Halloween 2010

We had such a great day yesterday. The party was a blast, and the kids had so much fun! I think it was one of the best Halloweens we've had. I have a huge headache,though, maybe sugar induced, or just exhausted, so I leave you with just pics. Hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! :)

Halloween Decor!

I had been wanting some Halloween prints to frame, so when I discovered this blog, I squealed! Seriously. Jessica's super sweet and has some awesome printable freebies on her blog. I got 2 printed at walmart for about $3. LOVE the way they came out. Shoved those babies in some frames and there ya go. Instant art and fabu Halloween decor. The other print is from the insanely talented Heather Ross that she sent me in my Studio Sale box. :)

Here's the links if you'd like to be fly like me. ;)

Eat, Drink, and Be Scary
Keep Calm and Scary On Printable

FYI, she has a Thanksgiving one, too as well as other Halloween ones. Soo cute!!

Tissue Pom Pom Tutorial

Pom poms just make everything cuter and happier. So, I had to make some to hang for Halloween. They are super easy to make. I learned back in elementary school, lol. Anyway, here's how I make them. You're going to need some tissue paper and floral wire. I got them at Wal-Mart for .99 each. :) The pack I got had 2 diff. colors. Try to use at least 8 sheets per pom pom or else, it turns out just sad. Trust me on this.

So, open it up and make 1 1/2 inch accordion folds.


Tie the floral wire and a piece of string in the middle. You can also use thread, twine, ribbon, etc.

Now, round out the edges. You can also cut it into a point for a different look.

You can now pull each sheet up carefully, so it doesn't tear.


Once you've done both sides, you can hang them up and say, "Now, that is just too cute." And have a coke and a smile. Yay!!

Halloween Preparations!!

Love this time of year. Holiday after holiday! I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off because I'm sooo behind schedule. Halloween costumes are NOT finished. I have 2 down, 3 to go. I'm pretty sure they're going to be crappy looking, but oh well, they wear them once anyway, right? Our annual kid Halloween party is on Sun. and I have barely started getting a few things done. This year, I'm doing quick and cheap. I typed them up in Word, printed them out, rolled them, and tied a ribbon. There ya go!

I found some really cute printable cupcake toppers online, but then I realized that I didn't have any colored ink. So, once again...quick and cheap. I pulled out some Jillibean Soup paper and cardstock, went to town...and voila!! Cute cupcake toppers! Yay!! Total cost: $0. Just used my stash. Yay for hoarding!!

I also made gifts for Jace and Cy's teachers. Cute felt bucket from Target, put some store bought goodies in ziplock bags, and added bag toppers and a card. I'm quite pleased with myself. =)


Well, I must go finish etsy orders and halloween stuff. I'll be pulling an all-nighter. Mars has promised to stay up and keep me company.

I tweeted about the sales but forgot to blog about them. In the SALE section in my shop, I've reduced everything to 15% off, so there are some REALLY good deals there. All those items are made and ready to ship. I'm also running a Key Fob sale, and they are all 15% off as well. Perfect time to pick up some Christmas gifts. :)

Ok, that's it. Gotta run. I'll post tomorrow with all my Halloween decor and maybe a tutorial. YAY! :)

The Savvy Seasons Swap

I had fun participating in this one. I had started on table runner, but ended scratching it halfway....it just didn't look right to me. I know my partner likes FMF and Heather Ross, and I remember mentioning that she likes the HR goldfish, so I made her a coffee mug cozy. It's not Christmasy but I thought it'd be cute to include. I made her a couple ornaments, since she mentioned that she'd like some for her tree. ;) I love the scrappy tree towels. I also included a mini canister filled with peppermints, and some fabric tree Christmas cards. Anyway, I hope she likes it. :)

In other news, I have an interview! Hopefully, the job and I are a good match...because I'm starting get a lil' worried. So, think good thoughts. Only good thoughts.

New Items in the Shop and a SALE!

So, the holidays are here and I wanted to make some new items for the shop in anticipation of the holiday shopping frenzy. One of my fave items are the key fobs. I made a stack to give to the kids teachers, friends, and to keep on hand, just in case I need a quick gift. The organizers are super sweet, too. Now, instead of chunking the mail on the kitchen table or on my desk. I just shove it in there until I'm ready to go through it. :) They're on SALE this week, too! I also have a new SALE section in the shop with items that are made and ready to ship. So, be sure to check it out. Well, I'm off to continue the job search...uugghh. Wish me luck. :)

Swaps Galore!

I'm a bit of a crazy psycho swapper. I LOVE swaps, and I'm in so many that sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy. BUT, I love creating for people and getting something handmade just for me in return. These past couple weeks have been cusy swap weeks. We finished the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap. My partner was Lolablueocean and this is what I sent her:

I received this pretty package from Mandy (mandalin18). LOVE the new Moda Bliss fabric! :)

We also finished the Scrappy Pincushion Swap, which I posted a pic of in this post.
And I got an AWESOME package from Tasha from ALittleSweetness. I seriously started hyperventilating when I got the box. How cute is her packaging!


Ummm...yeah.. fabric and hexie loveliness and those adorable pins that I had in my etsy favorites!!



