THE QUEEN OF QUIRK

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!

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!

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!

larger than life

My to do list, that is. It's kind of embarrassing how many projects I have that are "in-progress". I got my office all rearranged and my feng feels very shui. I don't have pictures yet, though. I'm thinking of getting some new furniture and I definitely want to switch out my IKEA desk for a pretty, antique table. My desk is perfectly adequate, but ya know...I need something a bit more gussied up. I also want a new couch in here. Right now I have an armchair, but I'd love it if all the kiddos could plop down and chat with me if they wanted to. So, no pictures, but I do have a few new things up for sale. They're not new new. I've separated some of my kits and this is the first one that is offered up as a 4 course meal. You can have the solids, the patterns, the brushes OR you can pick up the entire kit. Kinda nice, huh?

So, if you don't like the entire kit and, say, you just want the brushes, you are now completely free to do just that! It's a rather exciting time in the life of Jan. Feeling the freedom of my own marketing, throwing caution to the wind and living with wild abandon.

Panties are hanging from the trees, y'all.

DUDE.

Ok, this past weekend was so much fun, I don't even know where to begin...so I'll start with the beginning :) DUH

Liz and Eric have the cutest little baby EVER. I told them that if anyone needs a model for a great Asian baby doll, they need to get a hold of Audrey. She is the sweetest, tiniest thing ever. I just love her and it was so hard leaving knowing that the next time I see her she will be so different and she will shrink away from me because I will be that "crazy lady who can't stop petting her". Thank you, Liz and Eric!! I had a great time! (((HUGS)))

Sunday morning, Hollie of Holliewood Studios picked me up and we headed to Anaheim. I have to say that Hollie is VERY cool. She's UBER cool, ya know? SO easy to talk to and we hit it off immediately! So, we got to the convention center and while Hollie was getting her badge, I saw Meredith in another line and we ran to each other! It should have been a beach and in slow-mo, but the convention center badge pick-up would have to do. :)It's kind of weird to be meeting for the first time after running a site together for 10 months! But it was fabulous and I was so sad to leave her! First stop was the Prima booth:

And then we ooh-ed and aah-ed over Meredith's yummy stuff at the booth! You should have seen people's reactions to her stamps and goodies! It was awesome!

Then we headed across the way and met up with the gals at Dream Street Papers. I'm kicking myself because I didn't get a photo with Amy Teets. She was just so awesome and funny and cool. Love that! However, I did get to squeeze on Audrey Neal! And she even got me a copy of the book she co-wrote Paper + Pixels and she signed it! she was such a sweetheart and I wish we could have had more time together. This is her, next to her line of papers! :)

We saw the MM booth and, as usual, they have the coolest stuff across the board. Slice was, by far, the coolest gadget I saw. If I still paper scrapped enough, I would've ordered one. It has this knife linked to a teeny computer inside that die-cuts all these awesome shapes. And the coolest thing...it's small. The cutting board is big, but the machine itself is small. And they also had some of my favorite paper collections...I don't really know what I was doing doing, though. I was so busy gawking at and fondling everything that I forgot to bust out the cam a lot. :)

Then we saw Heather Bailey's huge sign with her pretty little eyes poking out. Wish I could have had a chance to meet her. It would have went something like: "Hi, I'm Jan...remember? the snart?" And then we would have been instant BFF! ;)

Then I stopped to gape (mouth open and everything) at Elsie Flannigan's booth. I want one just like it for the girls...it would be the cutest playhouse ever and I would kick the girls out so I could live in it. Just kidding...sort of...

Meredith Fenwick, Sara Carling, Elsie Flannigan, Hollie Haradon, some chick

Isn't it adorable!?!?!? I even love the floor :) It's a happy place, for sure.

Ok, so then we're wandering along and we happen upon the CK booth and lo and behold, Jessica Sprague is there! So we stopped and chatted and she was showing us her Shutterfly book and Ali's and we're all ooh-ing and aah-ing and crackin' jokes and then all of a sudden we notice that none other than Miss Ali herself is sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HER. We notice her and she notices our group at about the same time and the reaction on our half was a sort of half scream, half inhale thing that was totally audible and I'm sure we sucked in everyone else's oxygen in the process creating an Ali vacuum. It was heaven. So, Meredith, in all her sweetness, wants me to show Jessica my portfolio (because, it too, is a Shutterfly book) and then Jessica gets Ali's attention and then, before I know it, Ali Edwards is holding my portfolio. Lemme repeat.

