Mibo

Aren't these the cutest owls. I bought the PDF pattern from mibo on etsy.

Hot Chocolate and Late Nights

Right now its 3:52 am and I'm sipping on hot chocolate with marshmellows. I'm working on Sweetheart Valentine Flashcards using vintage couple and valentine cards. I was orginally going to make only 14, but they are too cute to have only 14 so I think I'm going to go ahead and make 31. One for each day. One for 31 friends. 31 one ways to scrapbook about how you love someone.

Everynight, I hope that the kids will go to bed sort of early, so I can get some designing done. I have cherry chocolate and strawberry dipped journaling tags jumping around in my head and sweet heart mixed number tags ready to print whenever the new toner gets here. I've never been much about celebrating Valentines, but it sure is fun to create new stuff. How can you go wrong with Pink, Red and Chocolate.

Stockings

When I was little this was my favorite part of Christmas. My siblings and I would get up bright and early and run downstairs to see stocking full to the brim laying on the fireplace harth (they were too heavy to hang). We would sit down and spread our legs wide and dump the entire contents of our stocking on the floor. Oranges, Apples and tons of candy. I would save mine. One year I saved a Candy cane for 3 years.

I made Emily's stocking special, since this year she knows what is going on. I stuffed the toe with suckers, then added crayons, glue, watercolor paints, stamp pad and stamps loaded to the top. She has so many presents on the 24th and the 25th. She didn't even open her stocking. So one night really late when she was bored getting into stuff I let her open her stocking. She has loved playing with watercolor it keeps her busy when I'm on the computer.

Sneak Peak Animal ABC's

Christmas Eve

Festivities

4:06 pm. It starting to feel like Christmas. The festivities are beginining. I hear Christmas music in the background and fireplace is crackling, the christmas lights are glowing. Emily is watching Rudulph the Red Nose Reindeer, Rich is baking Ham, I'm washing dishes and cleaning, Mia is sleeping. Now we are just waiting for our guests and present to arrive.

NEW ABC posters

Just finished designing my first ABC poster. It turned out so good. I can't wait for my new toner cartridge gets in so I can print them out and put them in my etsy shop.

Once upon a time . . . I had a little tree

This year we can't afford a tree, the money just never came together right to get one this year. So I had a 2 ft faux tree in the attic mixed in with some other decorations. I fluffed out the limbs and put a huge strain of lights round and round the tree and the pulled out all the non-breakable ornaments. Emily stood in front of the little tree for hours hanging and re-hanging the ornaments.

I put the few 5 wrapped gift next to the tree. Emily got the idea it was time to open them. She started to pass them out. She would say, "this one is Thanksgiving dinner" (whatever that means), "this is for the Christmas tree, "this one is for mama", this is one is for dadoo, this one is for me" and then she would switch it up. I caught her finger in the corner of one present ready to rip it open. Yesterday, she said "can I open them" Me: no we have to wait until Christmas. Emily: "Can I open just one?".

Since the tree is really small and Emily likes lights. I hung lights on the piano and over the window and around the dresser in the diningroom. I'll probally be hanging more tomorrow.

When I was on the attic stairs getting the lights and ornaments, Emily kept saying "Mama is dangerous. Mama be careful. Let me help you. Its dark up there, you need a flashlight." I made just find up and down the stairs with those 3 boxes, but Emily was quite concerned that I wasn't going to.

So now its Dec 22 and all the decorations and lights are up, the tiny tree is decorated, the few presents are wrapped it now beginning to feel like Christmas.

Prayer

Tonight Rich made Hambuger Helper and we all were sitting down ready to eat. I started to pray for our food and Emily blurted out right in the middle of the prayer and said, "thankyou for the meatballs" we tried to contain ourselves from laughing it was so cute.

Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak of some new ABC flashcards. I will have them available right before Christmas. I plan to have 2 new sizes. 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 and 5x7. The Letters will be in bright colors: red, orange, pink, teal, blue, purple, green and they will be printed with my new color laser printer.

