Outside the Lines

The one about The Dark Divine

2010-02-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have Dark Divine toenails. :)

Last Friday I happened to see a flyer about a book signing at our small neighborhood bookstore. I don't get star-struck, but I thought it would be fun to have Bree Despain sign my copy of The Dark Divine. I had no idea she lived in Salt Lake. She signed with a cool purple pen and had free nail polish to match the gorgeous magenta-purple color on her book jacket.

I haven't read The Dark Divine, but it's on my to-be-read list.

The one about Amelia's art journals

2010-01-25T16:27:00.008-07:00

In my art group meeting last Thursday, we worked in our art journals, and did Amanda's version of Mary Ann Moss's sewn paper scraps art journals. Above is my spread that I did in a sketchbook. I focused on my daughter's drawings. I pasted in a drawing of her favorite character, Me-me, who is drowning in a chocolate river. Apparently she had done this sketch after seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. lol
Not to discount the artistic abilities of my other kids, but I tend to harp on Amelia's talent because she is so free and expressive and creative! Things I struggle with.
Below is a pile of some of Amelia's little books she is constantly making by stapling together (I always find my stapler in her room) and filling with drawings.

If you are having trouble reading Amelia's words in her art, it is because she is an amazing phonetic speller and is constantly getting frustrated by the real spellings of the English language. lol

I had Amelia add little drawings here and there to this spread. :) it was fun!

The One About The Studio Cleaning

2010-01-20T10:44:00.004-07:00

This is the mess I have been working on lately.

Last year I was contacted by Somerset Studios about having my studio photographed for their art studio/room/space publication. Ha ha ha. I don't think so. Besides, I have a hole cut in my ceiling from fixing the roof where the melting snow came in and ruined it. Ugh.

I have lots of cool collage fodder and not enough room for keeping it, nor good way of organizing it all. Very frustrating, huh?

The one about the pile 'o books

2010-01-12T15:53:00.003-07:00

For some reason I really got back into reading after I read Twilight a few years back. I got to the end of that book and just keep going. I now have a trail of books that I have read. I can't get enough reading.
Thank-goodness for the many Amazon GCs I received for my birthday and Christmas this past month! So hard not to blow it all at once, ya know?

Also, my friend Amanda turned me on to paperbackswap a couple of years ago and I have traded so many books thru that site.

Like my friend Amy Grendell, I am hooked on YA novels. We both seem to read the same stuff. At the same time I have been obsessed with Chernobyl. I remember when that happened when I was in 11th grade and it scared me. I recently saw the Destination Truth team go in into Pripyat a few months ago and I have been hooked on it ever since. It is terrifying and interesting at the same time. I had three books going on Chernobyl and have finished all but one.

If you are on Goodreads, come be my friend and we can recommend books to one another. :)

The one about vintage lace

2010-01-04T17:00:00.005-07:00

It's been a long time!

I thought I'd share what I do in my "spare" time. Not that anyone really has any spare time---lol---but when I'm watching TV with DH and I need something to do with my hands....

I crochet little edgings with size 60 or 80 crochet thread. I have nothing really in mind for these, but I do them all the same length, about 24 inches long. Since you can't find patterns like this nowadays, I buy vintage crochet pattern books published the 1930's, 40's and 50's. I am NOT a doily person. You won't find any doilies in my house, but I do love the look of these delicate laces.

The one about Lyrical Interpretation

2009-06-24T11:49:00.006-06:00

So I made the switch to Facebook last month after about 8 months of avoiding it. I figured I didn't need another internet site to keep up on. I had Twitter (sort of) and my blog, which I wasn't doing very well with anyway. I used to really post here a lot. I miss that. Facebook has not replaced my blog, but has become more of a second blog, like a Blog-Lite, if you will. I love seeing friends and family there and keeping tabs on them so easily with little one-liner posts throughout the day. :)

I am still looking to track down more of my friends on Facebook! Come see me there:

Marilyn Healey

In the meantime, I am down to one art project. A book collaborative called Lyrical Interpretation headed up by my friend Lee Weber! Its so fun--every book has a theme which is dictated by a song of the artist's choosing. I'm still into the semi-dark genre and all around general spookiness so I chose the song Full Moon by the Black Ghosts (yeah, I know---its from the Twilight movie).

Here's my book:

enjoy!

The one about the last of the Halloween projects

2009-05-02T22:43:00.004-06:00

These were completed in January, for an ATC swap last fall. Yeah, I know I'm lame and always late. The theme was Mystery and Misery. I used copies of my favorite three stern and scary women.

The one about Julie's book

2009-03-30T17:32:00.003-06:00

Finally getting around to uploading this....

The last book I worked on in Julie's Haunted and Mysterious book collaborative was completed way back in December. This is actually Julie's book, too.

The one about the Hello

2009-01-19T00:40:00.008-07:00

Hello!!!
How time flies.
Aren't you supposed to be having fun while time is flying? Like a kid at an amusement park or while reading a good book...but I seem to be losing the race with the rats more and more each week.
lol

The LOVE book is out and I still can't believe our little valentine project was turned into an entire publication!!!
I find it interesting what Somerset chose to print, and what they didn't print. Below are a few that I loved, that didn't make the cut.

....oh, and if you'd emailed me recently, especially with questions about the book, and I haven't answered, please be patient--I'll get back to you. Or even better, just email me again!! :)

The one about the movie

2008-12-02T12:46:00.003-07:00

It was so bad but really cool at the same time. I'd can't wait to see it again. I was happy to read the studio announced they are moving forward with New Moon. I hope they have a bigger budget!

The one about the shoes

2008-11-24T23:41:00.012-07:00

I have a new obsession, unfortunately......buying shoes on eBay!

With my stupid left ankle hurting, I can't handle shoes with heels higher than about 2 1/2 inches. Last winter and again this fall I have been on the hunt for heels for church. Black pumps with a wider heel and/or a shorter heel height. Its either I hate the style, the toe is too round, too pointed, or they are too high, or too expensive.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. So I went a little crazy last week--thank goodness for my etsy store, I had some extra money for myself. :) But they were all so cheap! I also found some casual shoes, I am picky and can't find what I need around here. ....and my gym shoes just bit it this week so I fixed that problem, too, with some new white Reebok's. So many shoes...so little time! Its going to be hard this spring when I start looking for sandals. :)

I love these shoes!

Okay, so I can't wear these sandals yet, but they were only 99 cents!

