure out how to take better pics with my phone, but the box on the left claims, "a pleasant sparkling laxative" - now really? are you sure??

If we hadn't wiped down twice with Clorox disinfecting wipes, I would have loved to go into this shop for a sweet treat...



We were starving at this point, but only the true warriors can continue... We stopped at our friend Renee's studio and peaked in her windows. Renee - if one of your neighbors alerts you to the peeping toms - it TOTALLY wasn't us!!! But I am so excited to learn about the cool clay/metal stuff that heats and the clay bakes away (I was paying attention to Angel, but I can't remember what it is called....)

We were heading to the Blue Tomato for lunch, but the River Road Flea Market was on the way - so what to do? Pull over, of course...

Thank goodness we did! Treasures....



I saw a children's shoe mold recently for $20 and I scored this one for FIVE BUCKS! In Denham Springs last weekend, I saw how people were taking old sewing drawers (like the one above), and making them into a precious shelf by putting a piece of wood inside the drawer - BINGO. And how cute is that frame??

Finally we get to eat, Angel and I can decide on where and what to eat in 3 minutes flat. And she is the only person who will order Mexican and let me order Italian and then split the dishes. Heavenly.... heavenly indegestion....

The last project for the afternoon was making a few flowers. We used the "$1 a pound" brown velvet from project green for one and then Angel showed me how to make the fabulous paper flowers. In love...



Our day was cut a little short due to the inclement weather in Baton Rouge.... but that just means another "play date"...

happy hunting.....

Ps - if you have any "junking" favorites in Baton Rouge - please share them!

Life is GOOD...

The October 15th tax deadline is over - now we may finally finish the Bell Mac website, paint my kitchen walls, find the perfect fabric for new curtains, make a blog header and have five dresses made exactly the same for tax season so I can have a "uniform"... But for now, I plan to do a little coasting...

I started by escaping with my friend Melanie to the Simply Inspired event in Lafayette (I only got to go because Teri got sick and gave me her spot - but I promise - I have plenty of goodies for Teri!) I applaud Elizabeth Avchin for taking on such a tremendous endeavor. Simply Inspired gave some notoriety to Elizabeth's store "Simply Scrappin'" and it made some fantastic teachers aware of our area - so hopefully she was happy with the success. BTW - her store is like Pottery Barn meets Scrapbooking - you really need to check it out! Here's me and Melanie - I love that crooked smile (even if she IS wearing purple!)...



What set the event apart from every other event I have ever attended was the one on one contact with each of the teachers. The teachers took all of the classes, they cropped with us, and we really got to talk to each one of them. Now maybe Melanie and I had a little more "one on one" than most (Melanie's offer to haul all the teachers in the "bus" to experience Drive Thru Daiquiris) was an instant hit - and required a repeat performance!



oh yeah, I did have to get out of the car and take pics with everyone's camera of the our bus in the drive -thru... who looked like the big dork here? But it was worth that moment of utter humiliation to see these smiling faces...


The projects were fantastic!!! I can't post them all because Melanie and I had trouble focusing sometimes...



much to the chagrin of our classmates...

Here is the Pink Paislee Halloween album by Rebecca Cross. I can't wait to fill this with all of Shane's Halloween insanity! Did I mention that the Ironman finished the Electric Chair while I was gone - doesn't everyone have an electric chair in their front yard? Maybe it can be Shane's "murse"...


I also finished the "My Bucket" album taught by Debby Schuh...



If you saw the samples of the Debby's book, don't be surprised that I used a completely different color scheme - I mean, have you met me? and Debby didn't mind a bit. But I love the concept of the book. When we are born, our bucket is filled with certain qualities. Our life is a journey figuring out the contents of the bucket and how to use them well. - more about that fantastic scale below....

Here are some of the fabulous layouts we made with Margie...



So as I have internal flea market radar, I left for lunch on Saturday and ended up in two antique stores - and I am using the terms "antique" VERY loosely - you might say "junk". But I found some treasures which led me to taking to the girls to Denham Springs on Sunday for more junking. Here are a few of my finds...



A bank shaped like a cash register - it still dings when you pull the arm, a cute little iron finial, an awesome kitchen scale and a book titled "Other People's Lives" from 1898. And I am so inspired by Layle Koncar's mini books that I am creating a minibook for "junking jaunts". Recording the names of stores, what I bought, where I should revisit, and where I can find this button tree again...



Since the girls were with me on Sunday, there were a few bribery stops - like the pumpkin patch. Outside photos are always my favorite...





I'm pretty sure these pictures are calling for the October Girl's Loft kit...

I hope you are having a fantastic week - enjoy this beautiful weather!

When it rains...

Scrapbook! Seriously, I thought I would be working all weekend with the tax deadline on Thursday, but since the clients who still need tax returns haven't finished bringing us the info, there was nothing to work on. And with the rain, we mostly hung out inside. Let's see, we (meaning me and the girls) painted wood, cloth and paper towels (it was close and we could), we watched High School Musical (again), Morgan and I did a little beading project, Avery chose pictures for family members and wrote their names on envelopes, I did 27 loads of laundry and we scrapbooked!!! The Ironman pulled his back and took a lot of Aleve and watched football...

Last week I did Avery's pocket folder layout - the one where I can stash her special papers from school. This weekend I did Morgan's.

I used supplies from the Girl's Loft kit. It's the first kit club I have ever joined and I just love getting a hand picked box of goodies each month. Of course, it takes me, on average, a month to open it and way longer to use it, I still love it. Not too bad on this one though, the stuff on Morgan's pocket folder was just from last month's kit. So as soon as the Girl's Loft want a TOTAL and complete SLACKER on their design team - they know where to look!

