Leaving....on a jet plane...

only I know I'll be back late on February 1st. I'm off to create cool stuff for EK Success at the Craft and Hobby Association Convention in sunny Anaheim, California. Check back in a week...maybe we'll have some new things happening at our house I can share with you!

As promised.....

It's going to get beautiful sun! My kitchen, love it! It's not my first choice - but somehow I think I will like it better than my first choice! Masterbedroom...Joe jokes that we'll need an intercom to talk to each other!

My ROOM....it's not really this dark, and it's huge. I turned my flash off was too cold to go down there and take more pictures.

Gotta run now and take a shower and get my running around done! xox.

Still Cold!

We had some wine at dinner to celebrate the coming of our new home - it was a nice Chateau St. Michelle Riesling... yum. My total favorite. Having our house down the street is a comforting feeling after the last months and months of worrying that "they" would actually get it right. My kitchen is totally rockin"! I love the counter top and the cabinets...total heaven. You can't really tell in this picture - but the cabinets are maple and the countertops are a nice marble color. Nice! The next picture is of Joe, Ian and my nephew standing at the top of the stairs - only there is no rest of the house there yet. Love the blue sky behind them.

Of course, the day couldn't go by without a funny picture! Can you see me in his glasses?

I promise to TRY and get some more pictures tomorrow and post them. Though I do have a million things to do before leaving for CA on Saturday morning. Including trying on my pants to see if they still fit. I still have writing to do for Natalie (Creative TECH) and some projects to pre-prepare for my demo's at CHA.... good night good friends. I will sleep content tonight.

It's in one piece NOW!

The front door is coming soon - it's a special order with stained glass. It's beautiful and we are happy and it's rockin'. We got a new house. Now we just have to be patient while they finish it! Later Taters.

3 Boxes Down......

one two go. I had to come in because I am frozen to the bone....hopefully by the time I warm up and go back down the last piece will be in place and we'll have a home....well a house for now and a home once we make it ours. I am Happy. Happy to feel and see the progress. Progress is good today.

All Time Favorite Picture!

I am a slacker....sorry to the few that actually read what I have to say....Between getting bogged down with a color assignment for EK Success and cutting circles like crazy - projects for Natalie at Creative TECHniques Magazine - and the house coming on Thursday, oh and did I mention leaving for CHA on Saturday - I've been a little over whelmed. I have made 7 pages for Danielle and Shane at EK the last couple of days - and unfortunetly I can't share a one.....but I can share my all time favorite picture of Ian and I.

We were sitting in the backseat of my old White Altima - driving from McCall, Idaho to Silverdale, Washington - right after we had picked up Emma (she was on my other side). Ian was bored and tired of being in the car. So we started horsing around with the camera. My hair was wicked short - and it looked cute there - and I was so very happy - and Ian was so very happy too. Instead of 3 and a dog we were then 4 and a dog....but now we are three again....and still have the dog too. I guess the dog has moved up in status 'cause now she's my baby girl.

I don't know how Emma is, but I think of her a lot. I'd like to hold her tight some day and tell her what she brought to us. Maybe. Just maybe.

Wow this post went down in the dumps quickly! Sorry for the downer. Hold your babies tight tonight! xox.

January ScrapMuse DT Layout

OK, so officially I am a slug, but Amanda and the team love me anyway! Here is my project from the January Kit, it's not a layout but a window....I am going to hang it by the ribbons that hold a dowel (that you can't see) in my new house. Which, is coming soon. so very soon. This window just reinforces the fact that I can't throw anything away. Three pieces of trash adorn this - one from Ian's new Levi's I picked up at Target - that's the distressed one, one from 7Gypsies - that the small circle punch and the last from the package of buttons I got with my kit...that's the one that the H is sitting on.

Get this, I throw my scraps away - but I save trash....hmmmm. Interesting. Anyway, you can sign up to get an announcement for the ScrapMuse Newsletter by going here. We'll be sending out a new one REAAAAAAAL soon.

A Wonderful Review!

Just a quick post to send you over to my friend Nat's blog to read a review of Sewing on Paper: Scrapbooking Trends Thanks Nat, love ya Babe!

Comfort of Friends!

My good friend Chris has been here for the last couple of weeks from Bahrain, and it's been wonderful talking on the phone, hanging out and just catching up with her. I wish I could convince her to move back to Maine when they are done with the Embassy duty over there. She doesn't like the cold weather here. Oh well....everyone - remember to HUG your good friend today and tell them how special they are in your life!

We have a WINner!!

I was looking through some old pictures last night and found this picture of Kristen and I at a crop for Scrapbook Westport Crop Events and was reminded of all the fun we had with this silly sign she made.....we took turns holding it...and laughed our butts off! Do you remember that Kristen??

