THE QUEEN OF QUIRK

today's the day!

Although my actual birthday isn't til Sunday, let's get this party started, right? This morning I woke up to the sweetest thing ever. It wasn't just for me, though. Everybody got a little treat. Lara decided to make us all breakfast today. :) She made toast for her, her daddy, her little sister and then she brought me my coffee and toast in bed! My alarm was about to go off in 3 minutes, but having coffee brought to you while you're still warm and snuggled in your bed is a treat I could get used too! :)

I mean, seriously....who could ask for more?

Ok, so I've been hinting at all the things I've been doing to keep myself so busy....and it's all for my awesome customers! Everything I have made in the last 2 weeks is packed up in the most awesome grab bag ever!

Now, I may be a tad partial, but that's only because I have put my absolute BEST into this thing! I don't want anyone to be disappointed! :) You can pick it up HERE. It will only be available through Sunday, so don't miss out! After that, it will go on sale, piecemeal and you will be oh so sad that you didn't pick it up. :) And here's a bit of sneaky hint: there are at least TWO full paper packs...that's all I'm gonna say, though. That's only 23 pieces, though. I wonder what the other 134 are!?!?!? And seriously, it's 5 bucks...FIVE BUCKS!! That's a steal! :)

And not only do I have the grab bag, but I have a TON of coupons and GC's from some pretty fabulous designers! These ladies have graciously donated prizes to help me celebrate!

You could win a gift certificate to:

Amy Teets at oscraps.com

Darcy Baldwin at thedigichick.com

Wendyzine at scrapbookgraphics.com

Pamela Gibson at polkadotpotato.com

Melissa Bennett at scrapbook-bytes.com

Lena Brandenburg at acherryontop.com

DivineDigital.com

lauraskathi at funkyplaygrounddesigns.com

Purple Paper Flowers

Amanda Rockwell at scrapartist.com

CHIRPI 

Heather Manning 

or you could win one of these fabulous prizes:

Gold Membership from digishoptalk.com

1 month subscription to the Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild

Ok, I really am really and truly floored by the generosity of these ladies! Isn't this amazing!?!?! They are all so wonderful! :)

And as if that isn't enough, I am giving away some prizes myself!

1 Paper + Pixels book by Audrey Neal and May Flaum

1 $25 Target gift card

1 pack of note cards from my favorite etsy.com letterpress artist, Satsuma Press

All you have to do is leave me a comment here on this blog post and you will be entered into a drawing that will take place on Monday morning. Aren't you excited?!?!

And don't forget! Today' the last day to get our February Songbird Avenue kit with Susan Bartolini (chef of scrapkitchen). And as an added bonus, every purchase made today will receive a $5 gift certificate to my store! Don't miss out! :)

Alright people, I'm gonna kick back and start enjoying my birthday weekend! Post away! :)

shaken not stirred

Ooh, I've been a busy, busy bee today. Lots of emails and designing and packing and uploading and revamping. Ooh! I simply can't wait to share with you! :) Since most of that will all have to hold off til tomorrow, here are a couple of things I can show off.

Shabby Miss Jenn has released her Easter kit and it is a whopper! Look at how versatile it is! YUM! You can pick it up HERE. And you can see the full credits HERE.

And I really love the little chicky that comes with this kit, so I decided to put her on my desk. Sometimes I feel so weighed down with all that goes on. I just need to stop and take a breather and remember to take some time for myself. But most of all, I need to remember that I am strong. :)

So now when I get stressed, I can take strength from my inspirational little chicken. Everyone should have one. :)

I've got a ton work to finish upnow. Tomorrow I've got something extra special planned for my customers and then on Saturday we're heading down to London. I wanna rummage through the Portobello Road market and see what I can find. And then on Sunday, I'm hoping to sleep in. That's all I want for my birthday...to be lazy. How silly is that!?!? :) Silly, but much needed!

I've been juggling so many projects at once that I'll be glad when it slows down a bit. I've been working from morning til night and then some. But I have to say that I'll be excited to announce some of it. Very proud of what I've been asked to do :) Ciao, all! And have a thrilling Thursday!

it WAS an earthquake!!

Holy beans!

Ok, what happened was I experienced the biggest earthquake in England in 25 years!

BBC news article

Well, at least I know what happened now. But I swear, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! How scary! 5.6 on the Richter scale! :(

seriously? seriously.