>>>>>>>>>>ALI EDWARDS IS HOLDING MY PORTFOLIO<<<<<<<<<<

DUDE. And not only is she holding it, she's looking through it and making cracks and she's making sure that Jessica Sprague is catching all the funny faces she's making and I almost died. So, Ali has my portfolio in her hands and Jessica has my camera in her hands and meanwhile, my inner dialog went something like this:

MY WORD FOR THE YEAR IS ALI AND I WANT TO STAY IN THIS BOOTH 4EVA AND BE YOUR BFF AND I WANT TO TAKE YOU HOME AND I LOVE YOUR SHIRT AND IF WE HADN'T JUST MET AND IF WE WERE ALREADY BFF, I WOULD TAKE YOUR SHIRT AND RUN AWAY CUZ YOU WOULD LET ME AND THIS PHOTO IS GONNA BE FABULOUS BECAUSE JESSICA IS A GODDESS.

It got a little ridiculous in the old noggin. But, any scrapper who knows Ali knows exactly why I reacted internally the way I did. So, I tried to contain myself and play it off like I was all cool, but everyone could see that I was on the verge of tears and Sara Carling is over there mouthing "lick her" because I was cracking jokes at lunch saying how I would actually do just that if I met her. Thank God I didn't. And then, as if that weren't enough, we told her we were the "Songbird Avenue" girls and, let me just say, that when Ali Edwards knows you...it's a hi. And when she puts her stamp of "cool" on your site, you suddenly feel right with the world. I just can't believe that poor Ali meets people like me. This woman is continually bombarded with psychos like me, who cannot handle being starstruck and who fight the urge to bear hug her and run away. She's a class act, that one. Totally cool and awesome. I'm so glad I wore heels...cuz I would have ended up having to talk to her badge. Who knew she was so tall? :)

So when we finally let her go and greet all the other drooling fans, I had a contact hi for about a half hour that left me with goosebumps and a PERMA-GRIN. Ali, I will never wash my portfolio again.

So, we headed off to find more pretties to stare at. Here are some more photos:

BasicGrey booth: Their papers are gorgeous and the displays are phenomenal.

I had to stop by the Anna Griffin booth. I have to admit, though, I can only take her stuff in moderation. I adore it, but I definitely have to mix it with something simpler or grungy. That's just me, though and I scrap like a caged monkey with a marker, so what kind of judge am I, really?

Then we headed back over to the CK booth to get a photo with Jessica Sprague and, of course, I didn't get one, but I love this one with Mer and Jessica! So cute! Jessica is really funny in that way that makes you want to hang with her all day. It was so awesome to meet her!

Then I got to hug on Sally and Josie of IOD fame. I stalked Sally and her sister until they broke down and gave me a CT spot. She was painting on some of her overlays and it was so beautiful! Kinda cool seeing her in her element and all. :)

I also got to meet Corina Nielsen and Traci Murphy who are both beautiful and ultra fab. And, of course, I am NOT ultra fab and I didn't get a photo! :( Then we wandered around some more and Sara rubbed on this cute puppy. We were total 8 year olds. Sara is an awesome person! I loved getting to know her and spending time with her! :)

Then we stopped by Paper Salon and ran into a bunch of gals! We blocked the whole hallway!

some chick, Meredith Fenwick, Robin Carlton, Andrea Graves, Sara Carling, Susan Bartolini, Christy Lyle, Tana Coleman

We later ran into Dani Mogstad and Traci Reed, but I don't have that HUUUUGE photo. Hopefully I can snag it from someone!

And then, unfortunately, I had to head out so I could catch my flight back. It sucked saying goodbye to everyone, but I just feel so lucky that I got to meet them!!