The one about the Dark Knight sticker

2008-11-19T21:46:00.006-07:00

Soooo.....I've been missing lately. Tomorrow I'll have a cool give-a-way for a book written by a friend, so stop by then, too!

My attempt at hiding my dreaded minivan underneath a white vinyl hibiscus sticker in February 2007 only lasted until the van had emissions and safety performed a few months later. Had to remove the darn thing because I had put it over the brake light. doh! I have been stickerless, unfabulous, and uncool since then.... until now. I even got the Teenage Boy to admit it was cool and I thought I saw a smile. I asked DH if he wanted one for the car and he said, "Absolutely not." lol

Been reading this book all month and enjoying it very much! I must say it's one of the best books Ive read and will be sad when it is finished. It is 928 pages long, about history and faraway places and the search through medieval documents for the original vampire, Vlad Tepes, who may still be alive. :)

The one about more Halloween

2008-11-03T15:57:00.011-07:00

Still working on the Haunted and Mysterious book swap. This is my page in the uber-talented Cassondra Walter's tall antique photo album book! I did both front and back of this page.
Drippy beeswax. I love what it does to paper when melted with a heat gun.

"Ghostie" photo sent to me by Kim Kwan. :)

Edgar

This man is wearing Edgar's clothes.

Another ghostie photo.

Semi-tarnished German glass glitter star.

The one about Amelia's pumpkin

2008-10-31T10:55:00.002-06:00

Happy Halloween!!!

The one about goblins and haunted woods

2008-10-14T22:24:00.004-06:00

New artwork.

Two spreads for Candice's book. The first was based on a page I found in an old 1920's primer....a poem about Nine Goblins. I thought that sounded like fun....making nine little goblins. The orange spatter came about from my getting a speck of orange paint on one of the little white dresses, and decided to just go on and spatter the whole thing. The other spread is a spooky wood with a Halloween-orange sky. I got the idea from a billboard I saw around here for a corn maze. The glitter crescent moon I did because I was inspired by a glittery moon I saw on Teresa's blog. :)

you can view close-ups here on my Flickr

Oh!! the bats on the bottom piece are actually ribbon---really cute puffy bat ribbon that I cut apart.

The one about the Ghost Stories book

2008-09-24T21:29:00.008-06:00

I am not into anything especially dark or evil, but I love the whole aspect of spooky ghost stories centered around historical places in the world.
The Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana, St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida...the whole of Great Britain....for example.
Most of my spare time this past week has been spent working on this altered book of mine. It is part of Julie Collings' Haunted and Mysterious books round robin. There are five of us working on this project. Julie started us off by having a little swap where we sent a goodie bag to all the other players. I had never done that before.... what a fun way to start a project!
This altered book has a niche carved out of the entire end of the book, which I FORGOT to take pictures of before I packaged it all up. doh!

My entire book is posted in my Flickr stream HERE.
:)

The one about the Halloween project

2008-09-08T21:04:00.010-06:00

I had the honor of making a project, along with a tutorial on how to create my project, for Artsymama's Sweet and Sinister blog. My project will go live next week.

The one about the fatbook

2008-09-03T21:59:00.020-06:00

We did a Birds and Trees fatbook in Club Creative and I was hostess. I had to make covers (front cover above)for all six books and I didn't realize that would be the case when I agreed to do it. lol Soooo.... I am pretty tired of looking at these covers by now. Nevertheless, they are finally completed!
Since it was up to me to make the rules of this book, I did what I have always wanted to do with a fatbook, which is have all the pages be originals!!
Click on any photo to get a better look!

me
me

Sandra

Vesna

Ramona

Paula

Lee

Vesna

Sandra

Ramona me

Lee

Paula

the one about finally getting to see this movie

2008-09-02T17:04:00.002-06:00

Perfectly awesome.

The one about backpacking

2008-08-13T12:22:00.005-06:00

I couldn't get The Teenage Boy to pose in my picture, darn him! But the three boys went backpacking in Wyoming this week. Left me and the girls home. Savannah went to her grandparent's house so it's just Amelia and myself for a few days.

I am still dragging out the reading of Breaking Dawn---its been nine days now! I have about 200 pages left to go. See, you have to be able to read that book all alone. You wouldn't want anyone to see you stop and stare into space and sigh from time to time over Edward, now would you?

:P
Oh! I forgot to mention that my very talented artist buddy Kristy made a really good hand-carved stamp of Edward and Bella from the Twilight movie. She was so kind to sent a stamped image to me. It's serving as my bookmark for now. lol

the one about being sick

2008-08-07T15:51:00.005-06:00

Edward is back. :)

I am torn between reading it slowly to make it last, or rushing through it to find out what happens!

I got sick the day we got home from vacation last week. I am tired and run-down and hoarse. And I really need to restock my Etsy store! We drove through Preston, Idaho on the way to Bear Lake to see some of the sights from Napoleon Dynamite. Below is Napoleon's house, sans Tina the Llama.

the one about Bear Lake

2008-07-26T21:49:00.007-06:00

We'll be gone on a trip the next few days (I say "trip" and not "vacation" because we are taking the kids... and staying in a condo, and condo means I still have to cook).
Bear Lake is really neat, though. The northern end...the Idaho end, the water is literally Caribbean blue and the sand is almost white. The water is shallow and very gradually goes to deep. Very gradually.
I am going to do as much reading as possible!
My sister lent me these:
Breaking Dawn comes out on Saturday and I am still debating over keeping my order from B&N, which will deliver it to my door a few days after it is released, or driving far to buy it the day it comes out. I am afraid of spoilers! I'm gonna be ticked if I hear something before I read it.

The one about the new series

2008-07-15T22:50:00.004-06:00

Artist trading cards in a series done for Club Creative.

Gothic arches!

( I think gothic arches are "way cool" )

can you see the little face at the bottom of the atc?

The one about my desk

2008-07-11T22:25:00.004-06:00

This has been my project all week. To uncover my desk so I can USE it!

Mixed media had turned me into a pack rat.

There is no easy and fast way to organize mixed media art fodder.

I wonder if it would be any worse to just put it all into a huge Rubbermaid container and paw through it when I need something?

I haven't been able to use my desk for months. My projects have moved down to the kitchen and dining room. Enough of the insanity.

The one about cleaning up

2008-07-08T14:04:00.014-06:00

I've been cleaning again.
No matter how many messes I put away, or stuff that I organize and clean up, there is always that much more waiting (and being created).

But last week I cleaned out and organized my freezer. i LOVE opening the door and seeing the inside now. I think I'll go look again right now cuz its so much fun. heeeeee

I have some kids to unload.
Seriously, I usually have no need for my artwork once I have finished creating it.