I *heart* you, Tasha! And I LOVE my pincushion and extras. :)
Now, I just sent my Savvy Seasons Swap, so I'll post pics once she receives it. But, I got mine, and I just about died! I had seen Corey's peeks, and had hoped it was mine, but I never really thought it would be. But it is!! And I was soo stoked! Lovely fabric, the most adorable mini quilt,


and the sweetest towel.

Ummm...hello my lovelies, welcome home. I am so thrilled that I have had the most awesome swap partners. Thank you. Your items will most definetely be cherished. ((sigh))

R.I.P. Koda Bear

Bye, my love. You were here such a short time, but we loved you more than you'll ever know. You were the smartest, and sweetest puppy ever. Such a good boy. Mama's precious furry boy. And you had to leave us....so soon. I'm so sorry, baby, I tried. Lord knows I tried. I willed with all my heart and soul for that horriible parvo to go away. You were so brave and so strong, and I know you tried too, Koda Bear. But in the end, we lost. We fucking lost. Dammit. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. We love you and miss you already...so much...so much.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

...are coming. I like change, but in this case....not so much. I'm a SAHM, and I love it. Love having an etsy shop and creating stuff. Keeps me sane. But now, Mars will be going to school, and I will have to be the breadwinner. :( Not fun. Especially with all the duties of a family of 7. I have a feeling this is going to be exhausting. I've filled out a few applications, emailed some resumes, keeping my fingers crossed that I find a job quickly. I'm planning on keep my etsy open because... well....it makes me happy. :)

So, besides, that...nothing much going on. Working on new items for the shop, and I just finished my partner's giftie for the pincushion swap, and I'm super happy with it. I kind of want to keep it for myself, lol.

I saw this cute pattern on etsy, and I had to get it. I just altered it a little to add a bunting, since my partner seems to like them. I also included an embroidered bluebird and nest little zippy with a mini sewing kit inside. Hope she likes it. :)

I guess that's pretty much all for now. I'll be super busy this weekend working on etsy stuff, halloween costumes, birthday party stuff, 365 album, quilting bee blocks, swaps.....crap...that's a lot of stuff. Maybe I should get my bootay offline now and stop wasting time. Peace, guys. :)

It's Friday!!

I'm so glad the weekend has finally arrived! It's been exhausting! I'm caught up with orders though, so I'll be working on a couple new items for the shop. ;) I've ordered some new fabric and I'm running out of fabric storage, so I decided to have a sale this weekend! FREE SHIPPING!! Your shipping charges will be refunded, or I can also set you up a custom listing. :)



So, if I need to make room for more fabric, I also need to make room for my Oct. kits coming. The SC sneaks look YUMMY! I know I'll be getting an add-on or two. Noel's halloween kit will be up on the 25th...and I HAVE to get it. I subbed to Scrapbook Circle so I'll be getting that too. Crap...I gotta get my scrap on this weekend..for sure. And I leave you with a layout using the Sept. Scrapbook Circle and 2 cards. Have a happy scrappy weekend! :)

Friday Happiness!!!

I'm SOOO happy today!! First off, it's our anniversary. Yay!! We'll be celebrating on Sunday, since Mars is feeling under the weather today as well as a couple of the kids. :( Another reason, is shopping and happy happy mail day!! Wanna check out my loot? Sure you do. ;)
I went to Target, and I scooped these up on clearance. Love the bike frame. It's going in Jace and Cy's bedroom.

The super soft baby photo album was on clearance for $2! I had to get it. My mailbox was stuffed with my Studio Calico cloud stamp...love, my Aunty Cookie fabric...swoon, and my Urban Home Goods Swap package...aaaaccckkkk!!! LOVE LOVE!!

Nova was an awesome swap partner! Her package was perfection! Nesting fabric baskets!! Adorable!! I decided to use these babies for my scraps and stuff. They'll be sitting on my craft table. The button bouquet is too cute! I need to find a jar to put them in.

The itty bitty magnets!! Soo freakin' awesome! Don't they look perfect on my fridge? :) Thanks so much, Nova! I could not have asked for a better swap partner. :)

And these are my gifties on their way to my swap partner. Hope she likes them! :)
A set of coasters.

A sewing machine cover.

And something cute to hang on her wall.

Hope everyone has a good weekend! :)

10 years today....

we said, "I do." 10 years of I love you's, I hate you's, I miss you's, and screw you's. Too many moves, too many cities, too many close calls. 5 kids, a house, and a puppy. Here's to another 10. I love you.

Wordless Wednesday

A new addition to our family....

Koda!! Yes...like Ko-duh.


He's the sweetest boy. We've all fallen madly in love with him. He's crazy smart. Day 2 at home...potty training and 0 accidents. None. Yay!! We had to find a new home for our last puppy, Teddy, a sweet Bassett Hound, when we noticed a couple of the kids having really bad allergies. So we gave up on having a fur baby for about a year. :( I'd been doing research for awhile on different breeds, and found that labradoodles, a lab/poodle hybrid are hypoallergenic. Do you know how much they go for?? It's crazy. Of course, we checked out shelters in this area, but couldn't find one that might fit with our home. While browsing Craigslist, I found this sweet baby looking for a new home, so we just had to meet him and his brothers. We had a connection with Koda from the get-go. And he's now a part of our home. Our new baby boy. :)