My camera broke!

Oh geez, my camera broke. I had a Kodak Easyshare, for 6 years. It has been my loyal friend, but I knew it was on its way out. So I finally decided to go with the big guns and buy a new camera, Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Black 12.2 MP Digital SLR. I LOVE IT! Sorry Easyshare, I have a new best friend!

My First Craft Show

I am a little nervous. I have never done a craft show before, so I thought I would try one. Well, now I am stressing out about it. I don't have a lot of inventory, because a lot of things I do are custom. So, I am trying to build up my stock, which is proving to be really difficult. With my kids being sick, and being busy with orders (which I can't complain) I am feeling overwhelmed. It is so hard for me to get anything done. I don't have nearly as much as I would like, but I guess I still have three weeks to pull things together. I will keep chugging along, and chalk this up to a learning experience. Lesson for me, try to take one day at a time.

Happy 1st Birthday Little Miss A

I have to say I am so proud to be your mother. You are a joy everyday, and I am so lucky to have such a wonderful little girl. You are full of love and life, you are one spunky child. You love to know what is going on in the world, you are in awe of people, animals, and your big brother. You love our cats, and you can't wait till you walk so you can catch them. I can't wait for many more birthdays, and to see what you discover next. I am excited and nervous about the ride to come. But one thing I know for sure, is that I love you so much, you are truly a bright light in everybody's lives

Germs, Germs, Everywhere!

My kids have been so sick. It started with my son having a 104.5 temp. My husband and I attempted to give him some Motrin, but the moment he swallowed it, he threw up. It was a bright green, and it scared my husband and I to death. I was so scared there was something really wrong with him. Million things ran through my head, of what could be wrong that it actually kind of made me sick to my stomach. So we brought him to the Doctors, and everything looked great though, thank God!. His ears and lungs were clear. But the Doctor wanted to make sure that there was nothing brewing in his chest, so she wanted to send him to the lab for a chest x-ray. He was so brave, I was so proud of my little man. He stayed still and let him do the x-ray. He did tell me he was scared but he made it through. Everything came back normal, and he started feeling better the next day. I was so relieved that everything looked okay, and that it was probably just a bad virus. I gave him extra kisses and hugs that night for sure.

Then a couple of days later I hear my little girl crying in her crib, I went in her room to check on her, and she was COVERED in vomit. I couldn't even see her beautiful face, she was covered. It was literally in her hair, her ears, her eyebrows, and even her eyelashes. I was kind of shocked when I saw her, and found myself just kind of staring at her for a couple of minutes before I reacted, because I never saw anything like that. She vomited again, and it seemed as if she was choking, once again I was scared to death. My husband of course was just leaving for work, so we quickly called my mom to come to help. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without my parents. They are always there to help, and give me some words of wisdom. My mom rushed right over without any hesitation and she helped me clean up my poor little baby, and her room. I am so grateful to my parents for helping me out. I can't say thank you enough. The next day she seemed a little better, so I decided maybe I should drop off my son at my parents, in hopes maybe he would escape this horrible stomach bug. Well, of course, was I wrong. My mom called me and said that DJ seemed a little off and that he didn't feel well. I picked him up, and he fell asleep in the car around 6:00PM so I just put him in his bed. Well, a couple of hours later he started screaming for me to come in his room, I ran in his room, I picked him up and tried to hurry him in the bathroom, and that is when he proceeded to vomit all over me, himself, and all over his room. The smell was HORRENDOUS, which then made me throw up. OH MY GOSH, was I in hell! I quickly tried to clean myself up, while, at the same time I glanced over to see my three year old humped over the toilet throwing up. This is horrible, but I have to say, that I kind of chuckled out loud. Because here I was covered in vomit, and my three old has his head in the toilet looking like he is holding on for dear life. It was just once again, a sight I have never experienced. I rubbed his back, he said he felt better, so I put him in my bed, and he watched some tv. He later dosed off as did I, and the next day he felt better. He later said to me, " Mommy, I think that was a rough night." Boy was it ever!

An Etsy Feature

Having an eleven month old daughter, I love looking at this etsy shop justaddcharm for so some great accessories for my daughter's hair. Just Add Charm has some wonderful jewelry and accessories for a special girl or for the young at heart. If you are on the look out for some great Valentine Items, she has some great selections. Here is so more information on Sarah and her wonderful shop.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your work:
I'm Sarah, stay at home mom to three and I fill whatever spare time I manage to find crafting and running my business. With a 2 1/2 year old son and 3 month old twins, spare time can be hard to come by. I find that I need to make time for a creative outlet to maintain my sanity.

What do you sell in your shop?
Currently my shop is filled with all things button - hair accessories, bookmarks, jewelry, magnets, etc. I also make beaded jewelry and I'm learning to sew so you never know what might be available next.
What inspires you?
Anything and everything. Sometimes it's a color combination that strikes me and I know I just have to make something with it. Sometimes an outfit that's begging for matching accessories.


What is your favorite item in your shop and why?
I love the Jello Shots magnets, anything with a retro feel like that makes me smile. I'm also obsessed with cupcakes so I love all the cupcake stuff.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?
Always seek out ways to improve your techniques and always provide good customer service.

What do you do when you are not creating?
Take care of the little ones, watch hockey, and read.

Thanks so much for letting me share this great shop. You can find Sarah at http://justaddcharm.etsy.com for more fun things.

Some New Holiday Items in My Etsy Shop

It feels as if my life has been insane, and when things are insane it is hard to find the time to create new things for my shop. I have been decorating my house, making some handmade presents, Christmas shopping, and with my husband off visiting his brother for a couple of days, there is just not enough time during the day. It always makes me kind of sad when I don't have enough time for myself. I did find some time however to make two cute new holiday buckets for a new baby or a babies first Christmas.


Hope you enjoy!

Etsy Feature

Are you looking for the perfect gift for someone special for the holidays? Take a look at the shop Animalicules she offers the cutest softies, which are "knitted or crocheted by hand with lots of love, and they are looking for a loving home." Here is a little more about her and her shop, www.animalicules.etsy.com.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your work:
I love cute stuff and I've always loved stuffed animals, way past the age when I probably should have. I used to teach little kids because I found it more fun to sing songs and draw than to just be with adults. My softies make great gifts for kids but I think they are just as good companions for grownups who need something to make them smile every now and then. They love to be played with but they also love to perch on mantels and windowsills and spruce up a room by looking cute.

How did you come up with your shop name?
Growing up, my dad always used animalicules as a funny word for animals. I think it's a good word to describe a species of cute little critters.

What is your favorite item in your shop and why?
I think my favorites are the sheep, probably the purple ones since purple is my favorite color. I like the sheep because they were one of the first softies I made up myself, and they look so cute when there's a whole flock of them.

What are your favorite materials to work with?
Yarn because it's so amazing what you can make out of one long piece of string. And buttons because when you turn them into eyes they can give a face a whole different personality. I'm actually obsessed with fabric too, but I'm not as good at sewing as at knit & crochet.

What inspires you?
Anything cute! Real animals, Japanese kawaii stuff, other softies, everything mini. Plus the shapes that you can make from knitting and crocheting because that's the starting point for any softie.

Feel free to check out her etsy shop, Animalicules, to discover more, "softies! Sheep, pigs, owls, and Christmas trees, with more to come. She has lots of ideas for animalicule-themed stuff for the future too." Or you can connect with her through her blog, http://animalicules.blogspot.com/. Have fun shopping!