These five little kids are on sale here for 12 bucks a piece! Each piece measures 5" x 7.5" and is backed with 1930's sheet music, labeled with child's name, and signed by me.

You can see them in more detail in my Flickr HERE. Email me if you are interested and I will send ya a paypal invoice. Shipping is $2.50 for first class within the USA and Canada, $3.70 for everywhere else.

NOTE: Lizzie and Laura have been sold :)

The one about June 20th

2008-06-21T22:33:00.005-06:00

I was half dead yesterday from listing so many things late Thursday night, but it was fun and I am ready to do more! I put up a bunch of new things in my shop last Friday and have more to list on Tuesday!! So many fun things, so little time.... I still have more ideas rattling around in my head :)

If you see something you like that has already sold...just email me and I'll see what I can do! I love special requests. :)

The one about tomatoes

2008-06-18T12:52:00.014-06:00

One of my samplers that I slowly work on---usually when I watch tv with the family.

You know you're lucky when you receive a package from Angela Harris, like I did today. These are the button themed cards she sent to me, part of a swap on Club Creative. I really like how she incorporated all the button colors into the work. :) Its amazing how much detail she put into these cards---see them better HERE on her blog.

This summer has been deemed (by me!) The Summer Of Reading at our house. Been trying to get the kids into books more (i.e. the boys). Girls---no problem, but the boys are harder.

Momma Bird is back and her spruced-up nest from last year, under the deck. She spends her time sitting on the four tiny eggs she has in there. I wonder if she's the same momma from last year or if it's one of her kids? Kinda like the end of Charlotte's Web.

...AND we found more kittens yesterday! So sweet, they are.

Coke Zero has ruined me for Diet Pepsi. :(

I am dying to make more Pico de Gallo, but can't since there are no Romas to be bought until this tomato thing is over.

...and ...I have a lot of new items to be listing in my shop this friday! Been working hard at many new things! (and old favorites, too)

The one about...

2008-06-09T14:34:00.002-06:00

I really need to do something about this, huh?
:)

The one about Cute

2008-05-27T15:51:00.002-06:00

I do volunteer hours at my kids' school and so I go up and down the hall several times a week. This CUTE board appeared a few weeks ago and I finally took pics! I love kid art! This one, I think, is a second grade board. Check out those sweet little free-hand-drawn and painted flowers at the bottom!!

The one about the Indian Paintbrush

2008-05-20T23:58:00.004-06:00

I am putting off going to bed because I never fall asleep right away (like 40 minutes or more..) and I lay there thinking about EVERYTHING, then feeling like I am wasting time, and my ankle forever aches. Then the RLS begins....

whine

but....I have here a photo of one of the many bouquets of Indian Paintbrush brought to me by Savannah and Amelia in the last few weeks. The Indian Paintbrush was late this year....being so cold, i guess.

The one about the free kittens

2008-05-19T22:35:00.003-06:00

I was taken behind the woodshed last week by my crazy friend Emily, who tells me I need to pay more attention to the blog. hee hee
I have many photos and stories that never make it here. sigh.
Last week Austin found another passel of kittens up in the rocks on the hill in front of our house. This time we know they weren't left on purpose by * cough cough* lame construction workers trying to get rid of unwanted kittens while at work for the day nearby. *cough cough* grrrr!!! or should I say *hissssss*
These kittens had been born to a stray momma cat, who took up residence in Austin's friends garage to have her babies, then hid them about two weeks ago. Only four of the five remained for this sweet picture as Austin found a home to the other calico earlier in the afternoon.
They are about a month old here and oh so sweet!!!! We fed them and took care of them for a whole day until animal control could pick them up and take them to be adopted.

The one about wax

2008-05-17T16:21:00.008-06:00

Art Night was last Thursday and we played with wax. We are all newbies when it comes to encaustic, but we played around and had fun adding layers of wax to our boards, dipping strings and ribbons, papers...fabric. I stuck to the beeswax more since I love the way it smells---and I added some melted crayon, too. I started with layers of squares of my most beautiful old paper that I had, and poured the wax on over it, using an iron to smooth it around before adding more layers and chunky-ness with wax.

When doing wax in an altered book, I will definitely go for the non-toxic encaustic wax sticks we had on hand to play with as well---- its pliable and won't crack off! I was channeling Lynne Perrella with my two pieces that night, as I totally ripped off her style on the square one. :P She's my very favorite mixed media artist.

The one about the pink and aqua garlands

2008-05-15T13:47:00.004-06:00

I love making these---I just love how they look. I wish I were faster at production, though. I just finished two more---a pink and an aqua one this time. They can be purchased here in my shop.

The one about the SALE

2008-05-12T21:52:00.004-06:00

I have two pieces of original art on sale in my shop. These listings are about to expire and I won't be renewing them. I love these little faces!!! :)

The one about the glitter

2008-05-07T22:53:00.004-06:00

Up for sale are more of my bottles of German glass glitter. By popular demand, I am doing a few with aqua glitter!

Oh, and we didn't get tickets to see Stephenie Meyer :( :( :(
Dang camper-outers! Borders was swamped with fans even before they opened, the line was looooong, and the 500 tickets sold out in just over an hour. ....really really bummed!!! (but I am not willing to camp out)

The one about Houses

2008-05-05T18:30:00.003-06:00

...more ATCs for Club Creative!!! This time the theme is houses. I haven't made anything mixed media for so long so this was fun! I have this huge stack of snapshots I found on ebay and a bunch of them have people sitting on the front porch of their house. I hope you can tell that's what it is from the photos I used.

I am hoping to get tickets tomorrow for Stephenie Meyer's book signing on the 16th at Thanksgiving Point. She's gonna sign my copy of Twilight. :)

The one about the Numbers

2008-05-03T15:22:00.003-06:00

The monthly ATC theme for Club Creative in March was numbers. Besides the photos and the old number cards, I used what was sitting around me in my mess. :)

The one about the Red Scrapbook Pages

2008-04-25T23:47:00.012-06:00

Two of us in the neighborhood were asked to make pages for the family of the woman in my neighborhood that died earlier this month. She left three little kids all under the ages of nine. I got to make half of the twenty pages--all ready for journaling by anyone who has a memory to share. The album will be given to the family on Mother's Day. I think this project was a wonderful way for some of us to get a bit of closure--although we all wished there was more we could do to ease the pain of the family---missing Jenni as a mom and a wife.

