*Swoon*

It's almost too beautiful, is it not?!  I had another {nearly} sleepless night last night -- anyone know what to do for restless leg syndrome?! -- but it allowed me to view the spectacle as it happened at 3:00 this morning.  I guess my night could have been worse.


PS:  I'm serious about the restless leg syndrome.  Tips?  Anyone??  It is miserable.

Something New

I was talking to my friend, Olivia, on Sunday saying that I wished I could find a way to get someone to pay me to digi-scrap things.  Because wouldn't it be great if we could all do what we LOVE for a living?!  The more I thought about it, the more I thought, "Why not?!"  So, this week I added a new line of items to my Etsy shop.  It's a series of customizable birth announcements, invitations, and such.  Folks can pick a design they like, send me their photograph and specific information and I will send them back a hi-res flattened image that they can print wherever they want, however much they want.  I know it's not a novel idea.  I'm just jumping on the scrap-for-hire train, but I love it soooooo much and I'm running out of things to scrap for myself.  Here are some of the designs I have already created:

(I have always loved those lines from William Wordsworth -- wish I knew how to do this when I was having babies.  Boo.}  Anyhoo . . . that's where I've been these past few days.  I'll be parked here at the computer working on a few other ideas whilst I enjoy the royal wedding in the morning! Oh, how I love fancy wedding eye candy . . .

Happy Easter

*sigh*  I couldn't sleep last night.  I literally did not sleep at all last night.  Which is OK, really, because I got a lot done once I finally accepted that Mr. Sandman wasn't comin' my way.  I watched a couple of movies I had recorded and never found time for.  I baked some Easter Bunny Buns -- delish and adorable.  I've got another batch raising right now.  I made some dried pineapple flowers to adorn the Hummingbird Cupcakes I planned on making for my girls at church.  I also designed this little Easter printable to go with the cupcakes.

{I made it wallet-sized to slip under that yellow ribbon on the box, but now I kind of wish it was larger to frame and keep in my house all year.  I realize it's too late to be helpful to anyone this year, but if y'all like it you can pin it.  So, I'm no Martha, but this is what my Hummingbird cupcakes look like all wrapped up {in lovely little boxes from Garnish}and ready to go:

 {Please excuse the horrible lighting. It's dark out and I may be just a little bit exhausted now.}  It's a fun little Easter treat that looks like a million bucks and tastes even better.  

Happy Easter everyone!

Film Festival

Our next combined youth activity at church is a film festival.  Each class is making their own movie {and poster} which we will screen that evening and award prizes.  I worked with my Laurels last night on theirs -- let's be honest, I watched their collective creative genius unfold -- and it is going to be brilliant.  Here's a little preview of what's in store:

So. Stinkin'. Sweet!

High Time for a Project

I'm still in the process of pulling my master bedroom together and it is not coming along without a fight.  I know what I like and I think I have a pretty good start, but it's just not . . . there.  Hence the lack of "After" photos on the blog.  We don't have any bedside tables and the walls are still bare (after a year).   I love typography art and have created a couple of projects for the room {my eye chart art and my wedding subway poster}They lend just the right masculine touch, but you can't JUST have words on the walls, can you?!  So I also made some silhouettes that I adore, but I felt like I needed to bridge the gap somehow. I knew I would like a gallery wall -- I have been collecting cool frames from thrift stores for a while.  But what to put inside them?! This is what I have come up with {for now}:

Book Page Art!!  I've been admiring some of these on Etsy for a while now, but we all know what a cheap-o I am, so I decided to make some of my own.  I downloaded cool images I found online and cut out some pages from old books.  I pasted the images into word documents, set the dimensions of the document to match my book pages, and printed them out right on my printer.  The hardest part was picking the images I liked from the thousands I found from the Graphics Fairy.  Seriously -- if you're into vintage images this is the place.

I tried several different images and layouts until I got a few just right.  Then I gathered all my frames and started laying them out.

Once I figured THAT out, I had to decide what color to paint the frames.  The walls are gray and white, the furniture is black, and the bedding is light blue and celery green {which sounds like a hot mess, but is actually very nice, I think.)  I decided to paint all the frames the same color gray as the wall so the overall effect would be a little bit subtle.  And here's the {very nearly} finished product:

I tweaked the layout a little bit as I hung them.  I think I am liking it, but I may paint the frames white.  And go back to the original layout now that I see them side by side here. I don't know.  We're getting closer to those "After" shots.  I promise.

While I had the printer all fired up, I tried out a couple of other ideas.  I made this picture for the family art gallery wall in the living room:

And I tried printing a few out in color, which I think turned out pretty cool, too:

Just don't have anywhere to use them.  I lu-uh-uhve free art!  Come check out some other cool projects:

A Little Free Advice:

If your "Financial Center" consists of  an ATM and a state lottery booth inside a Circle K, you should probably rethink your relationship with money.

Cougar Pride

I admit I know precious little about sports, but I know the Jimmer is true. Chuck Norris even has a Jimmer poster.  Testify!

Perhaps that explains why all I ever want to eat lately are cupcakes and ice cream.  Also, maybe because it has now been 5 1/2 weeks without soda.  Hmmmmm...

