Crafty Carnival

My Softie Swap arrived

I got my softie swap a few days ago, and things have just been so hectic around here, I didn't get to post it!  SO anyway... I couldn't be happier!  I recieved this adorable little sock creature from Amanda!  He was packaged so adorable in the vintagey gingham bag.  Amanda also sent some minitures with him.  THey are soooo cute.  I got a set of snow white figures that I've been pining away for for months now.  They are also available in her etsy shop.  And then it was topped off with some 1" buttons and some love.  Thank you, Amanda!  I love everything!! (there are more pictures in my flickr if your interested :)

Rubber Stamps in the Etsy shop!

I just added all of these stamps to my etsy shop :)  To make a long story short, they are $8 ea or $35 for the whole set.  I'll post some project ideas and tutorials later this week!  Get em while they are hot!  They are really good quality.  Deep etched rubber, wood mounted and full of love :)

The Sacramento River Whales are headed home!!

This momma and baby whale have been stuck in our local river for over a week.  They have cuts and their backs, and the scientists really wanted them to move out of the fresh water because the salt water is better for their healing process. 

I never took my kids down to the levies to see the whales because the people in charge were asking people NOT to come down to the levies.  It is extremely hot down there, there's no place to park, there are no bathrooms, and people were making a lot of trash where there are no trash cans.  So, like good citizens, we stayed home and watched the news. 

I really thought that these whales were in big trouble, and I was very worried that they wouldn't make it.  They spent some time slapping their tales on the water which some of the scientists believe is a sign of distress.  BUT, as of today, they are back in salt water!  They still have a long way to go, but at least they are in the bay now!

This happened 20 years ago when I was in third grade with Humphrey the Humback Whale, (these two were named Delta and Dawn) and it ended happily for him too.  He was in the river for 27 days, but he was not injured.  So, it looks like all's well that ends well!  YAY whales!

Here's a link to our local news channel's report.

UPDATE:  It is presumed that the whale mom and calf have joined a pod that was feeding outside the San Francisco Bay.  They were lost in the night, and haven't been seen since, but were headed in the direction of the other pod.  They were never tagged with satelite tracking, but I'm sure some whale watchers will see them again sometime.  They do have those big cuts on them, so they are identifiable that way.  So yay to the momma whale for figuring it all out!!!!!  (for a short time, they wouldn't cross into the shadows cast by the bridges they had to swim under... but that's not a problem at nighttime!  :)  I'm so happy because since I was raised on the central coast, I've always had a special place in my heart for marine mammals!

Happy Birthday Dear Sweet Gracie

She's 6 today!  And she is so beautiful and wonderful.  I was not one of those mother's that was in love with my bump... but the second Gracie came out and I heard her voice and saw her beautiful face, I was lost and gone forever... in her.  It never even occured to me, before she was born, to wonder what her voice would sound like... but now I can not imagine a world where I don't get to hear it everyday.  She is smart, articulate, talented, loving, determined, audacious, and she is one of the loves of my life. 

The last 6 years have been the best ever, and I'm sure the future will be just the same.  I predict that Gracie's 6th year will be full of dancing, laughing, playing, bossing around the little sis, wrangling the dogs, camping, learning, and loving. 

Have a Happy birthday Gracie, and mommy loves you!!!!

 

The LIST!

So... do you ever wonder what is on somebody's to-do list.  I always do!  It's like a sneak into the future!?   I thought it would be fun to post my list on here... just so you all know I'm not crazy and flakey.  Here's my list: so now you know!  LOL!

and here's a quick explination of the craziness....

I have to fill out ins. forms for Kaiser (BORING!), I need to back up the pics on my puter in case it crashes, I have to continually check my dh's credit cause he's a victim of id theft.  Gracie had a teddy bear pic nic today.  I mailed my softie swap today, I have to take pics of the stamps I got two days ago.  I have to work on my cupcake swap and stock up my etsy shop.  I need to get supplies for Gracie's party on Tues.  I had to make signs for back to school night tonight and go see my friend Stephanie.  I have to get some kits together for a make and take I'm doing at a bear show next weekend.  I have to get with my friend Rosanna about some bears I made her,  I have an idea for a yard sale tag I want to start,  I want to host another crafty carnival swap, I have to take pics of all the stuff I bought at bazaar bizarre, I have to take pics of some 1" buttons I had made and put them in my etsy shop, and take pics of my notecards and put them in my etsy shop, and I have to bring cupcakes to Gracie's class tomorrow.  Can you believe that I have to write that down... as if I'd forget it was her bday and I needed to bring cupcakes!!!??? 