The album is 8x8 and has a red cover.

I wanted bright, happy pages.

All ten pages can be seen on my Flickr stream.

The one about the new stuff

2008-04-11T19:00:00.007-06:00

I have new stuff in my Etsy shop! ...I haven't listed it all yet, either---so there's more on the way as I get a chance to photograph it and list it. I'll have lots more glitter bottles next week, too!

Victorian scraps from Germany
Beautiful Scraps Collections in pretty reds, pale blue, pale pink, whites, and vivid blues
another Bellefleur Garland
more pink painted papers
gorgeous handmade millinery flowers

The one about Pencil Lines

2008-04-06T13:07:00.004-06:00

(click to enlarge)

Go see me at Pencil Lines for this week's sketch. How exciting is that? I was very honored to be a part of Pencil Lines this week.

Thanks guys!

Check out the DT--such talent!

The one about the little glass bottles

2008-04-03T16:39:00.005-06:00

I am restocking my shop with more cute little bottles of glitter! I have eleven to sell this time around.....in both silver (my favorite) and pink German glass glitter. No two bottles are alike :)

The one about Moms

2008-04-01T23:23:00.006-06:00

I found out today that a neighbor had died early this morning. It was a such a sad thing since she was so young. I feel just awful for her husband and her sweet little kids I just cried so many times today. This must be the worst day of their lives. She died suddenly from complications associated with her pregnancy and even worse, the baby didn't survive. I've had a heavy heart all day.
So I found it rather weird to be posting the book I made about being a mom. I had photographed it a few weeks ago when I got it back from Sharon Soneff. She had contacted me late fall of 2006 about contributing to her newest book, Art Journals and Creative Healing: Restoring the Spirit Through Self-Expression. Such a beautiful book full of art journals and such. My project was about my struggles as a mom. Its pretty embarrassing to even say it out loud--I am afraid one would think I didn't like my kids. That's not the case--but man, do I ever struggle. And I feel guilty about it. Hey, ya know what? I never believed writing stuff down would help--but it did! I am sure I came across as whiny.
I uploaded all the pics to my flickr stream.
(this is really cool---so many of the elements on the book's cover are from my little project. It must be my time for covers. i should enjoy it while it lasts, huh?)

Garland for sale

2008-03-26T14:27:00.005-06:00

I have seven more garlands in the works, and I have one completed! I can't get in touch with the first person who expressed interest, though. LindaSonia---email me thru the link to the right. Your garland is ready, if you are still interested :)

The one about Somerset Life

2008-03-24T15:33:00.002-06:00

I just now got my comp issue, and oh my gosh....I'm ON THE COVER!!!!!!

the one about eggs

2008-03-23T17:08:00.008-06:00

Happy Easter!
Savannah is up on the calendar this weekend :) I wish it were a more religious photo today, but that's all I've got. We always make sure our kids know the true meaning of Easter (and Christmas). That it's not all about the candy. This year we colored the eggs after church instead of the day before, since we don't let the EB hide the real eggs the night before anyway. I liked the change.
Last night after baths, Amelia and Savannah got their nails done in light pink, and Amelia slept with a head full of rollers.

I got this from a friend about ten years ago and we do it every year. Its such a cool idea.
I just remembered I had all the materials scanned, or I would have posted it sooner. Each photo can be enlarged for better viewing. Each of the 11 items in the scan are put into 11 different plastic Easter eggs, each with its corresponding number written in marker on the outside. The twelfth egg is left empty, to represent the empty tomb. Follow the instructions of the pages above.

The one about the Beautiful Scraps

2008-03-15T21:29:00.006-06:00

Fresh macaroons, pink berries, blue bird songs, brides, and cupcake sprinkles....These newest additions to my shop have been in the works for a month now.

I get creative goosebumps looking at all the goodies I have amassed and assembled together. They are like works of art---small, wrapped works of art on a tag!

I have just a few of each set, so get them while you can. :)

Oh....I got tired of trying to find real vintage millinery flowers...the beautifully imperfect ones that are faded, maybe a little ragged, and slightly smashed......so I made some of my own! They are included on most of my Beautiful Scraps sets.

The one about the banner

2008-03-12T17:27:00.003-06:00

Teresa gave me permission to show my project from her Bellatoria e-zine and I put it up for sale! See it here

This is the original, although I will be making more (well, if that one sells LOL)

Again, I had a blast making the garland for her Ballatoria and I was really flippin over her projects--its an awesome zine to check out!

the one about this and that

2008-03-10T22:48:00.012-06:00

Been neglecting the ole blog much too much lately!
here's whats been going on:

Amelia turned five and we took her to Build-a-Bear. She picked out an orange cat just like Savannah's.
She also got a bike, which she LOVES.

I am a guest artist for Teresa on her Bellatoria e-zine! My project was up today. Can't really show my project here, (wish i could!) you'll have to sub to her e-zine to see all that's been going on. I have had a peek and you won't be disappointed! Teresa is full of amazing projects and ideas. whew!
Always working on the Etsy shop. I know it doesn't always look like it---wish there were more hours in a day! I have been shopping and making and thinking and hope to get more new things listed soon!

I have a whole bunch of these pics of little Amelia. When I am taking pictures for my shop, she is playing next to me. She loves it when I take photos of her toys. "Here, Mommy, take a picture of THIS."
I got a present in the mail from Kim a few weeks ago! (has it been that long??) fun stuff just out of the blue! She's the best :) I've already used about half of the ledger papers!

That's all for now! :)

The one about Winter's End

2008-03-05T14:33:00.011-07:00

Around here it thinks it wants to be warm, but then goes back to the tired cold snow flurries that don't stick and blustery wind. But you can tell spring is on its way!

I have just one more Winter Whites Collection of artistic goodies for sale. This will be the last one as winter is winding down.

And...watch my shop for more of these!! I listed two but they went within a day. I will be making and listing A LOT more!

the one about the swing

2008-03-03T11:46:00.003-07:00

(click to enlarge)

Amelia's up on the calendar today. This is one of my favorite photos and scrapbook layouts. :)

The one about the chocolate-covered cinnamon bears

2008-02-22T18:42:00.004-07:00

These innocent-looking things aren't innocent at all. I don't usually go for cinnamon candy, but smother them in chocolate and I am in trouble. And they are so soft, too! You'd think the chocolate coating would make it so they can't say anything, but they still call to me.
The Contours Express near me closed for good the beginning of February. WAHHHHHH!
There is a new Anytime Fitness right near Contours and I started going there. Not really crazy about working out with men around. Don't like that. I guess its better to be seen exercising than eating MacDonald's in my car (not that I do that). The first day there I thought the trainer was going to kill me! It was a harder workout than I was used to. Very sore afterward, but a good sore.

