My dear friend Anke softly reminded me that I haven’t been around here too much lately. My excuse is I’ve been continuing to post daily over at Merrier Shopping. I’m having fun writing about all things holiday, but I’m not going to lie. Daily posting including weekends is quite a job. Especially when you strive to make every post interesting by throwing in tutorials and illustrations to boot. If you didn’t follow me over, here’s a roundup of some past craft and recipe posts that I don’t want you to miss:

1) Glittered toy ornaments; 2) Chalkboard placeholders and acorn napkin holders; 3) Baked apples with cranberries; 4) Dressed-up Peanut Butter Cookies

Today, I resorted to letting my cat write the post. I may have lost it.Until I can hire an assistant, the felines of the family need to be on high alert as they could be called into service at any second. I really need to teach them how to work my Etsy shop..tons of new prints to load. Or maybe I should give up on sleeping…hmmmm….

While I mull it over, I promise to come around here more often now that I know someone is paying attention. Thanks Anke!

My holiday blog job has been keeping me busy to say the least. I’ve been posting over there daily since November 1st. This weekend, I’ve added two tutorials that my like-minded, creative friends might enjoy. You can make my original JOY potholder by clicking here.

You can also check out my step-by-step recipe for Rocky Road Bark candy by clicking here.

This week, I’m looking forward to meeting my GGP friends (sponsors of the Merrier Shopping blog) in person. We’ve been chatting over the phone and by e-mail for over a month so it will be great to connect with actual faces. And I hear there will be press involved. Pray for a good hair day. Thanks for visiting this site and my holiday blog. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support through the comments and the warm e-mails sent my way. Thank you! : )

Those of you who have been hanging out here for awhile might recognize my Thankful Checklist placemat. I originally created this for my kids to color and check on Thanksgiving day while the turkey was roasting. I wanted to make sure they really understood why we celebrated the holiday. Sure we tell our kids constantly that they have lots to be thankful for—health, a roof over their heads, food on the table—but there is so much more. Even us adults sometimes need to be reminded how awesome “a cozy blankie” really is.

 

Family Fun magazine included my Thankful checklist placemats in the latest issue.  Click here to print out the first version and here to print out the second. (intended for private use only please.)

Here’s the latest version I created for this Thanksgiving, but perfect for any day of the year. And if you don’t check brussels sprouts that’s okay. I’m more of a french fry girl myself.

A couple of posts back, I alluded to big new of some sort. Well here it is. Last month, I entered a contest that called my name. GGP (General Growth Properties…owner/developers of about 200 shopping malls across the country) were looking for a creative sort to write a daily blog about all things holiday from November 1st until December 31st. I was having one of those days with an extra hour or two (kind of like here) and thought,  “sure, why not?” I went to work on all the submission material they requested and the rest is history. You can read more on the Merrier Shopping blog were I’ll be writing every day until the new year.

You’ll want to check it out as I’ve come up with a binder system to organize the holidays with free printables for gift lists, baking and more. I’ll also have holiday related posts including gift ideas, crafts, recipe exchanges, fabulous giveaways and stress checks to keep the season merry.

Just so you know, I’ll still be posting over here too. Certainly not “daily posting” unless my cloning machine comes back from the repair shop. I have no idea what’s taking them so long.

I seriously love autumn. If I had my way, these leaves would be red, orange and yellow all year long. Even an extension of the season would be nice. Trade ya for a couple months of winter’s gray skies and bare branches?? Just a thought.

And then there’s the mums. I’m partial to purplish/redish types, but I’m fond of all varieties. These days I have lots of work to get accomplished so making myself pop out the front door every once in awhile (and not just to drive the kid shuttle bus) is high priority. Enjoy this colorful season.

…but there’s something about a Mom that cozies up a home. This piece of mixed media art plays off the current week’s prompt (old- fashioned) over at Illustration Friday.

Along with using vintage trim, lace and buttons, I copied my Mom’s recipes onto transparency film. Then I adhered the film to the canvas with a thin coat of matte medium. I added paint and inks to further incorporate the recipes into the piece. One of my very favorite ingredients to instantly age any piece is Jim Holtz Distress Ink in vintage photo. And speaking of old-fashioned life, our dishwasher is finally all better and thus my appreciation for modern conveniences even greater. I can cook and bake once again.

This past weekend, I actually cleaned out and organized my studio. The art, craft, sewing, etc. supplies were getting way out of control. Here’s evidence. I admit I have never knitted, crocheted, spun or weaved or done anything with yarn in the past five ten twenty years. So why does one have mountains of yarn? I think it’s the colors and the textures that get me. I fantasy about knitting mittens…surely some day I will be a mitten knitter. Until then, I forced myself to condense my stash to what could fit in this metal bin. Notice it’s squeezed in pretty tight. That self is one tricky gal. You can only imagine how the rest of the studio clean out went. I will say things are looking better than before. And if you happen to spot me in Michaels or some other craft or sewing store, please order me to drop the basket and go home immediately.

Somewhere in between design projects, website redesign (yes, it finally is coming soon!), end-of-school madness and pursuing several art opportunities, I found time to do a little shopping. Imagine that. My friend Robin has a completely gorgeous etsy shop called Well of Creations. She crochets one-of-a-kind pieces including totes, yoga mat bags, wrist cuffs, headbands and the most charming business card/coin holders like the one you see above (that’s mine, but I bet Robin would make you one like it if you asked nice ; ) Many of her items feature personal touches like that hand painted flower patch.

Check out Robin’s shop and tell me she doesn’t have an eye for rich and unique color combinations. I’m ready to purchase a yoga mat and carry it to my pretend yoga class, just so I can buy this bag for it.

We’re especially loving the flower headbands. They tie in the back so one size really does fit all.

Finding a headband that stays put and fits plus “is comfy/doesn’t itch/bother my head/looks stylish and cool” is truly a challenge so these were pretty exciting finds.

Robin is also sponsoring a fundraiser. All proceeds from her wrist cuffs go to educating impoverished girls in India. She’s been featured on the msnbc news feed here.

Just in case you needed another excuse to shop.

These days I’m really busy. Busy with more work and projects and ventures than I’ve had for awhile. And that’s saying a lot. I could easily let myself drown if I’m not careful. But today I woke up and stubbornly decided that work or no work, I was not going to miss strawberry season. So the girls and I took off for the pick-it-yourself field right after they rubbed the sleep from their eyes.

Don’t take that title literally. I would eat worms before I ever personally drove through the heart of New York City. I’m talking about learning to drive with an art license. Surtex has been forever on my radar as the place to go to figure out the business and put my big foot in the door. While I didn’t feel ready to exhibit/invest in a $4000 booth, I did think that it was time to see the show and take in the entire conference program to better educate myself. So I made the plunge and spent the past three days learning everything I could. Art licensing was a hazy, intimidating subject to me only months ago. Now that world is suddenly becoming clear. I made several excellent contacts and I can say with some certainty that my career is ready to take some exciting turns (not without hard work, but I’m feeling ready.)