So what's on your list!  I'm going to tag 5 people and challenge them to post their to-do lists!  And then they each tag 5 more to do the same!  So here you go ladies!!!  I'm tagging Nicole, Amanda, Monica, Helle , and Doe.  So there you go ladies!  Are you list makers?  Are you willing to share!? 

Drowning... in a good way

I just had to share proof with you all that I'm actually not a lazy blogger...I'm just drowning in my own chaos!  LOL!

These are Gracie's party invitations... and that is VERY SAD for a girl who has a crafty mom!  There isn't even a graphic on these babies!  I took polk-a-dot paper, and ran a word doc thru the printer.  And even further sadness... I only gave the invites out 1 week before the party... EXACTLY 1 week!  I hope people come!  LOL!  But I do promise to make it an awesome party!  I'm totally getting caught up and I have my list going, so that's going to help.

I also wanted to share this pic of Daisy.  She picked this flower from the neighbor's yard and asked me to put in her hair... TOO cute.  So I had to share.

And just to be fair, here's an adorable pic of Gracie at Maker Faire with me.  These guys were in these mobile cupcakes... I think they were bikes under there... but I have NO idea.  There was one gal who had a cherry red helmet, so she looked like a cherry.  They were super super cute.  Here tho, they are repairing it with Jen's super glue.  She saved the day.

And in other exciting news, my rubber stamps arrived today!  These are the images I ordered, and I could not be more pleased with how they turned out!  (Click on the image to enlarge it.)  I will photgraph them and add them to my etsy shop tomorrow... I hope.  It is on my list that I made... so I hope it will get done.  (If you're wonderin', the stamps are going to be $8.50 + shipping.)

And finally... the best for last... I got accepted to Plush You 3, Electric  Boogalee!  This is sooooo exciting for me.  I just found out yesterday.  You can read more about it on the blog.  I'll be showing at  Fancy + Pants.  I'm luvin the theme... electric boogalee... I just have to figure out what I'm going to make to fit the theme.  What do you picture when you hear that?  I picture electric blue, boom boxes and mohawks from the 80's.  (and for those of you that don't know... it's a plushy art show in seatle where 3 boutiques display our plushies for a month!)

Maker Faire 07

So baz biz was amazing.  I really can't say enough about it.  I didn't make as much money as i wanted to, but my inventory was low, so I think my expectations were to high.  That aside.... (I think money often gets in the way of the bigger picture)  I had a fabulous time, and I left there feeling that I was a part of something bigger.  I have felt so welcomed into the blog community, the softie community and the huge group of indie bloggers out there, and I met a lot of people who I have been really big fans of.  I also met a whole bunch more people who are famous bloggers, but I didn't even know it because I'm so new to the blogging world, that I don't know everyone yet!

But here's the part that really got me.... I think the American culture, as a whole, gets sort of a bum rap for being slothy, and lethargic, and self-centered.  We are always hearing about how Americans are obese, they don't recycle, they aren't necessarily on the cutting edge of the techy world and so on and so on.... but let me tell you what I saw at Maker Faire.  I saw a huge group of youthful people taking and recylcling and upcycling garbage into unique and innovative objects.  From my booth I saw an entire bicycle display where creative people had taken junk and made these awesome and fun cycles, woodenbikes.com was just one of the groups represented.  The people who came to the show were welcome to ride the bikes and have a good time... and they did... happy people everywhere!  My favorite was a bike that had a shopping cart made into a side cart.  It would be awesome for a larger, older dog to go along for the ride, or for kids to ride along and play!