The one about February 11th

2008-02-13T15:54:00.003-07:00

I am slow in getting around to this, but a page of mine was up on the Autumn Leaves calendar on Monday. I used the Stampin' Up stamps that I bought from Erica. :)

The one about Winter Whites

2008-02-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

My Winter Whites collection of goodies has just been listed. Finally. I needed to get it together and listed before winter ended. LOL I have been hoarding white/sepia/cream colored elements for a while and actually had more than I thought, so I'll be listing more of these. All of them will a little different, as I had so many things to add to them!

I just bought more yummy red and pink ribbon and have more of these listed! They are going faster than I expected. :) I also have other Valentine goodies for sale. I am actually quite sorry Valentine's Day is almost here, I have been having so much fun creating valentine things for my shop.

The one about the pretty valentine goodies

2008-02-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

I had a blast putting these kits together for my shop. I meant to have them up for sale weeks earlier, but was just too busy. All these little items are favorites of mine! Not all are old and vintage, but a lot of it is. I selected them because they look good together! They will make beautiful Valentine cards, tags, artwork, whatever! I just listed one kit and will have three more in the next day or two.
My friend Julie, has kits for sale as well. And I believe all her items are vintage. She really knows all the cool places to find old pretty things. She is the one who let me in on where to buy old paper lace!

The one about Artful Blogging

2008-02-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I haven't been keeping up on blogging (again).

I said at the beginning of the new year that I wanted to put more pictures of myself here instead of hiding, like I usually do. Well, here I am ---this is hard for me (I look so OLD!!). I must say I wasn't ever expecting an email from the staff of Artful Blogging last fall about being in their publication. The first issue was so full of superstars!! Anyway, it was pretty cool. LOL

see it here (scroll down for my article)

My friend Julie is in there with me!

The one about making faces

2008-01-22T22:27:00.001-07:00

That's so "Amelia".

I took this picture because the girls looked cute sitting with their Daddy, watching tv....

But Amelia notices me....

Everyone knows the further you pull down on that lip, the more attention you get. :P

The one about the calendar page

2008-01-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Valentine art for sale.

We had our monthly art meeting last night and I am still high from getting together and having fun (or maybe it was the lethal combination of Coke Zero and a huge piece of the most amazing decadent chocolate cake I have ever eaten!)

I got my original February artwork back last night from our calendar collaboration, and I now have my copy of our 2008 calendar full of art made by my friends in my art group! The finished product exceeded our expectations!

I would love to give my February artwork a home and know that it is being enjoyed somewhere. It would probably just end up stored away if I kept it, and what good is that? LOL

I have just listed it in my Etsy shop HERE.

Now that we are experts at this artful calendar-making thing, we are going to pull out all the stops and make one to sell for 2009!

The one about the Valentine artwork

2008-01-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

Valentine artwork on clearance HERE

These three original artwork listings are about to expire and I won't be relisting them. They have been marked down 50%.

woo hoo!!!

The one about Play-Doh

2008-01-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

Am I weird? I think it would be cool to have THIS.

Amelia gave me a couple of play-doh cookies and they are sitting here. I can smell them and I remembered that you could buy that smell!

the one about the clean kitchen

2008-01-03T00:34:00.000-07:00

My kitchen is SO CLEAN....
and I am not the one who had to clean it.
and they did all the deep cleaning jobs that I hate doing. :)

I am out 60 bucks but it was worth it. But that's what etsy shops are for. At least mine is. hee hee

The one about the new year

2008-01-01T01:16:00.001-07:00

Austin had been bugging me for weeks to get some Martinelli's for New Years Eve. He thought it was cool drinking the last little bit from the bottle. Then he asked if he could go outside and break the bottle. um...no.

I bought a new calendar today for the fridge and got out my Designing With 2008 calendar so I am all set. I drank too many Coke Zeros tonight (they are just so yummy!!!) and can't go to sleep so here I am.

Have been thinking about 2007 and some highlights of the year for me. (in no particular order)

Taught at Sparkle Bella with Teresa McFayden, Kim Kwan and Carolyn Peeler.
quit using Aquanet hairspray. LOL
Visited Hawaii for the first time.
Lost nearly 30 pounds.
Became a part of a wonderful circle of local mixed media artists. Love those ladies! They are a blessing.
Started an Etsy shop
Quit Curves and joined Contours Express. SO much better for many reasons! I have a hint of square shoulders for the first time EVER.
taught art twice in Savannah's first grade class.

I am not a new year's resolutions kind of person....you can start a new goal at ANY time, I figure.

In 2008 I want to:

Be even more involved in my kids' classrooms, since Amelia will be starting Kindergarten (yeah for that!!) and I won't need to haul her around with me to their classes, which is not fun (whole 'nother story) LOL.
Lose 35 more pounds. I'm gonna do it--I have to.
Start scrapbooking again. I have so many memories and photos piled up. It's disgraceful.
Get a handle on my cluttered house and disorganized life (i'm a train wreck!!), like I USED TO BE before we moved five years ago. sheesh!
and a few more personal things I don't wish to share here ;)

The one about Big B

2007-12-30T21:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Bobby! Hard to believe my little 9 lb toe-headed baby boy has been replaced by a 5'10" quiet 15-year-old teenager with man hands. He is happy today with his presents and a handful of cash. :)

The one about February

2007-12-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

Have you noticed there is Valentine stuff in the stores already? My goodness.

I am well into Valentines myself. My local art group is putting together a 2008 calendar, with each of us taking a month. I choose February. :)

I really had fun with this!!! I think the best part is the beginning with the messy slathering on of the gesso on a scrap piece of cardboard (Its from a Priority mail box from a Christmas purchase), and then at the end of the project when I get to add the final teeny-tiny details.

The one about the two sisters

2007-12-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying this series very much!! I tried these two little girls on a larger sized canvas. I have all sorts of ideas brewing for these innocent-looking faces I have been working with. The idea percolator keeps me awake at night!

The one about I Am Legend

2007-12-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

WOW.

Go see this.

Go see this in an IMAX theater.

The one about Christmas goodies

2007-12-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of our Twelve Days of Christmas gift swap. I took a picture of the whole pile and then I opened the present marked with a #1, which was from Tia. Gorgeous little birdie in a shoe covered with mica flakes!

