year 4

happy 4 year blogiversary to me!

lol

golly whiz i have been slaaaaacking 

on the blog lately!

i just read last year's blogiversary post 

and LOL cuz i surely did not make 

much progress blog-wise.

gosh i even took more breaks from 

this blog than i ever expected.

and guess what?

even though it was hard at first, 

it's now soooo freeing!!!

i mean, i love love love to create but 

i was getting into a blog rut where i was 

 forcing myself to make something just for 

 the blog and thus it took away some 

of the joy out of it, not to mention 

time away from my family.

and that was the last reason i wanted to do 

a blog in the first place...i just wanted 
to get joy out of it and pass it on.

but blogging is actually serious business. 

it's serious crafting and serious creativity.

but seriously.

sometimes serious is not that fun 

when it is forced so i am no longer  

putting unneeded stress on myself to make 

2 posts a week like i did.

from now on, i am blogging whenever 

and whatever needs to be shared,

about ideas that i make come alive 

outta my silly strange head.

jeepers, 

i wonder where this blog will take me now?...

unnecessary necessary things

wow. 

it's been eons ago that i posted anything in the "spent?" or "shine" category on this blog.

i was going to do another craft tutorial but decided that i had to share these latest finds with you.

but first understand that i realize i am above and beyond the kiddie age, 

and these picks are certainly not anything sophisticated, 

however i am choosing them anyway and celebrating 

my inner child.

 cuz dang i think we get ripped off only having 17 years of childhood and 

the. rest. of. your. life. being. an. adult.

oh how depressing.

exact opposite of these finds.

first up,

check out these packages.

gift wrap to die for

SQUEEEE is all i could think.

i dunno why it took me so long to discover these.

oh yeah, now i know. 

it's cuz i subscribe to 99,000 blogs and this post from handmade charlotte is one i must've missed.

thank goodness i found 'em this time cuz you could put a dead rat in this and i would still love it foreva.

speaking of love, are you familiar with joy?

she wrote this book:

which has crafts like this:

 and instructions on how to make food look faaab-u-lous 

like this:

(pics from amazon here)

now lemme tell you something.

i have a gigundo amount of art/craft/baking books and 

THIS book rates #1 in my eyes.

i have never been so excited to read a book cover to cover that did not involve a story in my life.

seriously.

every page is different, every layout is different and 

every page i love.

heck i even wrote a review and i NEVER wrote a 

5 star amazon review on anything, 

but this one got me crazy compelled to share.

get the book for pure inspiration.

you won't be sorry.

ok next up.

did you hear target is gonna sell lilly starting the 19th?

#holycrapmywallet'sempty

i can't figure out if i should,

a. do finger exercises to strengthen my fingers when i click click click on everything at midnite on April 19th on the target website when the sale goes live

b. skip grocery shopping for a week to save money so i can afford everything i want.

(i mean, my family had dinner every. night. this week.

isn't that enough?)

c. invest in a very large cane so i can bring it with me when i stand outside the target doors before they open at 8am just in case someone should get too close to me when i charge for the items.

heck i think i'll choose option d. which is all of the above

in the meantime, i'm gonna keep staring at all of eva's creations.

i found her on handmade charlotte again and then clicked over to her misako mimoko site where i proceeded to spend endless hours trying to calm myself from all the giddiness i was feeling. 

then i found this giant thing.

which i plan to skip a month's grocery shopping so i can fill my entire house with it when i shop at the lark store.

cuz who needs furniture anyway?

then once i get all of them stuffed into my house,

all i'll need is this:

what you don't think this is absolutely necessary?

it comes with the candy included.

so that's it for now.

if you need me i'll be eating a sprinkle donut and playing hopscotch.

(dang these stupid hot flashes i keep having...!)

happy stars and stripes day!

well today's the day for red white and blue!

let's get into the spirit eh?

USA! USA!

source

you didn't forget right?

source

here's hoping all your 4th of july sights will be beautiful.
 

source

just remember to do this:

source

and ignore the kids (or hubby) when you tell them to 

BE CAREFUL with the fireworks!

source

heehee

happy 4th everybody!

my writing process: BLOG TOUR

hi guys!

today i am doing something a little different. 

i am participating in what's called a 

MY WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR 

which basically is a "tag-you're-it" kinda post to get to know what's behind some of the writing process on a blog.

i was lucky enough to be asked by Holly, the brilliance behind the uplifting and courageous blog,

the coconuthead survival guide

i LOVE her outlook on life and how adversity has made her into a powerful, strong, and inspirational woman who can uplift not only those with cancer, but all of us.

she is also the author of 2 books where she shows her brilliance!

wowza! :)

so if you are in need of encouragement or just want something to uplift you, go check her out here.

in the meantime, i guess it's my turn to 

answer the blog tour questions.

What Am I Working On?

laundry laundry and more laundry.

source

so i am trying to talk my family into joining a nudist camp so this eliminates a lot of my time washing, drying and folding clothes not to mention putting it away since no one knows where their closet and drawers are in their room, thereby giving me more time for crafts.

ahem!

oopsies-sorry i got a little carried away with that. i am supposed to be talking about my BLOG and WRITING!

ok...redo.

currently i am working on a graduation party for one of my closest friend's son, attempting to clean my hurricane decorated craft room, and also making some summer food and crafts for an end of year party at work.

but for my brain, it never stops.

like NEVER!

it has been known several times to wake me up in the middle of the night and give me ideas i never knew existed. then upon my waking hours i resort to the craft room or kitchen and start making stuff like a craft zombie who can't get enough.

in dreamland, i am writing my 5th craft book, only second to martha stewart, and creating new episodes for my tv craft show that has all the colors of the rainbow and those in between found in an overabundance of craft supplies in an outrageously organized room. 

and

my kids and hubby are wearing whatever they want cuz they have their own personal laundry lady and it's not me.