Just past the witching hour, I woke up to the most dreadful feeling~ panic. Panic is not a good thing to wake up to. Panic is right up there with fear on the "Horrible Ways to Wake Up" list. I woke up in a panic because I heard something rattling. Then it started to vibrate. I was wide awake. I swear I wasn't dreaming! The rattling was from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom adjacent to our room and the vibrations felt like they were in the very walls. It lasted long enough for me to wake up, yell at my husband, ask him if he heard it, he did, and then I listened to it for a couple more seconds. And then I laid there praying it wouldn't happen again.

It was the creepiest thing ever. I laid there for almost an hour. It took my heart that long to calm down. Was it an earthquake? Was it really just a dream? Was it aliens? Seriously, what was it?

I've searched the BBC's website this morning to no avail. I'm gonna update as soon as I find anything. Holy beans, I was so scared!

magic mice

a conversation that started mere minutes after I dragged myself out of bed:

Lara: How do the mice help the people make the cheese, Mommy?

Me: huh? snort yawn...stretch...

Lara: The holes in the cheese. In the white cheese. How do the mice do it? Do they work with the people in the cheese factory?

Me: Oh yeah....yeah, I guess so.

Lara: But how Mommy?

Me: Well, cuz they're magic mice, baby.

Lara: aaaahhhhhh. But they don't poop in the cheese, right?

...at this point, I had to rewind and tell her the truth. That is, after I stopped laughing.

Lara thinks I know everything. Do you know how cool that is? When I brush her hair, she likes to pass the time by asking me all sorts of things: Where do babies come from? How do we get paper? How do the flowers know when to grow? How do worms move through the ground? The fact that I can answer her is what I think is cool. However some of them (like, where do babies come from?) I'll dodge for now. I'll tell her someday, but I don't think she needs to know that kind of stuff when she's 6. :) I just tell her it's an adult thing and that I'll tell her when she's older. She seems to be satisfied with that and then she promptly busies herself with her own fantastical little conjectures.

Then on the way to school she was asking me about all the technical details and hurdles that plague the tooth fairy. At on point she asked, "Mommy, where does the tooth fairy keep her teeth?" And I promptly replied, "In her mouth, of course." That threw Lara into such a fit of giggles that we had to stop so she could recover. She is such a fun person to hang around and she's becoming quite the little lady. :)

I tried taking some more photos yesterday...just walking around my house, looking for little vignettes to capture. These are all straight out of the camera...no tweaking, no fussing.

noodle during her nap yesterday

mia's favorite thrift store find

the girls' dresser

mmmmm.....

new plants for the living room (jasmine, too!)

So, I guess that's about it for today. We've got parent-teacher conferences after school today, so I'm gonna try and get as much work done as possible before I have to go. :) I hope everyone is having a tubular Tuesday! ;) Ciao, all!

knock knock

who's there?

remember

remember who?

remember vegan?

:)

K, so many, many months ago I expressed a desire to try a vegan diet. Well, I failed miserably. And it's time to fess up. I simply cannot maintain a vegan diet. It's no use. I'm not motivated or strict enough to keep at it. I tried, I really did. But there you have it. I'm not a vegan and I probably never will be. I applaud all those who have the diligence and willpower to stick to such a strict diet. Me? I need bacon on Saturday mornings. :)

The kiddos had such a fun time at the bday party yesterday. Lots of dancing and playing and snacking and chasing. Good times. First, we had a mini photo shoot in the backyard, though. :)

And another thing I need to fess up to. I have no idea what I am doing with this camera. It's like buying a corvette before you even know how to drive. It's sad really, but that's why I'm taking so many photos...trying to get a feel for what this baby can do and seeing where my weaknesses are. Needless to say, my weaknesses are many. It's not the camera's fault...I just don't know how to drive it.

Also, another part of the house is due for an upgrade. The front entrance...sigh.... It's so sad and lonely and unimpressive. I have my work cut out for me, but I think it'll look fun and peppy when I get done with it. There is zero storage right now and it has no character whatsoever. Can't wait til it's done!

Noodle was especially cute on the couch this morning. See, this is another area where I don't excel at the camera thing. I tried snapping some shots of her with and without the flash...the flashy shots were horrendous and the ones without the flash were blurry. Darn it. Still have much more learning to do. :( But, holy cow, is this child a sweetie. Look at that face!

However, I did like my little self portrait. I tweaked it a bit with some actions, but it was pretty good raw. Plus I'm wearing my new favorite tee from J. Crew. :) It's a happy shirt, for sure.