The flight home was excruciating...next time I think I'll need a longer break in between flights. My tush and piggies were aching the entire time. BUT when I got home, Colin was waiting for me at the train station and the girls were so excited. It's so nice to be greeted by 3 deliriously happy kiddos. Norah looked like she had been missing me. She had this huge smile on her face the whole ride home. I promised Lara I would go clothes shopping for her while I was in LA, so she was pretty excited to see what I brought back. Liz also got the girls some sweet little gifts and they were thrilled and kept saying "Liz is so nice!" She gave Norah a pair of jellies and I knew Norah would love them, but I didn't think she'd love them as much as she did. The child WENT TO SLEEP with them on. We got her ready for bed and she cried until the jellies were back on her toesies. She has been wearing them all day, too.

And, since I have my new camera, I thought I'd snap a few shots of the kiddos. Lara was still in bed, sawing logs at this point, so I'll have to snap one of her later. :)

Mia and Norah had so much fun posing for me. I think they're in awe of how big this camera really is. The lens itself is like 5 inches long. It takes amazing photos, though, and I don't regret buying it at all. At first I had buyer's remorse because I thought it was crazy expensive and I am super thrifty, but the photos are what did me in. They're just so...good.

So, holy cow, this has been my longest update ever. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I'm off to eat some lunch and snuggle with my kiddos. Ciao! :)

home stretch

I always feel like this before a trip...a bit stressed and scattered. But since it's just me that's going, things are way more small scale than they usually are. One person is much easier to pack for then 5! :) So, I've definitely been keeping myself busy...designing, planning, listing, rechecking, etc. I wanted to post a new kit I just put up for sale before I leave, though. I know I'm not leaving for 2 days, but tomorrow will be booked solid while I travel 2 hours to see a doctor and then 2 hours back and then Wednesday, of course, I will promptly set into frantic frenzy mode while I pack, clean, and organize. So, here's the new kit:

I really love this one...it's soft and edgy at the same time...love that kind of juxtaposition. You can purchase the paper pack HERE if you'd like. :)

I'm off to watch Star Trek and I'm gonna grab some cookies and cream on the way. I hope everyone is having a lovely Monday! :)

siwwy

Noodle has been obsessed with "siwwy" things lately. And just in case you don't speak Noodlese, that means "silly". Anything and everything counts, too. Most things fall into this category, but the things that garner the most enthusiastic squeals and claps are those that little Miss Priss has thought up all by her lonesome. This is a new concept for her, the idea of joking and making someone laugh, and she is downright reveling in it.

click HERE for credits.

Lisa, she absolutely adores this purse. When I showed it to her, she immediately hung it on her arm, tossed it behind her and bid us farewell! I think she was off to shop! And then she promptly cam eup with this little number and proclaimed herself "siwwy" all day yesterday! (((HUGS))) Thank you SOOOOOO MUCH!

Today is a bright, sunshiny day here in the good 'ol UK. It's bitterly cold, though, but the sunshine feels so good when we go outside. I cut the older girls' hair yesterday...I'll have to update when they get home. I asked Mia what she wanted me to do and she said "Whatever you want." HA! So she now has the cutest little super short bob. Dang, it just looks so good on her. I can't resist. Lara didn't want to have anything to do with me, though! We had to coax her into it and I had to triple promise that I was only trimming her hair and not cutting it short. She was a bit wary the whole time, but when she saw her evenly trimmed locks in the mirror, she finally gave her approval. Talk about a Rapunzel complex! :)

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Ciao for now! :)

beans, anyone?

Ok, this news, for me, is SO BIG that I don't even know where to start. And I've been keeping it a secret for so long, that it feels kind of surreal that I finally get to talk about it! Ok....so here we go...deep breath...

I'm in a book. A REAL book, from Memory Makers. A bona fide, on paper, tangible, flippable, lickable book.

Here's an excerpt from Audrey Neal's blog:

"P+P is all about hybrid scrapbooking — it features over 40 techniques, including really simple techniques for programs like Microsoft Word, to more advanced techniques for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It also features over 100 pieces of original, never-before-seen art from May and I, as well as our contributors: Cathy Pascual, Angela Daniels, Wendy McKeehan, Jackie Eckles, Caroline Ikeji, Amy Martin, Katrina Simeck, Jenn Olson, Linda Barber, and Kathleen Summers. In addition to all this hybrid scrappy inspiration, you’ll get 10 exclusive scrapbooking kits on CD from these amazing designers: Michelle Coleman, Lauren Reid, Jan Crowley, Katie Pertiet, Lynn Grieveson, Jen Wilson, Poppy Andrews, Jackie Eckles, Kim Christensen, and Tracy Ann Robinson, plus templates from Janet Phillips and Jen Caputo."