I also signed up with twitter today, I'm going to start posting new listings and items there.

No Tree Yet? but shopping is done!!

Today Grandma, Pop and Sophie suprised us today. So while they were watching the kids I slipped out of the house to do some christmas shopping. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and Belk and came out with nothing. Then I went to Sams and picked up Formula and cardstock for etsy stuff and some fruit snacks for Emily. Target was the place to go. I found Rich two things on sale. I got Emily Candy Land, stocking stuffer (paint, watercolor paint, elmers glue, crayons and candy). Then I stopped at Office Max to check out Linen cotton paper for some new cards I have cooked up in my head, but I didn't buy it I couldn't find envelopes to match. I got home and hid everything. Then when Rich went to get fuel for the furnance I wrapped his presents with Emily's help. Emily had to personalize the presents with pictures. She drew a snake, wheels and a cat. When Emily laid down to watch some cartoons I quick wrapped up her presents. After washing all the dishes and folding and ironing the laundry I was beat and fell asleep with Mia on the couch for 3 hours.

Santa Baby

Emily went to grandparents the other day. So I set up a photo shoot with Mia. I hung a white sheet on the mantel and pushed the air mattress up against it. Then laid Mia on white pillows. I got a few good pictures before she discovered her hands. Once her hands were in her her mouth, it was down hill from there.

Very Busy

I've been working like mad trying to get all my files converted to CMYK colors instead of RGB. Its taking a long time. Some of the file like all the flashcards have to redone, because the cream RGB background come out light lemon yellow in the new printer. So i finally printed a Pantone color chart and found the right cream color. I finished edited two sets of flashcards. In between, I have to laundry and dishes and take care of the kids. Every waking moment I'm in my studio working.

Early Christmas Present. . . Revealed!!

Etsy Treasury

I stayed up all night long and half the morning before I finally got a Treasury list for the first time and on the first try. Here is a link to visit favorite I picked out in 4 different theme colors. By some change maybe it will end up on the front page :)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=100395

Best Friend

I was sitting at my computer this morning and Emily was playing with buttons. She just came over and gave me a hug and said, "Mama, your my best friend!"

Surprise . . . Christmas present

Rich said he is going to Atlanta to pick up my Christmas present. Christmas present? I wasn't expecting anything and I told him I thought it was the new to me fast computer he was building me. Nope. He gave me a few hints.

1) It weighs about 150 lbs
2) I have to find a place in the house for it
3) It is more then one piece
4) It can't be found locally
5) It will bearly fit in the back of the truck
6) Its really heavy
7) It will fit in a box
8) I could use it before Christmas
9) not a freezer
10) not a dishwasher

I have no clue something he found on Craigslist or Ebay. I think it might be an letterpress machine or a laser printer. ??

Little Birdie

Almost Perfect

Mia has gotten where she doesn't want me to rock her to sleep. She lays right down in her crib and goes to sleep. Its so nice. When she is ready to go to bed from the night or morning (since we are on 3rd). She will sleep 6-7 hours solid. Wow! I'm actually finally getting some good sleep. She takes about 6 naps a day. She gets upset now when she is in the carrier she would rather play and sleep in her crib. YEAH!

NEW Sweetheart Flashcards

Here is a sneak peak of the the new sweetheart vintage flashcards I'm working on that will be posted soon on my etsy.

Coming Soon . . .

I just finished up early this morning a new set of ABC flashcards. I just posted them to Etsy. My newest venture is to make some Valentine flashcards, 1950's flashcards and some new journaling cards. The journaling cards have been in the making about a month now. I just have to finish them and make them in 7 colors. Also Brainstorming last night I thought it would be neat to make some vintage illustration card games like Old Maid, Go Fish, Crazy 8's and using chipboard making a memory game for kids with vintage images. Emily might be old enough for this. I'm just not sure on what kind of paper to use for the game cards.

