New Obsession?

Help...I think I have a new obsession! And it's Etsy Jewelry!!! Check out these super cool items I've received lately!

I received this pair of earrings from Jewelry Delicacies in her giveaway on her blog! Thanks so much...they are beautiful! (Sorry about the crappy photo...they are gorgeous...I just can't photograph well!)

And because I was a top commenter on Rose Works Jewelry's blog, I received a gift certificate for part of this awesome necklace! It matches the super cool earrings I received from her before :)

And my latest purchase is from Little Studio Jewels. This ring has it all...pink, purple, teal...and on a cool silver ring :) She has so many awesome rings...I may go broke just in her shop alone!!! And be sure to check out her blog today...you might see someone you recognize...wink, wink :)

So stop by all of these lovely ladies' shops and find your new obsession too!!!

Tasty Tomato Thursday (and peppers too!)

I finally got to eat something from my garden!!! I was so excited to walk out and see RED tomatoes on the vines!!! It seems like they've been on there forever, but just wouldn't turn red! I've gotten a total of 5 roma tomatoes and two banana peppers so far and am still waiting for my first large tomato to turn red!

First Harvest of the Season:

And look at all these peppers just waiting to be eaten!

And check out my Topsy-Turvy Tomato plant! I can't believe it's actually going to produce! They sure aren't very big plants, so we'll see how they turn out in the end, but there are several flowers and one little bud started! How exciting! (Sorry photo turned out bad, so I had to edit a little so you could see the bud.)

I'd forgotten how big and crazy tomato plants get...this is only 2 plants right here!

I can't wait to sink my teeth into a BLT as soon as those large tomatoes are ready!!!

Wordless Wednesday-Relaxin'

Now On ArtFire!!!

So...you've been wondering why I haven't updated my Weekly Feature for the last couple of weeks huh? Well...I'd planned on announcing this last week...but you know how hectic things get from time to time!

So here it is...My New ArtFire Shop!!!

And as you can see now, my Weekly Feature has been replaced with an ArtFire Rapid Cart. I think this is a great promotional tool to have on a blog :) I love how you can feature more than one item...and buy them directly through my blog!

For now you'll see a lot of the same items in my ArtFire Shop as you do in my Etsy Shop, but I hope to change that in the future :)

So stop by and tell me what you think of the shop and ArtFire in general!

Maiden Voyage

When I got home from visiting my parents about a month ago, there was a new toy in our shed. One that Jesse had been wanting for a very long time. I came home to find...an Airboat :) In case you didn't know...Jesse is a complete motorhead, so this was a dream for him!

The boat ran, but needed some work. He did some tuning up to the motor and replaced a few parts. He did a lot of work to the hull including sanding it down to bare fiber glass, refiberglassing some cracks, painted it, and painted the floor so it wouldn't be slick. There are still a few things we would like to do to it, but for yesterday, we just wanted to see if it would float and make it up and down the river.

Here we are putting it in the water...hold your breath that it floats!

WooHoo...Success! It made it all the way to this sandbar where Jesse's brother, nephew, and some friends were. This is Jesse's super cute nephew posing on our boat :)

And check out our cool horn...lol!

It could use some more power...which I'm sure it will be getting. Remember the part about Jesse being a motorhead...he also loves power! Maybe a different motor, maybe a different prop...who knows! We were just thrilled it made it all day with no problems :)

Here we are leaving the sand bar headed back to the truck.

What a great day!

Happy Blogaversary Creating From The Heart

Melissa at Creating from the Heart is celebrating her 1 year blogaversary today...Happy Blogaversary Melissa!!!

And being that she is the queen of awesome giveaways...she is celebrating with a giveaway!!!

Up for grabs:

~ 1 Martha Stewart Drippy Goo Edger Punch

~ 1 October Afternoon Cherry Hill 8x8 Paper Pad

~ 1 Making Memories Slice 8x8 Ledger Pad

And are you read for this...

And to go along with the Slice Ledger Pad...how about a SLICE MACHINE!! Yup, a brand new Slice machine and starter kit!!

OMG...this is one AWESOME giveaway!!! Stop by and tell her Happy Blogaversary and enter for your chance to win this great prize pack!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday Dear MOM

Happy Birthday to you!!!