Then in my never ending quest to complete the Disney album - and by that I mean ALBUMS - plural, I got a few more pages done. People who know me well, or hell, know me at all, know that this is a HUGE step in my OCD'ness. We went to Disneyworld in January. January, people!! And I promised not to rush through the Disney album and work on it at leisurely, relaxed pace - first, leisurely and relaxed are not words to EVER describe me and second, this from a person who thinks if I haven't scrapbooked the pictures from the bus stop last week, I'm behind.

I way overthought the cover page - as if anyone cares what it looks like except me...

I could probably win an award for the most NON-Disney looking Disney scrapbook, but I'm just not a Jolee's Boutique kinda girl. Here's my take on the Power Ranger's encounter...

I actually used some licensed, authentic Disney paper on the Chef Mickey page - HUGE step! But I snuck in some silver Heidi Swapp letters and some Glimmer Misted chipboard, I mean I can only go so far...

But I have enjoyed taking my time with the album. Rather than tasking it as a "project", it's just been the "whenever I feel like it" album.

Finally, my bean sprouts. I took Morgan shopping last weekend for some new clothes. When did my little 6 pound 8 ounce baby start wearing a size 6 Slim? I wasn't consulted and I don't like it! But, she lookes REALLY cute! And Averybird was my little butterball at over 8 pounds, and now she's a string bean. She never stops running, dancing, laughing or causing drama... What would I do if they let me brush their hair - just once? But nope, they can fix it themselves, and some battles aren't worth fighting... What would I do without my girls?

I'm super excited about this Friday when I head to Lafayette for one of the classes at Simply Inspired. It's a layout class filled with FLOWERS and teacher Margie Aslett (the Girl's Loft kit club creator). I can't wait! Hope your week is full of laughs!

It's raining men...

Just kidding..... It's raining TEETH though - the Tooth Fairy is working OT at my house. I'm sorry if she's out of loot for your children - Morgan's taking all of her money. Morgan lost her 4th tooth last night - the last 3 were in about 5 weeks.

What a response to my previous blog post. A) Who knew that anybody read my blog? and B) With those comments - who needs self esteem counseling??? Thanks everyone - that was really cool! Note to self: Cancel therapy appointment - apparently I DON'T have to pay someone to listen to me ramble...

If you read have read previous posts about how our bus driver doesn't recognize us at our own house, then you'll understand why we catch the bus around the corner every morning. If I had ANY clue how to link back to an older post, I would do that, but that takes brains that I don't have... But here are the cutey bus riders (plus Avery). Morgan and Demi (brunette with the orange bow) are both 6 - does anyone else notice Morgan's vertically challengedness or the fact that Avery wears NOTHING except spaghetti strap dresses and shirts???

I know it's the 7th, and I should be doing tax returns instead of blogging, but the printer is spazzing out and it was a good excuse for a break. Plus, I needed to share that toothless grin!

life... and its turns and twists...

I went to the St. Luke's Craft Fair yesterday - which totally put me in a creative mood. Going to a craft fair gives me the same feeling as sitting in the audience at a Broadway play - wishing I was onstage singing that solo, rehearsing 7 nights a week and performing 7 shows a week. I can envision myself walking down the streets of New York with my rehearsel bag stuffed with music and clothes... I gave up on that dream too long ago, but it's still there, and it peeks out once in a while.

Now the craft shows just reminds of the pottery class I haven't taken, the beading I haven't learned, the sewing I want to master and the miter saw I want to work. Naturally, by the time I can take those classes, my arthritic fingers won't be able to string the beads, throw the pottery, thread the needle or safely work the heavy machinery. But I do consider myself an artist, a "life artist" - a phrase coined by Ali Edwards. I take pride in my scrapbooks and I do consider each one a little work of art - but to bring me back down to reality, while we were at the craft show, Morgan says, "Mommy, I want to be an artist" and I say, "That's great! Mommy is an artist too" and she says, "Um, Mommy, your an accountant".... and there you have it - I'm an accountant...

The most exciting find at the Craft Show was a brand new company called Southern Grace Frames. They make frames out of reclaimed wood. There was a company that used to make similar frames called "Unusually Usual Frames", but they have stopped making frames and I have been searching for another source. A friend mentioned that a store in Zachary was carrying a similar type frame - but let's face it, if it is past the College Drive exit - I'm lost!

This is the frame I bought at the Craft Fair, and I ordered another one (black frame with red ribbon - and the ribbon comes from Red Door - so you KNOW it's fabulous).

The website is http://www.southerngraceframes.com/. I checked it out and since it's new, there isn't much info on it yet, but Stacey and Clifford Howell own it and you can reach Stacey at (225) 281-1533. She is perfectly precious! She has some wall space at "The Foyer" on Perkins and she will also have a booth at Mistletoe Market. I am NOT missing Mistletoe Market this year AND I am NOT taking M&A!

I did a Father's Day layout this morning - I just love using up old (very old) stuff. Have to make room for new goodies!

And I finally did one of the pocket school folders taught by Teri at the All Day Crop. I have a SERIOUS school paper/embellishment issue! So I used stuff I already had on hand for the first one. I'm going to make two for each girl for the year - finally - a place to put all of those "priceless" treasures!

OK - tomorrow is the 5th - only 10 days until the tax deadline... Then I have BiG plans - sleep, a few classes at the Simply Inspired Event in Lafayette, paint my kitchen, finish my scrapbook room, hopefully have LASIK, and then enter the mad dash to Christmas - SO MUCH BETTER than TAX SEASON!!!!!

laugh for me this week - I don't see many laughs in my future....

heather