Change

Yeah i finally got my hair cut. I was ready to chop it all off myself. I tried to cut it about a month ago, by flipping my hair over and cutting straight across. That sortof worked at least to cut the dead ends off. I went yesterday to get my hair cut and Kristy's shop was closed. So i just went to Hobby Lobby. So today when Sophie, Tim and Grandma came to drop off Emily, they stayed and watched Mia and I went to the post office, Michaels, Hobby Lobby and then got my hair cut. I got it cut to my shoulders with a smidge of layers.

Ornaments:
Every year I try and buy about 3-5 nice ornaments. I've been looking every where this year, no one has any good ornaments. They are very chinsy and fragile and just plain ugly. I finally found 2 at Michaels that were nice and 1/2 price. I have to go to Belk when they have their weekend coupon. They always have the best ornaments. I have a $10 mall gift certificate in need to use up. I might can get 2 ornaments for that.

Funny sayings

Emily: Hello everyone, I'm Emmy and I like to dance. Lets do the Wubbzy Wiggle. (she laughs and snorts)

Emily: Mama had a robot on her head at the hospital so she could sleep. (uhhh where did this come from. I was the hospital with Mia almost 4 months ago. I have no idea what the robot on top of my head is????)

Emily: You need a bandaid so you can wear a pretty dress

Emily in the bathtub. Me: Let's get out and go make cookies. Emily: We can do that later.

Emily walks in my office and sighs, "I'm having a hard day."

Blue Polky Dots

December Daily Day Two

Our days and nights are all switched around. So at night is our day and daytime is for sleeping.

Emily's night:

She wanted to dance around in her fancy purple dress with her black shoes. I told her she couldn't get it dirty. She insisted that she must wear shoes to wear her dress. Mia has a dress to match and she wanted to wear that too, I told her it wouldn't fit. After playing dress up, she asked for the brown kraft paper. She tore herself off a huge piece and said she was ready to paint. Mia was finally alseep by then, So i got a plate found the foam paint brush and she started paiting. She made 2 flowers and couple of swashes and then she was done. The rest of the night consisted of eating hotdogs and mustard, changing diapers and watching Wow, Wow Wubbzy movie and playing computer games.

Mia night:

Mia was very bad. I had to put her in the carrier. She was fighting sleep. She cried and fussed for hours. Finally she gave up and slept for 4 hours. Pheww.

My night:

I started by working on some new calendar cards, when I got an email for a custom order. I spent the rest of the night custom making 45 yellow circle number tags. I finished and printed and they printed an ugly mustard color. So after cleaning the cartridge, I ended up remaking all those tags a lighter yellow and then the printer printed them a beautiful daffidil yellow. I was up until 8:30 am when I finally crashed by the heat of the karosene heater.

Rich:

Slept and snored all night while we played.

December Daily - Day One

Hmm. Mostly slept had vistors all day and slept.

Emily stayed up all night and fell asleep around 7:30 am. Then woke up around 11 am when Grandma, Sophie and Pop dropped by. They left around 1:30 pm. She watched some TV. Then around 3 pm. Rickey and Linda came by and stayed until 5:30 pm. Emily finally crashed out for a nap around 5 pm. They she was wide awake around 7 pm. Now she is running around talking about Birthday's.

Mia slept with me until 11:30 am and then Grandma held her this morning while I washed the dishes. After they left, Mia was grumpy So I laid down with her and we both fell asleep. We practically slept through Linda and Rickey's visit. I think we woke up around 4:30 pm. Linda held her for awhile. Since then Mia has played and slept. Now (10:59 pm) she talking and cooing in her crib playing with a musical toy.

I slept all day and just couldn't get awake and going. This morning I washed some dishes. This afternoon after Linda and Rickey left I went in my studio and packed up an etsy order. Then printed out some more stuff to go in the bin. I worked all night and then tonight on some new calendar cards. Hopefully they will be done in the next few days.

Rich made supper tonight and left the kitchen a wreck. I told him I would clean up since he cooked. I still haven't done it. It will be around 2 am I'm sure before I get around to it.