Happy Birthday to the World's Greatest Mom!!!

Just for Fun

I know, I know...I should have been working on my Custom Albums! But I got all this great fabric from TiLTToo and just couldn't help but play with it :) I've been looking for ways to use cool fabrics in my scrapbooking and what better way to do it than with a bag full of scraps!

Here's some of the fabrics I received:

And here's what I decided to make first:

• I covered two pieces of 4"x4" chipboard with fabric.
• I then took a piece of cardstock and made a spine by scoring it down the middle and attaching it to both pieces of the chipboard.

• Next I cut three sheets of paper to 3.5"x7", scored down the middle, and used my sewing machine to attach them at the score line.

• I then glued one piece to each side of the chipboard pieces.
• To cover everything up and make it look nice, I cut a piece of 3 7/8"x3 7/8" cardstock and glued it on the inside.

It turned out really cute! I hope to make more in the future and improve my technique. Expect to see different sizes and maybe even different shapes :) But I better get all my Custom Albums done first!!!

Wordless Wednesday-At the Fair

4-H Full-Circle

As many of you may already know, 4-H holds a special place in my heart. It is how I got started paper crafting and how I got to where I am today :) Thanks to my mom for getting me involved (and funding my crafting habits!) and to my aunt who was our leader!

I learned more than paper crafting at 4-H though, we did all kinds of crafting. Each month my aunt had a different project ready for us to make. She wanted us to make things throughout the year so we had projects to take to the fair. We also did fund-raising and volunteering to help give back to the community.

This year my 4-H involvement has gone full-circle. A couple of months ago I was asked to give a demonstration at a local 4-H meeting. I taught the girls how to make greeting cards and gave them some time to play with all the supplies I brought. It was fun watching them create just as I had done many years ago :)

And today I will be judging the historian book category at our county fair. I was proud that they thought of me and thought I would do a good job at this task :) I am fortunate to be able to give back to the organization that gave me so much :)

How did you get started crafting? Have you been able to give back to those that helped you along the way? It really is a great feeling :)

Recent Work

Because I'm not always able to add new items to my shop...I like to show you the Custom Albums I've been working on.

Here are the 4 most recent:

Are you a fan of my Custom Albums...Don't forget about my Christmas in July Sale!!!

Did you see my super cool slide show above this post? Thanks to TiLTCreations for helping me post it :)

Christmas in July Sale!!!

For those of you who've been thinking of getting some Custom Albums for Christmas gifts...you won't want to miss this deal!

•.,¸¸,:•:*¨¨* ETSY BLOGGERS STREET TEAM *¨¨*:•:,¸¸,.•*¨

¨*:•:,¸¸,.• CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!! •.,¸¸,:•:*¨¨*

I am offering an early bird special: 10% off all custom albums ordered as Christmas gifts. This is ONLY for albums that will be delivered in early December. Order anytime between now and July 31st to receive this discount.

Specify in notes to seller that this is for Christmas and wait for a revised invoice.

NO LIMIT on the number of albums you can order under this discount!!!

And it gets better...some of my EtsyBlogger team mates are also having sales!!!

**********************************************************************************

http://tamdoll.etsy.com/

Christmas in July Ribbon Sale see Xmas in July Ribbon Sale Section!

http://mysie.etsy.com/

It's Christmas in July!! All items in green or red have been marked down by 20%. Buy your Christmas presents now, or just splurge on yourself - I won't tell! Sale ends at midnight Sunday 7/26.

http://akeepersjackpot.etsy.com/

All Christmas and winter items have been moved into my CLEARANCE section. All Christmas items have been marked down 25% - 60% off - I'm practically giving the stuff away! As an added bonus, if you spend at least $25 in my shop I will give you free shipping (United States and territories only). Sale ends July 25th.

http://beadedtail.etsy.com/

We're celebrating Christmas in July by offering 15% off everything in our shop! Shipping is excluded however orders over $30 will have free shipping! Put "Christmas in July" in the notes to seller to receive your discount! Refunds will be given via PayPal.

http://lazytcrochet.etsy.com/

Summer Clearance Sale at LazyTcrochet.Etsy.com Stop and browse the Summer Sale Section and see what's new.