  Green was definately a theme for the show.  Many of the hands on demos and projects included recycled objects.  My sister was there with her bf, and he had little robots that are steam powered... so cool.  The people at the show were so nice, curteous, and encouraging.  I can't tell you how many times I had the door held open for me, or had people ask me if I needed any help when I was carrying heavy things in or out.  It was awesome.

The craft side of the show was just off the wall creative and innovative.  There was a lot of press there and there were several big companies (lyon brand yarn, mrs. grossman's stickers, chronicle books, and craftzine just to name a few) there representing themselves and being an enthusiastic part of this movement towards creativity and indie love. 

Vintage was definately a theme that popped up over and over.  There was vintage inspired clothing, jewelry, art... you name it!  (I took a sock monkey class, and now I'm all jazzed up to make mini sock monkeys from my kids' old socks.)   

So, even though I didn't make my goal monetarily.... I seriously feel so lucky to have been a part of this event, and when apps are available for next year... I will definately be applying again!

Here's the short list of some of the really cool people I met this weekend.... and I know I didn't get everyone, but it's a start.

heidi kenney, (I bought some stuffed houses from her... so cute!  I promise pics soon), devon (really fabulous stuffies... especially love the penguins), Cara (she makes a long necklace with a flower on it, that is on my wish list.), Charcol Designs (everything is cute, but especially her sewing machine belt buckle!  If my belly didn't hide wear my belt buckle is... I would have bought it! LOL!), craftybitch (she was givin out free stickers and pins that said crafty bitch on them, so I had to get one for my quad) The etsy folks (they were so cool... totally educating people on where and how to buy all handmade... givin out lots of etsy schwag, and Jen got interviewed for the etsy blog!  YAY!)  Jamie was my back door neighbor.  Her art is amazing, and she was super nice too, I had Gracie with me and we took up a lot of space, and Jaime was so cool about it!  Mumblepeg was sooo sweet! She's a fellow softie award winner and she came by and said hi.  Nifnaks were by the door in my row, and they were so super enthusiastic and nice!  Smallstump sold some fabulous mushroom floral pick type things.  I bought  a bunch of those to go with my bears.  Tartlette was really sweet :)  Hopefully we are going to figure out a trade... cool dresses for the kids for bears :)  Dayna had the coolest aprons and dresses... she came a long way too!   Tyler Bender Book Co. had the coolest journals I've ever seen in my life.  They were a little out of my price range for the weekend... but definately on my wish list.  I didn't get to talk to them too much because thier booth was super busy all weekend.  Pics really don't do these cool books any justice. 

I also met some more bloggers that weren't vendors like, Bitter Betty, Green Kitchen, and If sew.

Another high light was meeting Jenny of felt club.  I met Teresa at the Nevada City TB convention... so now I've met 2 felt club girls!  I definatly aspire to be a part of felt club one day too!

I can not list everyone... but seriously... there were soooo many cool people there.  PLEASE check out the baz biz vendor list and go to everyone's sites... becuase seriously... it was the biggest group of insanely creative people I have ever been a part of!

*I have so much to say and need to add in some more links... so I'll be back to edit this post later... but for now, I have to go get Gracie from Kindergarten!

Tagged! yay!

Let me just start by saying... I LOVE being tagged... it makes me feel loved and I think they are so fun to read and write!  So I've been tagged 3 times with the 7 wierd things about you thing... and I would have only been tagged once, I'm sure, except that I have been living and breathing baz biz and have had NO time to post... So... thanks for your patience...and a bigger thanks with a cherry on top for tagging me :)

I've been tagged by Jenny, Doe and Niki. (oops!  And I got tagged by Claire too!)  And here's how it works:  I get tagged... so then I have to list 7 wierd things about myself, then I have to go and tag 7 more people and they have to do it and so on :)

So here's me and my seven wierd things:  1.)  I am a nerdy math whiz.  I did algebra in sixth grade, and I can do crazy math in my head, but I can not spell for beans, and it takes me a really long time to read anything.  I'm a terrible reader.