I've gotta run. Got some goodies I need to work with and then I've got some Songbird stuff to take care of. I can't believe February's almost over already! Where did this month go!?!? Ciao, all. Happy Monday!

weekend quickie

Kind of a busy Sunday for us. Birthday party in a couple of hours for a wee friend of the chubkins and then we need to go grocery shopping. (I know it's not that much, but most Sundays we never change out of PJs, so running around is a big deal on Sunday.)

First, though, I wanted to share some fun Etsy finds. I haven't been paper scrapping much lately...it kinda fell by the wayside in the wake of my digital frenzy. But that is about to change. One of my all-time fave paper scrappers has some goodies for sale there and I just had to snag some. I love the block project. How fun is that?!?!

I also snagged a mini album kit that is absolutely de-lish. You can grab Kristina's goods HERE.

I actually had the pleasure of meeting Kristina at CHA. I use the term "meet" loosely, though, y'all. I seriously think she recoiled a bit as I approached. I was the human equivalent of the sappy, happy-go-lucky Labrador retriever who has yet to sniff you but knows you have a doggy treat hidden in one of your pockets. As soon I got control of myself and gave my little intro, she warmed up and was all smiles. She was so gracious. I think I said something like "I'm a bit starstruck!" to which she replied something like "Oh, stop! Stop!!" I love it when people are just totally cool and chill. When I got back to where Meredith and Hollie were standing, they totally teased me and called me a nerd. I deserved it of course.

And then I stopped by my ultimate fave paper scrapper's Etsy shop and picked up some bling for my 2 new paper projects.

I found tons of other cool yumm stuff. Some of which I bought and some I thought you'd like to take a gander at. I snagged this ultra cool piece of linen from matatabi.

And even though I didn't grab any of these from brookerpie, I thought you might like them...I think they're adorable!

And last, but not least, my new fave to rock to: Sia

I love her silly lyrics and her voice is really dreamy and folky. One of my fave songs is Academia.

Here's an excerpt:

I am a dash and you are a dot
When will you see that I am all that you've got
I'm a binary code that you cracked long ago
But to you I'm just a novel that you wish you'd never wrote
I'm greater than x and lesser than y, so why is it
That I still can't catch your eye?
You're a cryptic crossword, a song I've never heard
While I sit here drawing circles I'm afraid of being hurt

She's like Amy Winehouse, but kookier and more peppy. Love that! So, that's about it for today. Gotta run and purdify the kiddos for their party and then restock pantry. Ciao, all! Happy Sunday!

the early bird

"This looks like a nice spot to rustle me up some grub."

"YES! SCORE!!"

"Let me strike a pose for the lady who should be working."

I just really don't get enough accomplished during the day. This is one of the drawbacks to being a room full of windows. The birds. These little turds are so darn cute and they play all day long and sometimes I just sit back and see what they're up to. This one was about to get a ticket for loitering when I finally realized that he was just hungry. So he's just hangin' out, waiting for that poor unfortunate wormy worm to dare and peek out. After her got his snack on, he noticed me (and the big huge black thing I was pointing at his head) and he decided to skedaddle on out of here. ooh..now's he back...my little feathery sentinel.

Ok, so on with things people actually want to hear about :)

First up, if you haven't checked out Songbird Avenue's February kit, you're missing out! It is jam-packed full of exclusive goodness. Susan Bartolini (Chef) is our guest designer and you really don't want to miss this one!

Also, there is a scraplift challenge going on over at the Songbird Blog. There are lots of prizes to be had! Hurry and don't miss out on this kit. Cuz come March 1st, it's gone, baby!

And I'm still busy as all heck gearing up for a bit of a birthday bash. And I guess I should have clarified yesterday about my age. :) I'm not actually turning 30. I'll be 28, but it's still getting closer to 30 than I would like. I can hear you now... "Geez, lady! Get over it!!" But I'm not one of those chicks who accepts age with grace. No siree. I'll be fighting it tooth and nail until I'm too old to move. And then I'll have my wrinkly old head transferred to a hot chick's body when I can no longer walk.

It's nice to have a springtime birthday, though. Spring is when I feel all refreshed and such. My body and mind move in time with the seasons and it seems like each year I start fresh and rejuvenated with spring and end up old and cranky by the end of it come winter. So, as much as I dread the birthdays, it's nice to know that winter's almost over and I move on.

