just not enough time in the day!

man...i've been crankin' out stuff for my etsy site like crazy!! between that and my regular household & mommy "duties" i kind of feel like my head is spinning! however, i am loving it right now. love creating all these things. it's my passion. the selling part is kind of slow going, but i'm just hoping that will come. it's really just a huge leap of faith! :) so, if you feel so inclined, check out my site at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5187626 and then, if you feel even MORE inclined....purchase to your hearts content :) :)
i'm all about handbags right now. this is my first one up on my site. she is called mary jane. isn't she adorable??? the fabric is vintage and i just love the combo of the polka dot with it. i want to keep it, but want to get my business going even more, so i am parting with her on my site.
i have even stitched my tag inside.....seeee......

it's yummy, no? :)

Pink Tumbleweed

that is the name of my newly "launched" business! i have set up an Etsy shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5187626
this is a place i will sell my jewelry, cards, and possibly a few sewn goodies. right now there is just some of my jewelry. i have been toying with the idea of doing this for a reeeeaaaallly long time...so i'm due!



these fun pieces aren't in my shop - yet. they probably will be, but specific letters may be in limited supply. these are actual scrabble letters from old scrabble games i have gotten at thrift stores. one of them is from 1956! isn't that neat-o?! i had hubby drill the holes for me, which will probably be a task he will not want to continue, especially if i make a high quantity of these.


the bracelet may or may not make it's way into my shop. i can't see doing peoples names because most people have names that are longer than 3 letters. it could get complicated. however, i may just do initials, or something. not sure yet. i love these. they are so going to be adorning my arm and neck for quite some time!!!!

Apron love!

as promised, here are some pics of my first feeble attempts at apron-making. there are a few things i would do differently next time (like not make the 2nd one so long). but, without a pattern, it's not bad. and i WILL use them. especially the first one. i made it with the purpose of being a craft/scrapping apron. many little pockets (which my hands are sort of demonstrating) to put my tools in. i love the fabric of the pockets, and you can't see it, but the inside is lined with pink gingham!! pink gingham....can you even stand the cuteness of that??!!

i also decided to mark off my boys room....define their territory. i think it turned out pretty cool looking, and they love it, so all is right with the world.

and finally, my new family home evening board which i made in our wards super saturday. i adore it, as do my kids, and it has in fact generated some new-found excitement for family home evening! cool!!

garage photo shoot

i did my first garage photo shoot yesterday....LOVE the results!! in the many books on photography that i have read, they recommend using your garage to take great pictures...due to the indirect lighting. so i set up a sheet (over our dog kennel!) and clicked away. i got some of my favorite shots to date!!! have a looksie...

and then there is this little gem:

in my thrifting adventures i came across a book: The New Book of Everyday Etiquette. Published in 1946. love it! what a great study on how our culture has changed so very drastically. for the better or worse, you decide. one thing i'm sure of, life was SO much simpler then. way so much simpler!

i have an obessesion with vintage aprons, or just impossibly adorable ones. and i wear them whenever i cook, yes i do! lately i've been reading blogs dedicated to these fabric gems. so today i decided i could definitely manage to make one myself. and i did. i'll post the results tomorrow. (haven't photographed it yet) when i showed my husband he laughed and said i was funny. why? what's so funny, i asked. he said i always get these creative impulses and act on them immediately. it's true. kind of compulsive thing, really. but it yields some great things, so i'm okay with it!!! :)

faith

i don't talk a lot about religion or my faith on this blog. not sure why, really. it is such a HUGE part of my life. if i haven't said it before, i am a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints (mormon). i don't always BE everything i should...but i do have a strong testimony of the gospel that i embrace. it fills me to the very core, and is totally unwavering. i believe in jesus christ and that he is my savior.
lately i have felt a huge spiritual influence in my life. in many different forms. like an angel that reminds me of my faith. {wow, as i sit to write all this i now know why i haven't before...it's really hard. really personal.} nevertheless something i feel compelled to write about. i feel it's such an important part of me and therefore should be included on my blog. also it (faith) is a subject that can never be talked/written/blogged about too much. it just always bears repeating because surely there is someone (if not yourself) that needs to hear it. and so i am thankful for my faith. thankful for the gospel of jesus christ. i am thankful for prayer and a God that listens to my prayers. just thankful!!

this is a scene from my kitchen window sill. i have angels scattered all about my house. i think to remind me to look up every now and then! :)

a few layouts that speak volumes!

i've been scrapping some pics of my world. not just the people in my world, but the THINGS in my world too. i love to look back on certain periods in my life and see how i lived. sort of an archaolgical documentation of me!

contents...

one of the other blogs i read suggested dumping out your purse and photographing it. i loved this idea because it really gives such an accurate snapshot of your life at THAT particular moment. as a woman, and a MOM we live out of our purse, most of the time. so this is mine, well, actually this photo is a couple months old, but the contents haven't changed much.

purse contents:

snacks for hungry kiddos

a craft project noah made in primary (sunday school)

make-up bag (mostly full of lipgloss)

more random lipgloss (stray from the make-up bag)

ipod nano and headphones

pen

medication

diaper and wipes

kleenex

wallet

that's about all i need to survive away from home. essentials. as i said the contents really don't vary all that much. i'm hoping one of these days SOON i will be without the diapers. but potty training is a whole other post in and of itself!!! ugh!

take a look in your purse and notice how much it says about you, your life, your stage of life, etc. it is really pretty cool! :)