2.)  I actually believe that being pregnant made me a little bit dumber... IQ wise, than I was before.  I was still in college when I had my first, and school was much harder for me after I got prego, and it was harder for me to retain info, and I attribute that to the fact that my blood was probably circulating more to my uterus and less to my brain.  And I'm not joking... I really believe that and it was even worse with the second one.  However... my hearing and smell is INSANE now... I mean off the charts!  I'd rather be smart than a good smeller, so that's a bad thing.

3.)  I have hella anxiety when it comes to bridges.... especially if they are over water and I'm not good with steep cliffs on the side of the road either.

4.)  I always harrass my mom that she's a packrat and that she needs to throw more things out instead of storing them... but then she'll make a pile of stuff to go to charity, and I'll take half of that pile home.... hmmmmm... how does that work?!  Who's calling who a packrat! LOL!

5.)  I majored in child development because I was a bartender while I was in college... and I never really wanted any other job... so I just figured that it would be a good thing to major in since I would some day probably use what I learned on my own kids.  And it turns out I was right.  So my degree is not worthless... my kids reap the benefits everyday.  I'm well aware of their cognative development, gross motor skills, and social/emotional limitations!  LOLOLOL!

6.)  I listen to that am radio show called Coast to Coast every once in awhile.  It's all about aliens and ghosts... and it TOTALLY freaks me out, so I can't listen to it very often, but if I'm really tired and I need to work, I can turn it on because then I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, so I can work longer.  Does that make ANY sense at all?!

7.)  I have a special place in my heart for Jimmy Buffet because my husband and mine's first date was to a Jimmy Buffet concert.  So here's to pencil thin mustaches, cheeseburgers in paradise... and my personal favorite... let's get drunk and screw.  (and I don't go to tanning beds anymore because I'm way toooo busy to be that vein anymore... but when I did, I always used to listen to a JB cd while I was in there.)

that's it!  I did this once before here... so that's really 13 wierd things I've listed about me (cause the first time I did it, it was only 6 wierd things :)  And now I get to tag some gals... so here goes!

Amy, Heidi,  comfits,  Cupcakes for Clara, Shannon,  MamaUrchin, and Lisa

you all probably thought I was going to tag Nicole huh... well I know she won't do it... so next time.  LOL!

Crafty Updates

So you all know that I'm going to be at bizarre bazaar this weekend right?!  If you can come by and say hi, please do!!!

I really needed some stuff for my table that is more than just 100 dollar bears.  So I made these little keychains the other night.  They were really fun to make.  I drew the images, scanned them into my puter, then printed them on muslin.  I used cute kitchy fabrics for the backs and matchy ribbons, then added key rings.  Some of them even have glitter on them.  I don't know if they will sell or not ($4 ea) but I really had a good time making them, and I like them, so either way, I'm cool with it :)

Here's the back of the little teddy bear one above.  There are teddy bears, little swappy girls, and hearts with wings.

Oh... and update on the stamps... I did order some rubber stamps and hope to have them by the first of next week.  I'll post here when they arrive and probably put them in my etsy shop which is hugely neglected right now.  (that was a lot of info for one sentence huh!)

These little 5" bunnies are hybrids.  They are half mohair and half really cute cotton.  I made a bunch of them for the show, but if any of you want one before I leave, shoot me an email and I'd be happy to oblige :)  The picture doesn't really do them justice... but I was so tired last night, it was the best I could do.  Only 4 more sleepless nights left, and then baz biz will be here, and there will be nothing more I can do.  LOL.

And finally, meet Molly... she has the perfect head tilt.  She reminds me of a  dog that is looking at you trying to figure out what you are saying in your happy voice!  Her little neckerchief is reversible.  She really is just so cute.  I love her little claws too.  She's going to be hard to part with.  I put more pictures in my flickr too.  I seriously have to get back to work now ... and I probably won't be back to post til AFTER the show.  But when I come back... I promise that tutorial I promised you last week... lol.  And I'll put some card ideas, and a more detailed tut of the keychains, so you can see what to do with the rubber stamps, I'll be sellin :)

Feelin' Swappy

I signed up for another swap :)  You can too!  Just go here.

THis one is going to be really fun... I already have a million ideas!

And softie swap ships tomorrow... but I may have to beg another day from my partner... I got all the goodies to go in the box, but I just need another day to finish the softie!