As speaking of all that, here's a sneaky peeky  of what's in store...it's a teeny peek, tho...don't wanna give too much away. ;)

Ooh, I can't wait!! :)

gearing up

BUSY BUSY BUSY

That's today's theme. My birthday is rapidly approaching and as I get another step closer to thirty, I've been busily planning a little cyber-sioree for all my friends. Something extra special is in the works and I simply can't wait to reveal! And somehow, amidst the pre-party frenzy, I've managed to consume an insane amount of reading. I haven't been reading as much the past couple of years as I would like, so it seems I've been making up for it double-time the last few months.

And I can highly recommend each and every one of these books. They're all fabulous and definitely worth reading. Eat Pray Love, Emotional Intelligence, and Social Intelligence will all change your life, sister. Period. (thanks, Kim, for the "intelligence"! ;) Water for Elephants is beautiful, intriguing and unique. All about the early days of the traveling circus and the infrastructure of the workers and performers. Gritty and passionate. Nefertiti is written in a more simplistic style than I usually like, but I loved all the ancient historical details in it. I'm also a sucker for ancient historical fiction. Atonement is heartbreaking and heartfelt. I did think that the "insights" of the pre-teen were a bit too mature for her age, but hey...she's supposed to be precocious, so what do I know? Maybe she was just way smarter and more insightful than I was at 13. ;) Marie Antoinette: The Journey is utterly amazing. If you dig history, that is. And I dig it. I dig it lots. A Respectable Trade is great insight into the slave trade in England shortly before it was abolished. It's a love story, but the political upheaval and tension are the better part of the story, in my opinion. It's got me all excited to visit the port cities of England, too! Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of short stories on par with the likes of Guy de Maupassant. Very dark, very sad, but oh so true. It's not an uplifting book, it's more of a peek into inner workings of human nature and social interaction and how brutal and fleeting we can be in our thoughts and actions. No pulled punches, know what I mean? Good stuff. A Thousand Splendid Suns is just plain gorgeous reading and it's one that every woman should read at least once in her life. I even liked it better than The Kite Runner.
Many of these have been on my amazon wishlist for a looong time and I am just now getting to them and I'm so glad I'm back to reading. It really fills me up, know what I mean? Ok, I didn't mean to turn this post into a review session! :) But hey, that's all I've got for today so I had to make the most of it. I hope your Thursday is super fab! Ciao, all!

a big 'un

Yesterday Noodle was playing on the other side of my desk where I couldn't see her and she would pop up every now and then to say HI! Actually, it was HEY!, but either way, it was darn cute.

The bulbs are peeking out in the garden and I am in HEAVEN. It's been my dream to have flowers in my garden so I can go out, pick some and liven up my house with them any time I want to. (My obsession with fresh flowers gets rather expensive after a while.) But now I have blooms, guilt-free. Yippee!

I am also really loving my office. (I know, I know...I promise there won't be too many more of these cheesy posts about my ridiculous fascination with... an office.) The best part, though, is that Noodle has plenty of room to play in here and she is always hanging out with me now.

"Hi Mommy. Want me to dance-y dance-y for you?"

"I can run over here and twirl around a bit!"

"Hey, wait...what's this?"

"Well, whatever it is, it's not as cute as ME!"

"Oh it's a chair!.....I TOOT!"

"Ok, show's over, people!"

"Didja like that Mommy? Didja?"

And when she's not hanging out with me, she's making sure I know she's thinking of me. That usually consists of her dragging a chair over to the door and yelling at me until I fix lunch (This usually starts around 10 am)

She's full of sass, that one. And I am having WAY too much fun with my camera. I'm sure there will be many more montages like this of the mundane details of our day. Sorry, I can't help it :)

Speaking of scrapbooking products, (ooooh, smooooth...) I also have some new goodies in the store. :) This pack is a bit different for me, but I really like the way it turned out. :)

You can pick up the patterned papers, the solids, the overlay or the entire kit from my store at Oscraps.

And yesterday, I decided to get some goodies for my office, so I stopped by Etsy. Ali posted on her blog about one seller and before I knew it, my shopping cart was full and I had to reel it in and decide on what I really needed.

vintage wallpaper from CitrusFaire:

vinyl wallpaper box from drawflowers:

bird flourish silhouette from r e m a k e :

So, that's it for now. I've got a bunch of new products that are halfway finished and lots of behind the scenes stuff that I can't really talk about yet. So, back to work! Hope everyone is having a fabulous Wednesday! Ciao!