Kooky Kristen guessed right - it's a band from my Starbucks Coffee altered with felt, fabric, a silk flower and my sewing machine to a PRETTY little coffee cozy!! woohoo Kristen....and in case you wanted to know what Kristen looks like you can see her eyeball {she's on the right} here:

Can't HELP myself!

Ok, my brain works in mysterious ways, but it's funky and I like it that way! For one thing, I just can't stand to throw somethings away - especially if it has any potential to be made into anything.....for another thing - I have tons of stuff hanging around that most people would throw away. Boxes full of boxes. Boxes full of tags, scraps of paper, fabric and what have you. Jars full of rusted crap, rocks {I am a rock hound}, buttons. Snippets of just about everything and anything. And then, a lightbulb will go off inside my head about how to make something from this piece of garbage that the normal person would already have thrown away {no, i don't consider myself normal :-) } and, well - VOILA something pretty and fun is made from garbage..... can you tell me where you think this was scavanged from?? and what you think it is?? The first person to correctly identify what it WAS gets one. Have a great day everyone!

We have a DATE everyone!

A date for our house to be delivered that is!! January 25th at 11am is the day. I'll be sharing pictures of the 4 pieces as they go down the road and are loaded onto our foundation....it amazes me how they can build a 26 x 36 home in a factory, drive it from NH to Maine and then put it together and it looks like a house that was built on site! Woohoo. I am happy - but I wish it would wait until I get back from CHA where I will be demonstrating (making cool stuff) for EK Success! Anywho, just wanted to share one of my favorite appliances we will have in our house!! I have always wanted one, and thankfully Joe was in agreement. Phew, I get to cook like a professional now! Can someone come teach me a thing or two?? And, in case you were looking for a fun project from me, check this out. I made it with a wooden block my dad cut for me. I made it for a call for BH & G, but I guess it wasn't what they were looking for. AND, speaking of fun projects, I have a ton of assignments - for EK and Nat at Creative TECHniques I need to get done before I leave for CHA, so I'm off and running and not procrastinating! TTYL everyone. Also, incase you read this, Donna - thanks for the email this morning, it totally made my day!!

I got on the ball....

Ok, so I complained about myself the other day and needing to get my sample done for my class at Absolutely Everything the other day - and then I got an email from Kate that said:

SEWING CLASS UPDATE

The February 10th "sewing on paper" class has filled and we are taking names for a waiting list. I am checking with Catherine to see if there is a second date we can set up. Stay tuned. (Wow, moving the sewing machine to the paper arts room, along with the blender, pasta machine, toaster oven...the appliances seem to be having a reunion in my craft room.) Also, Catherine, if you are hearing this news for the first time...um...maybe you should give me a call.

So I called her.....and then I got on the ball last night. Since my box was mailed to Utah yesterday afternoon {insert happy dance} and I was giddy with relief - I started brainstorming about the class and what was I going to teach 20 eager ladies about stitching on paper and incorporating fabric too...and this is what I have come up with for our little wall hanging so far. I strayed a bit from my sketch I posted in December - but I am in love with the scalloped stitching around the edge. Oh how Sewing on Paper makes me happy.

Sneaky Peaky!

Some of you know I am working on another big project - with 25 projects due to go out via UPS this afternoon.....and what I am I doing here I ask myself.....since I can't share much with you I thought I would give you this little snippet of one of the projects before UPS comes and picks it up and takes it to Utah ..... it's a little reminder to myself not to be such a worry wart....it will all work out in the end....just keep on working - but to not work to hard. Life isn't all work - it's gotta be fun! As my lovely friend Vic says, this art makes me happy! Anyhoo, gotta go have some more fun...later taters.

Wow, 2 times in 2 days....

The top image is the left side the the bottom image is the right side. I so love this layout - the way the pictures look, the papers, the spray paint.....every single thing about it - but mostly the story. I went to a psychic and she told me about my life....and it's all come true so far. She also told me I would live to be a very old woman!! Let's just hope the menopause thing comes and goes fast 'cause she didn't talk about that, ha!

Keeping the spirit of these papers alive in my head - do they look familiar! I made this last year for the CK contest at the KISS event in Manchester, NH. Didn't get any notice - but I love how it came out....but those HS iron on's were a pain!

And this one is for you NAT, becuase I'm a tease and you haven't gotten Sewing on Paper yet.....LOL. I hope it comes tomorrow - or would that be today for you now?

Happy New Year!

Meet Guinness Stout - our wonderful Rat Terrier. She is the most wonderful dog - and how beautiful she is in her Christmas Ribbon...... she is a devoted companion - all 14 pounds of her! I hope you all had a safe and Happy New Year with family and friends! Ours was quiet - a nice turkey dinner with all the fixings, white wine and cheesecake for dessert. Later it was back to the old grind for me (well I don't consider creating the old grind, but you get the picture....) while watching SuperSize Me....I just want to say YUCK. I don't ever want to eat at McD's ever again.