I put together and sent off a collection of neat things for a white swap I was part of. It looked so cool, I wanted to keep it! I have been fascinated by all-shades-of-white artwork since seeing the white artwork in True Colors several years ago. I have yet to actually make something. When I receive my package in the mail, I will post pictures here.

Pretty glass bowl filled with JUNK to eat. I have to hide it in my bedroom so you-know-who (cough*Amelia*cough) won't get into it, and only bring it out after dinner for the kids to have some. When I got home from working out this afternoon, about a third of it was missing! Austin tells me it was Bobby. grrrrrr

The one about birds and eggs

2007-12-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

There are birds and eggs in my Etsy shop! I've been having too much fun again. :)

The one about short hair

2007-12-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

Savannah wanted her hair short!! Even though it meant she couldn't have curly long hair anymore. It was a spur of the moment thing when we went to get haircuts.

Rob fixed dinner the other night. This never happens.

This is what it looks like around here lately.

also...

I need a new pair of tweezers. LOL

Families are fattening. You want to make Christmas fun for your kids, but having yummy things to eat around the kitchen is defeating my will power.

My birthday earring sale is still going on---all month! :) I think my favorite part about making them is coming up with names for each pair. I just sold my favorite the other day.

Red is in concert here tonight. One of my favorite bands (i'm listening to them now). They were in the studio of some radio station this afternoon. The talked about their recent bad luck that turned out to be okay. Apparently they got into a huge accident the end of November and their van, trailer, merchandise and half their gear was destroyed. Amazingly, they all walked away from the crash because they were asleep and relaxed, as opposed to tensed up for impact. (someone was driving, of course, and he is okay, too) They were back on stage two days later. wow.

Linkin Park is coming in March--not that I would ever go to a concert again, but it still makes me happy. Not sure why...

I still have more Christmas shopping to do.

My visiting teachers brought me a present today! I'm not really a scented lotion girl, but I do like grapefruit scented things :) The lady who colors my hair uses a grapefruit scented shampoo. Mmmmmmm.

It's ten-thirty at night and I'm not even CLOSE to feeling sleepy. Why can't I be a morning person instead of a night owl?? I wonder if I could afford Ambien from off the street (that's a JOKE).

The one about my earrings

2007-12-04T22:26:00.001-07:00

I used to think making jewelry looked so very boring! Last month I bought a few things to make some earrings for quick gifts (or so I thought). Now I am hooked. I really don't remember when I changed my mind, though. I was in and out of Michael's that day with the materials to make the earrings. Next thing I know, I am shopping Etsy for more stuff! I think my friend Rena asked me if I was just dating, or something like that, when she saw I was playin' with beads. It made me laugh. I'll have to ask her what it was she said, exactly.

I make earrings late in the evenings while watching Ghost Hunters. Of course, all my jewelry has to have that vintage look. :) If my metal materials aren't antiqued or oxidized already, I do it myself. :)

So, to introduce my designs, and since it's my birthday this month, I am having kind of a sale at Etsy. I'll be 25 again this year, so all my earrings are 25 percent off thru the month of December. Place your order, put BIRTHDAY in the "Message from the buyer" section when checking out, but do not pay until I send you a revised paypal invoice reflecting the sale price.

Since I'm talking jewelry, I want this bracelet. hee hee

The one about more sweet faces

2007-12-03T23:42:00.000-07:00

More sweet faces are now available in my Etsy shop! :)

The one about the icicles

2007-12-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Further adventures of Slappy and the Christmas tree.
This year, in addition to the constant uneven rearrangement of the ornaments, she has brought her tree manipulation to a whole new creative level. :)

Amelia, last Sunday morning before church.

The one about the secret santa sisters gifts

2007-11-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

I am sooo lucky! I received little gifties from Sandra today, who lives in Dusseldorf Germany so almost everything was new and different to me. Each little present was wrapped in pretty white tissue and tied in a simple way with a soft ivory fiber. I love her style--everything is perfect. Her artwork always gives me goosebumps (I admire it so!) and she sent two art pieces! I had a blast photographing it all (wish I had taking a pic of everything wrapped--doh!) The whole parcel was cushioned by a shade of tissue I hadn't seen before. A wild, pretty, vibrant melon pink color.

The one about catch-up

2007-11-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

I have been lost in Etsy Land lately and haven't been blogging. I miss blogging. Here's a bunch of random stuff.

I get to meet Lainie of ScrapHappy this Friday and go to lunch with her! I have known Lainie for a couple years now but we have never met.

I sent my little gifties off to Heather last week for her fun 12 Days Of Christmas swap with eleven other neat girls. I forgot to photograph my little presents before I sent them!! Maybe Heather will take a quick picture of them and post them to the blog she created for our swap.

Right now I am listening to The Eclipse Playlist I found recently on the Twilight saga website. There is also one for New Moon and Twilight. (you honestly didn't think I could get through a whole blog post without one reference to those books, did you?)

I put on my one and only pair of jeans (long story) Friday night to go out (it suddenly got COLD here) and they are way too big! I mean WAY too big. Funny big. hee hee hee heee heeeee. But I had no jeans to wear than night. :(

With a nod to Dina and her links, here is a fun link I found today to some interesting earrings! There are some super creative people out there!!

I am really awed with how well my Etsy shop items have been received this past few days. Thank you everyone!!! The sales have surpassed my expectations. (you know its hard to put yourself out there with things you have made.) I am hiring a MAID, with some of the money, to come clean my bathrooms!! YEAH!!!!!

The one about pink and cheerful

2007-11-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun!

Its been A LOT of work, but still fun. I have new stuff in my Etsy shop! I have even MORE goodies to list, but there is quite a bit there now. Some has already sold!

These mini collages featuring little girls are my new babies. I have seven to start with and plan on making more. I will miss them when they leave for their new homes. I have them up on my Flickr as well.

I have two sections in my shop now.

Pink & Cheerful.

Dark & Mysterious

I enjoy two styles of art. For the longest time I couldn't decide which one to go with---but why choose? Just do both! The dark side is a little skimpy, but I'm working on it.

thanks for looking :)

The one about the Spalding scrapbook page

2007-11-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Wheeeee!! This is one of my favorite scrapbook pages of all time. It's up on the calendar this weekend in the Designing With 2007 calendar. It was a blast to put together! It was originally made for the Designing With Color book, but was cut due to space limitations.