My Swan Song

 And there you have it.  The last mural I will EVER paint.  {Not really, probably, but after this week . . .}I'm not the biggest fan of this one - in fact it kinda' looks like the butterfly is pooping a rainbow and flowers to me. It is exactly what they asked for {well, not the pooping part} and I do like that butterfly.  Whatever.  Now I can move on with my life and stop feeling sick to my stomach every time I think about that carpet.  Girls Camp Fundraiser in two days!!!  Whoop, Whoop!

Do You Ever feel Like You Just Can't Catch a Break?

Yeah, that's me today.  I was out working on a mural project {yay!} and cruising right along {holla!} thinking that I was actually going to finish in one day!!!  And then . . . do you know what is every mural painter's worst nightmare?  We'll mine anyway?  Spilling paint on a clients pristine beige carpet.  Yep.  A gallon of sky blue paint right on the carpet.  And then, because I like to keep it positive, I thought, "Hooray!  I have Tammy's steam cleaner in the back of my van because I was going to give it back to her a couple weeks ago and kept forgetting!"  {By the way, thanks Tammy.  Sorry.  I'll get it back to you as soon as I clean it up -- Promise.}  So I started cleaning and things were going better than you might expect , except when I tried to take the thingy out to change the water, it slipped out of my hands and the blue, painty water which is really mostly paint spilled all over the carpet.  But not in the same place.  No.  In a completely other spot on the carpet.  And splashed up on the wall, but not the wall I had been painting, and all over my feet and my favorite purse.  So I stood there frozen for what seemed like a year, but was really probably ten seconds, wanting to die.  But then I thought, "The only thing to do is keep cleaning," which I did for about an hour before I decided to call for reinforcements.  I dispatched Brent to Lowes to find any kind of industrial strength carpet cleaner and bring it to me.  He called about 30 minutes later telling me my directions were bad -- there was no Pecos Road just off the freeway exit, said he -- and, while I was ever so grateful for his help, he sounded a little blame-y, which I didn't enjoy.  Turns out he had taken the NORTH end of the 202 loop, not the SOUTH end.  Another 30 minutes later and I got a call from some random cell phone I didn't recognize.  It was Brent, calling from some stranger's phone because his had just died.  Yep, that sounds about right. Long story not so short, he got there, we used the super industrial cleaner AND the steam cleaner and, after I had spent the better part of five hours from start to finish the carpet looked almost like nothing had ever happened.  And the mural looked like a hot mess.  I worked for a while longer, but because I'm a chicken I did NOT want to be there when the client came home -- they weren't planning on me being there anyway.  So I left a note explaining all that had happened, but in not quite so much detail as I explained it to you all, my friends.  I told her that if the carpet didn't look OK to call me so we could figure out how to make it right.  She just texted me as I was writing this and said, "How much do I owe you, Silly"  so I guess all is well.  And I'm going to drown the rest of my sorrows in a great big bowl of ice cream.

My Review of Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6 Quart Slow Cooker in Stainless Steel

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• Clip-tight lid prevents spills
• Large full-grip handles
• Dishwasher safe stoneware & lid
• Convenient lid rest

Party recipes included with matching name tags

Available in Whit...

Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6 Quart Slow Cooker in Stainless Steel

I'm in Crock Pot Heaven!

By amy g from Chandler, AZ on 4/10/2011

 

5out of 5

Can I just say that I love my new crock pot. I really do. It's beautiful and HUGE! But the best part is the clip-tight lid. Last summer I spilled a crock pot full of beans and ham hocks in the back of my van transporting it to a church function and have been paying the price ever since. (Who knew fermented beans could smell so bad?!) It's a huge relief to know that will NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN! It also has a really cool label holder on the front so you can slip tags in and out easily to identify what you made {because you all know at the church pot luck sometimes it's hard to tell}. And the price! You get so much more than what you pay for! I simply adore this product!! I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a slow cooker.

I was given this product to review, but the opinions are 100% my own.

(legalese)

Released!!!

I'm freeeeeeeeeeee!!!  No jury duty for me today!!!!!  I guess now I'll . . . just finish cleaning my house. Boo.

In Limbo

Do I have jury duty today or do I not?!  I called in last night to get my time to report and was told to call back at 11:00 today.  Grrrrrrrrrrr!  I can't really plan anything today because I don't know where I'll be this afternoon.  I guess I'll have to clean my house since I'm stuck here this morning. . . no excuses.

I'm a Fool

Really.  What was I thinking.  Yesterday I single-handedly {actually I used both hands, but no one helped me} moved the entire contents of my living room into the dining room and moved the dining room to the living room to play a prank on my kids. Because we take April Fools Day very seriously around here.  Wanna see:

Not pictured:  me hobbling around with a sore back, my husband's look of displeasure at the thought of moving it all back, and the dog wandering back and forth, confused as to where she was supposed to go.

I look at it this way:  it only took me 30 minutes to do and 10 minutes to put back {thanks B}and I had a rare opportunity to roll up the rugs and sweep and mop the floor underneath.  So it's all good, right?

The kids loved it, but not as much as last year's pranks.  Meh.  What do they know?!  I have next year's prank already planned.  Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!