http://www.veryverdant.etsy.com/

Enjoy 20% off all items in The Christmas in July section and 15% off all other items in my shop. Also take advantage of free shipping to all locations inside the US and discounted shipping to all other locations.

http://kstreasures.etsy.com/

I'm doing 20% in my shop - all items already marked down!

http://roseworksjewelry.etsy.com/

***Christmas in July! Just check the section marked "Christmas in July" to find items for 20% off! ***

http://tiltcreations.etsy.com/

15% off all Non-Clearance items!

http://memoriesforlifesb.etsy.com/

An early bird special: 10% off all custom albums ordered for Christmas gifts. These are ONLY for custom albums that will be shipped in December.

http://spottedcowsoaps.etsy.com/

Everything in the Christmas in July section is 20% off. Prices have been adjusted to reflect this discount. Once an item sells out we won't be relisting. The quantity is exactly what we have in stock.

And stop by this thread to see others added later.

Wordless Wednesday-In My Own Backyard

Scrapbooking with Power Tools!

Yup...you heard me right...Power tools :) Hey, they make things easier for other parts of life...why not scrapbooking! Currently all of my Word and Name Albums are cut by hand with an Xacto knife! This is a very time consuming process and puts strain on my hands, elbows, shoulders and back! And I break knives left and right sometimes! So I recently bought a scroll saw :)

Meet my new toy...and hopefully my new best friend :)

My new workspace isn't exactly wonderful...but it will have to do. The saw puts off a lot of dust, so my scrap room was out of the question. I might paint a little space and hang some things on the wall just to make it more welcoming :) Here are some of my first attempts as using the saw. It will definitely take me some time and lots of practice before I can use it on my albums. But it will be well worth the effort! I have been trying different blades, different speeds, and practicing with different letter shapes.

Look at me go :) And I still have all of my fingers...so far!

My next step is to practice with inside letters like A's, B's, P's, R's, etc. I have to drill holes in the letters, take the blade out, put the blade through the drilled hole and cut from there! Yup...lots more practice! Here's to hoping this is my best investment yet :)

Weekly Feature...On Sale!!!

Okay, so you've seen this weekly feature before...but now it's On Sale!!! Doesn't get any better than that :) My 2009 Graduation Flip Flop Scrapbook Album is now on sale for only $15! That's 25% off!!! So snatch it quickly because it may not be around for long at this price :) Isn't this the cutest scrapbook you've ever seen!!! That's right! It's a scrapbook made out of a real pair of (new) flip flops! This album is such a great, unique way to showcase special graduation photos. The album is made using one pair of flip flops. There are 12 pages (five double sided/two single sided). Pages are hand cut out of chipboard and covered with patterned paper. There are 24 photo mats for you to place your photos. Pages are embellished with stickers, die cuts, paper flowers, brads, and other photo safe items. Album is bound with two ribbons. This album is perfect for photos from Preschool to PhD graduations and everything in between :) The embellishments in the album will work for them all! Happy Monday...and Happy Shopping :)

One Happy Girl :)

Yup...that's me this weekend...One Happy Girl :) Why, you ask?

First, I got my wholesale order delivered and payment received :) Huge weight lifted!

Then Friday morning I turned on the radio and listened for their giveaway to start...and WON TICKETS!!! I get to go see Lynyrd Skynyrd!!! I also got tickets to Barenaked Ladies, but will probably be giving them away to a cousin since we have a birthday party that evening. What a great way to start off the day!

I finished 6 more premade albums that I'll be taking with me to a party on Sunday. And got started on more custom albums I need to get made.

I also got my first treasury on Etsy! I was pretty excited about this too! And had to put my fave team in it: The EtsyBloggers :)

And to top it all off...I sold 4 more Custom Albums!!!

I wonder what today will bring :)

MiesMama-July Featured EtsyBlogger

Today I would like you to meet Becky of MiesMama...who happens to be our featured EtsyBlogger for the month of July :)

As most of my readers know...I recently got a hair cut and have been coveting all things for my hair...so these are my fave from her shop:

I am also lovin' this Circle Art because it has a cone flower on it...one of my favorite flowers :)

And this bag rocks! Heather Bailey fabrics are all the rage and there are several of them on this awesome bag!

So stop by her shop and find your favorite. And while you're out surfin' the web...stop by her lovely blog as well :)