The one about the stinkers

2007-11-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Mother's day 2003
This week my two middle kids both told me something similar. The eleven-year-old was frustrated that I asked him to do so many chores when I could do them myself. The seven-year-old told me that I did less work around the house than she did. Whatever.

The one about the newest calendar

2007-11-08T19:33:00.001-07:00

(click to enlarge)

One of my favorite layouts from the new Designing With 2008 calendar from Autumn Leaves. Yeah, I cheated and peeked through the whole stack when I got a box of them a few weeks ago. I have a bunch of extras----maybe I should give some away here? ;P

The one about the PINK sneak

2007-11-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have been hard at work on new items for my Etsy shop. I have so many ideas!! More than I can work on at once. Next week I hope to upload all the newest goodies. This release will be my biggest yet. From the pictures I am sure you can tell it will be mostly PINK!! I love pink--it is so beautiful. I also like dark, and will have a bit of that as well. Both sides of the spectrum, I guess!

The one about Edward

2007-11-01T22:42:00.000-06:00

I had to open my big mouth to Amanda. I told her I would post my Twilight ATC on my blog if she posted hers. I joined a Twilight ATC swap about two months ago, and uncharacteristic-like of me, got my cards done within two weeks. They sat until it was time to send them out, which I did earlier in October. I usually post my art creations here, unless they are for a book or something and can't share them. I didn't share this ATC because it is just silly, my obsession with Edward Cullen. LOL It makes me seem like a 16 year old. Okay, yeah, there are tons of females out there obsessing over Edward with me, but most of them are under 18 years old. hee hee

I used the author's vision of what Edward looks like, since he is HER character and she knows better than anyone what he looks like. The Edward on my ATC is actor Henry Cavill. Of course, the real Edward has that bronze colored hair.

...and the funky red coloring of Edward on my card was a printer mistake. But I ended up liking it so it used it. :)

The one about the Clearance Sale!

2007-10-30T22:55:00.000-06:00

I need to get rid of the Halloween items and artwork in my shop.
Sooooo......go see. :)

Halloween Clearance Sale

...and some spooky Halloweenie pictures....

Taken last October in the Utah mountains at Cascade Springs. There was a huge fire the year before and had blackened so many areas. Here, it has just rained, making the colors very vivid.

These two cemetery photos were from our vacation to the victorian town of Ferndale, Northern California in 2005. Really creepy cemetery up the side of a hill. You can also see this town and the cemetery in the Jim Carrey movie The Majestic.

The one about the Halloween project

2007-10-23T22:08:00.000-06:00

I really have had lots to blog about this month--just haven't been getting around to actually doing it.

We had art group last week (I always so look forward to art group!). I even remembered my camera but I don't like the way I look in the photo so I'm not going to post it. lol We have a new meeting place and its going to work out great---and its really close for me.

Sherri and Julie got together and came up with a really fun project for us to make. The Halloween shadow boxes. They also loaded us up with the neatest little bags of halloweenie art material. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it all before I used a bunch of it. Julie gave me the idea for the "gnawing large holes" ---she saw it on the text in my shadow box background.

I couldn't decide on a photo so I just posted a bunch.

The one about my Raven

2007-10-17T22:08:00.000-06:00

This came in the mail yesterday---bought him on eBay. I have wanted one of these for a while now. It took me several years to find one that I liked. It is a little startling actually, to see him sitting there in the living room before realizing he's fake. About ten years ago I saw a stuffed one in a museum in Mesa Verde, Colorado. That one was so big and black and beautiful and cool-looking. Mine is just for Halloween. I am sure I would be thought of as weird if I left him out all year (and he'd get dusty and I hate to dust).

The one about more Black Magic

2007-10-15T09:56:00.000-06:00

I added some more Black Magic collage elements. Go shopping. :)

The one about the book winners!!

2007-10-12T22:28:00.001-06:00

My local buddy Erica won a book for the longest list given...

and then I drew names for the other three books....

Lee who listed Linkin Park--my new favorite band!! Such rowdy music but with depth in every song. Who'd have thought I'd love that loud electric guitar as much as I do. My son has been a fan of theirs for years and I finally gave them a try a couple months ago. Love at first listen.

Laura is my diet challenge buddy!!

and Joy, whom I do not know, but I am so glad she posted! She just started a blog of her own and I like the name she gave it: The Torn Page.

thank you everyone who posted---I had fun :)

BTW,
I did NOT get the Black Magic kits listed to Etsy this afternoon. I am really bummed about that. :( I had a crazy day (the kids are out of school today) and never got a chance to photograph the materials for the kits (and my camera battery died and the light was crappy due to an overcast sky.) My plan is to try again tomorrow.

The one about the contest

2007-10-12T10:02:00.000-06:00

I need to do the drawing for the free Designing With Details books! I will be doing that this evening and also listing a bunch of neat stuff on Etsy. hee hee

The one about the desktop

2007-10-11T12:10:00.000-06:00

So,

I was tagged by my friend Janna. This game I had not seen before. To show my desktop! I especially liked this one because I finally learned how to do a screen capture (thanks Janna!). My desktop is pretty simple.....not lots in the way of icons. Rob put the goodies on the right for me. One is a constant slide show of all my photos! I do like my desktop image----my good-looking husband. Or I guess I should say my Old Man, since I took this on the day of his 39th birthday. yikes!

I have a few blog posts that I need to get going on. One of them is there will be more Black Magic kits and other Halloween goodies in my etsy shop soon! I just couldn't help myself, they are so much fun.

The one about new music

2007-10-04T21:49:00.000-06:00

Want a free book???

I have four copies to give away...

I just need some help in return.

it's an easy request, though.

I need some new music. I need suggestions because I think it is easier to find music from someone's suggestions rather than just waiting to hear something on the radio that I like. There is so much out there anymore that I'm not familiar with.

Like, music from this century. hee hee

I have this box of Designing With Details books here that I have for a while but didn't really say anything since I am not happy with the work I did (I was very uninspired last summer!). But the books are just sitting here....waiting for someone to look at them and enjoy them. The other scrapbook pages in this book are pretty cool!

So....leave me a comment that includes your playlist of songs (nothing older than the last 7 years or so). I am gonna give a book to the one with the longest list of music for me to look into, but I will also do a drawing for three more books that I will give away!!!
I would describe my favorite music to be alternative rock, post grunge, alternative metal..whatever you wanna call it. Maybe even a little industrial and goth.