How Does My Work Differ From Other of its Genre?

i get bored when it comes to crafts. 

source

meaning i take what i see and try to make something different from it. i don't know why my mind wanders elsewhere when i see something i like, sometimes i wonder why i just can't make things simple, but i guess that's not me.

and once in awhile i post a recipe but that has to be a 7 out of 5 stars for me to do that.

as far as crafting with hot glue or candy glue, i get all giddy and childlike when i make stuff that's never been seen or ever made before. i like to keep things fresh and exciting when it comes to making stuff. 

seems the more i create, the more ideas i get and the more fun we have around here. i want people to get excited and do a "whoop whoop!" when they see me in their inbox. well, ok maybe not to that extent but i do want people to be excited.  
i never intended for this blog to be 95% tutorials but it just ended up being that way. i don't write too much about my personal life cuz i'm just a private person i guess. 
i don't like to write a lot about work and family stuff-this blog is totally for FUN. period.

Why Do I Write What I Do?

therapy.

life's hard man and in my line of profession, nursing comes with a lot of heartache and stress. i've been doing it for the last 29 years and i needed some FUN! 

good clean fun.

i've been making stuff since i was ant high so i guess it's just in my blood. you know that saying 

"do what you love, love what you do?" 

source

well that's why i blog. 

and as far as nursing goes, that's another story i will spare you.

How Does Your Writing Process Work?

no clue. duh. or is it

source

that's just it. i create in the craft room or kitchen, take pics, and then sit down to write and edit the pics with no clue how it is going to come together. i think that is due to time constraints and the demands of family and career life that give me no choice to think about the how, what, where and when of writing beforehand. there are many times i shake my head at myself and ask where all the insanity comes from. but that's what makes it cool y'know? it's the one time that "get-all-my-ducks-in-a-row-OCD-organizer-planner-type-A-personality self" can actually relax and be spontaneous! 
i also write the post, let it sit for a day and come back to read it. if i don't laugh at myself or find something that will inspire others, i delete it and start over. 
yup, i'm anal like that.

Who’s Next?

it's Cindy of 
Little Miss Celebration!

ok can i tell you about this lady a sec?

i discovered her blog recently and it was LOVE at first sight! i mean, all you have to do is read the title of her blog and if you love celebrating, then this is the place to go.

she's got crafting, baking, beauty tips, and more! Cindy's projects always seem so bright and cheery to me :)

here's just a sample of her awesomeness:

spring pom-pom topiaries

santa face door hanger reinvented

caramel pecan milkshake shooters in chocolate cups

lemon-lime curd in sugared wonton cups

map your skin care needs before you buy products

see what i mean?

you're in love too right?!

so go check her out here at Little Miss Celebration and 

show her some love!

ok so for me, i guess that's it in a nutshell. i basically gave you no clue about my writing process since 

i am clearly clueless myself.

so i guess you gotta keep coming back to see if i ever get a clue and i will keep heading off to craft land in my kitchen or hurricane room and keep doing what i love.

source

here's to soul feeding.

on being a mom

oh my gosh you guys i have been trying to create something for mom's day only to come up with failure after failure.

these are suppose to be flower chips taken from an idea i saw here.

i was insistent on making them.

but when they came out of the oven, and looked like they were dying, i thought, 
"hmm...i'll make them into plain colored chips."

 so i did and they came out of the oven looking 
like dead petals.  

"ok...i'll make them BIG chips."

so they came out of the oven 
looking like flat cakes instead of chips.

flimsy soft chips.

then i got to thinking, why the heck am i SOOOOO determined to make a post about another food craft? while all the while something in the back of my mind said it was time to write about being a mom. 

so here goes.

being a mom.

means pulling your hair out right when you just got it styled and lookin' all pretty and 
every. piece. of. hair. is. in. place.

being a mom.

means finding treasures that make you hold your breath from smelling the green mold and squint your eyes so you won't clearly see the nastiness that has grown on the thermos cup that was in your kid's bedroom for God knows how long cuz you just found it.

source

being a mom.

means picking that pee-stained mattress cover in the middle of the night off the floor when you threw it down to change the bed at its wettest part before you toss it in the washing machine.

source

being a mom.

means 
helpingwithhomeworkdisciplinedatingadvice washingcookingbakingvacuumingdusting foldingpackinglunchesmonitoringsocialmedia

findingmeaningfulthingsforthekidstodoonweekends

cleaningoutclosetstellingthemitstimeforbed99milliontimes
canyoupleasewatchsomethingelseforachangeinsteadof
thatawfulshowandhowmanytimesdoihavetotellyoutobecareful 
itoldyousoitoldyousoitoldyouso
howmanytimesdoihavetotellyouitoldyousoalready

and and and and and...

source

forcing small sized dress shirts onto big sized bodies because you forgot to get a new one for the holidays and telling your child, "oh it looks just fine!"

source

being a mom.

source

being a mom makes it perfectly acceptable to whine and cry all day about how tired you are to other moms. plus its ok to consult without feeling like a failure.

source

being a mom means its ok to play deaf.

source

or actually want to go to work.

source

or not.

source

so here's hoping you get lots and lots of heavy duty clothespins today.

source

and make sure you tell your mom happy mother's day too cuz you know she has all the answers.

source

so here's to you, mom, and to your mom.

source

you smart woman you.

source

and here's hoping you're not doing this today:

source

so consider this your official excuse to take a nap. 
you'll need the energy to avoid craft fails.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
oh but give those sweet kids a kiss first.
you know you couldn't live without them.

happy mommy's day!