we have a winner!

EEK! 
i'm late with a winner!!!  so so sorry folks but time flies!  I am finishing the holiday issue of TTCRD and that is always a big job.  it is really really good!  i am QUITE proud!  in addition hubby was back in town fri-sun so i spent time with him - during which he tried to kill me with waxing our camper.  O. M. GOD.  i hurt in every place i HAVE last night and then my right arm got really bad - scary bad.  i was expecting sore muscles but what i got instead was severe pain in my bones and joints.  i finally took enough ibuprofen to get to sleep at almost midnight last night and i have kept taking it today.  i can feel this sort of vague halo of pain but not the intense pain i had last night.  i swear i was ready to cut it off.  BUT on a good note hubby went out and got me pie while i was in the shower and then gave me a bundle of cash to not only go get a haircut (which i desperately need) but also color it.  i have never had my hair colored professionally before so that should be interesting.  i think i might go do it today while pezza is in school since i am basically useless for doing anything productive :P

so the reason you are really here - who won all those fun clay embellishments?  Sharon!  with her guess of 9 projects.

i just got a new book i have been coveting after seeing it at the library called mixed media mosaics - all about clay.  hopefully i will have time to play with it soon and you will see more fun and easy clay stuff here!

hi all!

ahhhhhh...nothing like decorating for the holidays to make me realize what a mess my house is...i can't put anything out until i clean up all the clutter so i have some where to put it!  the yard sale last weekend wasn't helping since ALL of my unwanted crap i still have left was sitting in my foyer! but i buckled down and got things back in order and commenced with the fall-ization!

Today is a teaser post again! I am very excited about one of my articles in the Holiday Bonus issue of Through the Craft Room Door so i thought i would tease you with some pics of the pile of products i used:

 

why YES those ARE super glittered xmas picks in totally outrageous non-traditional xmas colors ala Pezza.  what do you think?

swimming for katie...

hi all!

i am proud to be swimming for katie today over on Craft Critique - be sure to head over and check it out if you haven't already read about it...

studio Blog Truffle!

hi all!

as promised it's Blog Truffle time!  here is what i have up for grabs - poly clay embellies:

 

these are handmade by me and they have a fabulous dusting of mica powder for some amazing shimmer!

as you all know i recently re-did my craft room.  all cleaned up and beautifully organized.  so how is it going?  i thought i would show you some pics

i have FOUR main work tables/areas:

so my question for you - how many projects do i have going on RIGHT NOW from these pictures?  to be honest i am not even sure myself - i am going to have to go count them!

i can tell you though - the craft space is working out really well - YES i am cleaning up and putting things away as i go (so far).  so what you see out now is all being used :P  i do this because i often have things that need to dry so i work on other things while they dry OR i have various deadlines so i will be working on one thing and then have to take a break to work on something else that is due sooner PLUS stuff just for fun with no deadline at all.  Most of what you see in these pictures is projects that will be appearing in our Holiday Bonus issue of Through the Craft Room Door so i hope you all have a subscription so you can see the finished pieces!  I also have 4 pieces upstairs i have been working on in front of the tv.  it's an illness........

so what do you think peeps?  how many projects in the works can you spot? I will announce a winner on Friday!

swimming for katie...

a more serious note...

JOIN OVER 125 TOP DESIGNERS hopping to support our friend and stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling gastric cancer. Exclusive stamp digis will be available for sale with 100% of the profits going to Katie and her family. Direct donations are also being accepted. Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here.

i met katie at the first CHA i went to several years ago and had "known" her online via the Cricut message board.  my heart aches for her and her family and i think of her often, especially when i am feeling frustrated with my normal everyday life - a dose of perspective KWIM?

You can find all of the info on the hop and the stamp for sale HERE as well as a donation button.  we love you katie...

hi all!
well i made it here to post just like i said i would.i was a little worried i wouldn't have anything to show you today BUT i do!

(Pezza is sitting next to me making a picture on her computer and i just heard her say - wow - i am too cool for myself :P)

we had a PERFECT weekend here in northern VA weather-wise - sunny, not cold but not hot, the leaves are really getting pretty.  our town held a town-wide tag sale this weekend so i thought i would throw some stuff out on the driveway and see what happens - mostly all of pezza's old toys and all of my leftover studio G inventory.  i was very disappointed - not a lot of traffic and not a lot of sales - especially with the toys which i thought would go quickly and easily.  i did make a little money which i promptly spent on stuff for pezza at the dollhouse show we went to yesterday.  you can read all about that fun little adventure on my dollhouse blog, Dotted Daisy, and see pics of pezza's project from the kids workshop.

i do have a project for you but it is sorta cheating...we are heading to a birthday party this afternoon and i needed a gift bag.  it occurred to me that instead of making a new one i could just use one of my many THOUSANDS of already made cards and put it on the front of a gift bag - TA DA!

the card is one from my Cricut Imagine Friday tutorials i did awhile back:

 

This time instead of putting a big ribbon bow on the handle like i usually do i made a kanzashi flower with the clover template, put a button in the middle and hot glued it to a barrette blank.  much more useful dontcha think?

cute, quick and easy!  what do y'all think???

i have some fun pics of my newly designed studio for y'all tomorrow and it occurred to me that it would make a perfect contest post.  so pezza and i decided we would make a bunch of clay embellies to give away for a little Blog Truffle!  but you'll have to tune in tomorrow to see what to do to win.  and it will be just for those of you faithful readers as opposed to me running ads for blog candy all over the place :P  here is the video pezza made that shows you how to make them yourself:

tune in tomorrow and play the game with us!

i'm back!

i will begin posting from this blog again on monday Oct 10th! i hope you will all join in!  i have no idea if this will once again go out to all of my old subscribers or not but if you're here give me a shout out so i know!