I cannot even begin to express how honored I was to be asked to contribute to this book. Audrey has such a strong and unique style that I knew I would love whatever she was doing instantly. And lucky for me, the Memory Maker booth at CHA next month will be having a book signing for the book's release. I am really excited to meet Audrey, her co-author, May Flaum, and hopefully some of the other fabulous designers from the book. Also, there will be a "Paper+Pixels" blog coming soon with all kinds of fun stuff. I can't wait!

You can pre-order the book HERE from Amazon, if anyone is interested! Also, tune in to the Memory Makers Editors blog for a chance to win a free copy!

K, that's all I have for today. I hope everyone is having a great Monday!!

OH!!! And tomorrow is the debut for www.primahybrid.com! WOW! I simply cannot wait to see all the goodies they are going to have on sale!

lurve

Seems a bit early for Valentine's Day stuff, but since the stores had the goodness out way before New Year's...maybe I'm late? :) Not sure of that, but what I am sure of is how much I love this new paper pack! I tend to stray a bit from traditional themes...and I'm not a very mushy person. So, for someone like me, Valentine's Day is a bit over the top. This is my take on all the other lovey-dovey mushy stuff out there. :) Just a playful jab at the holiday. Get it? Jab? :)

And since I like to go all out for teachers and friends and such, I thought it'd be neat to make some printable goodies for everyone. I just adore these and I can't wait to pass them out. There are 2 bag toppers (1 without a photo spot), a candy pocket, a tag, and of course some goodies to make your own labels and cards. The elements in this pack are completely different from the ones included in the paper pack.

Here's a better gander at the cute stuff I whipped up with the printables pack.

Next up is a little dose of spring. January, flat out, is dreary around here. There are crocuses and daffodils emerging all over my garden and I want to encourage them with a little bit of sunshine. I think we could all use a bit of that right now! :)

You can purchase all the kits here:

LOVE TAP

LOVE TAP PRINTABLES

PUNCH BUGGY

And all those Hershey kisses are gone..they didn't stand a chance. ;) Happy Thursday!

happy monday!

Lots of things today! :)

First, I am Oscraps' first Designer Spotlight for 2008! How fun! Come stop by the site and participate in the challenge and you just might end up with some goodies from me! :) You can read about it on the Oscraps blog or in the forums. To celebrate, I have 3 new kits and a downright quirky new gift for you all! First up, Cabana Loca...I hope everyone likes it! There's no need to rush, this kit will remain free til the cows come home! :)

Next up, 3 new goodies for your shopping cart! I've been busy,busy behind the scenes! :)

Here are direct links to purchase

SPACED OUT

SHY GUY

CARAMEL SWIRL

CABANA LOCA

Next up, the new Songbird Avenue kit is on sale! Our fabulous guest designer is none other than Shabby Miss Jenn herself! I absolutely adore this woman both as a person and as a designer, she's just amazing! The proceeds will benefit the Lupus Foundation of America, an organization that is close to Miss Jenn's heart right now. Let's all help her raise money for this amazing charity, shall we?

We also have the blog challenge going on over on the blog and we'll soon have a scraplift challenge, too! Miss Jenn is also a fabulous scrapper, so be sure to check out her gallery when we post the challenge! You don't want to miss out on the prizes!

In other news, I am planning a trip to California in February. I'll be at CHA on Sunday and Monday (Feb 10 & 11) and I'll be trying to find everyone! It will be so exciting to meet all my friends in real life! :) And as if that weren't enough, I am also going to get to hold and love on a precious little baby. A dear friend of mine was just blessed with a bundle of pink joy and I get to snuggle with her while I'm in LA. :)

So, I'm busy, busy planning and getting ready...the trip will be short, but international traveling is NEVER simple! :) I have a few more goodies in the works. I hope everyone is doing well!

This layout was created using the fab Shabby Miss Jenn's Shabby Snow Kisses kit. Go check it out! :) Ciao, all!