...and here's a silly pic of me. :O

The one about another background

2007-10-03T21:52:00.000-06:00

This one is a huge 16" x 20". I like canvases big. I like art to be big. I won't buy small art, either. Of course this one has been started even though I never finished anything beyond the background on the last project. Maybe I should just stick to backgrounds, huh?
I used strips of different book papers with layers of gel medium, gesso, and watercolor crayons scrubbed into the edges and crevices, after I washed the color into the surface, let it pool and dry. fun! I do have more planned for this one still!

The one about more wedding photos

2007-10-02T23:32:00.000-06:00

The one about Black Magic

2007-09-26T14:31:00.001-06:00

***edited: I just listed my last three black magic kits!!

I said I wasn't going to plug my Etsy shop too much here, but I can't help it! I have been having so much fun, adding things every few days. I am really excited about the newest additions right now! I collected some spooky elements from my own stuff and put them into this fun packs of vintage Halloween collage materials, called Black Magic. They are the same kinds of elements I like to use in my own art. see them HERE.

The one about Serenity

2007-09-25T11:07:00.000-06:00

I finished this card last night, so this wraps up the swap I am in and I'll be sending this off tomorrow. I got mine back a couple weeks ago. I am kinda sad it's over. This card is for Ruth. I had a totally different idea in mind for this card. As I scanned it in and looked at it, I realized it looks like it is showing on her. Doh! The word serenity came to mind so I went with that. I guess I could even say her name is Serenity, huh? The illustration is awesome!! It's from a book of poetry from 1899 (wow!) that is full of these kinds of drawings! They are my favorite. I added chalk to her dress because she was looking a little pale against that background.

The one about the wedding

2007-09-22T18:00:00.000-06:00

My beautiful littlest sister got married last month (Now I have two BILs named Adam). They had asked me to be the photographer. On one hand it was so much fun and on the other I was stressed out worrying that I would mess up the photos of the most important day of their lives so far. Don't know if I'll ever do another wedding---they are a lot of work. I am still slogging through the hundreds of photos. Photo editing includes too much time sitting on my rear. I edited the artsy shots first. I think this one is my favorite. I can't take much credit for this cool shot, I saw it on Flickr first.

The one about Marie

2007-09-18T12:48:00.000-06:00

I made this tag for a swap with Melissa earlier in the year. I had the image printed out and I thought it kinda looked Antoinette-ish. I love to layer paper! Decorative paper, an old letter, sheet music, painted book pages, clip-art of engravings. I liked it so much I made a bunch more and put them up for sale. Those ribbons are my favorite! I like them crumpled looking. :)

The one about being somewhat mysterious

2007-09-14T09:46:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love it when something comes together without much effort? And its something you end up liking?

I needed to make a card for Liz's folder (in our spirit card swap). I already had a failed card that was painted with black and white paint, so I covered that with dressmakers tissue. I saw this snippet of a photo on my messy desk so I added it to the edge of the card. The hand-dyed ribbons were sitting in the messiness, too. And I went with more small punched stars. I like those.

Be somewhat mysterious.

The one about the plug

2007-09-10T16:28:00.000-06:00

The plug for my Etsy shop. LOL

I hate to turn my blog into a huge ad for my store, so I'm gonna try hard not to. I did add some more goodies recently, and some of my artwork (gulp). But like I said before, I have no use for it once I am finished creating it.

I won two old photo albums recently on eBay and I LOVE how the pages are pastel pink and a really pale blue-green. They are gorgeous! I only put a few up for sale as I want them for myself!! I also added the last trim collection and the rest of my old bottles and shakers filled with silver German glass glitter.

I added just a few pieces of art just to see how it goes.

"Rosebud" is one of the pieces for sale.

oh, and this is how pathetic I am...I started reading Twilight again. sigh.

The one about the stick figures

2007-09-06T10:38:00.001-06:00

Don't Feed The Fat People
Originally uploaded by randem

I love this group at Flickr. Stick Figures In Peril. How funny is that?

My other reason for posting this photo---I lost two pounds in THE SAME WEEK!!! I have a theory about getting my body to let go of the fat like it should. I have talked about this before, and I have put it to the test more than once and it seems to be working. My body wants to squirrel away all the fat it can in the off-chance I will be in a genuine caveman-style famine( haa!). So when I am really good and eat like I should, my body just holds onto the fat like grim death. After about a week I CHEAT. Not a whole lot of cheating, just a little. Like a cookie or two in the afternoon. Next day, I am a pound lighter.

Now I am three pounds away from another reward for myself.

The one about Laura's book

2007-09-04T23:15:00.000-06:00

For the ever bubbly and fun Laura...an entry into her Alphabetica journal. (I recently helped Laura become addicted to Twilight. hee hee)

I am playing with punched mini stars lately. And apples. And the backs of playing cards.

The background was fun to do------layers of different colors, with the top layer sprinkled with salt while still wet and left to dry. The bottom got cut of on the scanner, but it is a wide ribbon, gathered, and glued to the page with some hanging over the bottom edge. I used the same ribbon for the moon.

The one about my Etsy shop!!!!

2007-09-03T16:54:00.001-06:00

I finally did it!

I am very excited. My Etsy shop items have been in the works all summer. I have just begun uploading the fun things for sale, so check back often for more great items.

Marilyn's Etsy shop. Click here.

I loaded my extra glitter from Sparkle Bella into these sweet antique bottles. Each is different and one of a kind. I listed each bottle singly so you can choose the bottle that makes you most happy.

the one about our 17th anniversary

2007-08-31T14:10:00.000-06:00

Rob gave me red roses yesterday after he got home work. I had forgotten all about getting roses since I was so looking forward to going out. We decided to go to Outback steakhouse since we'd never been there (Rob wanted steak. bleck) I always order a Diet Pepsi at places even if I know full well they only have Diet Coke. I was amazed when they actually brought one to me! They had someone run over to the gas station and buy a some. he he he The Hearts of Gold Chicken was amazing. Grilled chicken with artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. Yummm.

We had already seen The Bourne Ultimatum so we went to see The Invasion. Reviews from other viewers on Fandango said it wasn't too bad. I wasn't expecting much anyway, but it was so stooooopid. I think it would have been better if the alien pods hadn't been changed to little spores.

We Tivo'd the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers yesterday. LOL

The one about St. George

2007-08-28T21:39:00.000-06:00

Just got back from five days in St. George. Did lots of swimming, reading (finished Eclipse--boo hoo!!), laying by the pool listening to Linkin Park too loud in my ears on my mp3 player, and a quick side trip to look into the grand canyon. I underestimated the strength of the sun on the whiteness of my farmer tan and got a nasty sunburn! Doh!