what does the future hold

EEEECK - I have been on a huge hiatus. In my personal life I have been through a whirlwind. We decided in April to sell our house. It sold in May. I had major back surgery on June 10th. My family moved in with my mother last week and we closed on our old house this morning. We close on the new house tomorrow and renovations begin. All this to say I AM GETTING MY VERY OWN SCRAPBOOKING ROOM!!! Whew! I thought I'd never see the day! YIPEEEE!!!

Now the dilemma begins - what to buy to make it my own beautiful space....hmmm...leave me a comment if you have a suggestion.

wait a minute, you mean this wasn't just a dream?!?

My husband says I dream the biggest dreams. The problem is sometimes they are just not realistic. I do tend to let my mind wander into the world of imagination, creativity, and just plain over the top adventures. In November my dear friend Cyn introduced me to the world of altered art. Since then I have dove straight in and well, actually created a business centered around it. After several conversations, lots of prayer, many nights of sleeplessness, and times of doubt, I decided to go forward with my dream - even one more step. I rented space at the Old Town Gift Emporium in down town Kyle. It is a neat little shop filled with lots of unique and diverse things. This past Friday it became a reality. Myself, my dear friend Alison, and my mom set up shop. It was overwhelming, scary, nerve wrecking, and most of all EXCITING!!!

I hope you will stop by and visit the booth. Leave me a comment here and let me know what you think!

come on baby, let's do the twist...

In an interesting turn of events I was informed today that I can still keep my scrapbooking business as well as this venture I am taking on. This weekend is a huge milestone for me. I am setting up my store front at the Old Town Emporium in downtown Kyle. I hope you will check it out if you are in town. Within just a few weeks I will officially launch the website and it will be a new huge chapter in my life. This week Lucas is out of town skiing so I hope to have a lot of time to create! If you are reading send me some feedback and let me know what you would like to see altered next.

time sure does fly!!!

I had high hopes for this weekend. I got a new desk for my scrapbook room (my closet) and I am so excited about it. I just knew I would finish organizing it and that it would give me ample time to finish a lot of products that still need a little touch ups. Boy, was I wrong. I didn't even start on the project...maybe because I didn't even finish the desk. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. This week I am heading to the Emporium to set up some of my inventory. In addition to my hand crafted items I will also have bags from Thirty One that are monogrammed with the two local high school slogans. I am sure that will be a huge draw. Stop by the Emporium - if you make a purchase let me know and I'll give you a free coaster album just for your loyalty. See you there!

what a cool gift!

I have always had a hard time shopping for kids' birthdays. I mean, we buy our kids what we want them to have and for the most part I find it very difficult to know what another kids wants/needs. I was so excited when I got the idea to make embellished words for a few of Logan's friends. The first one up was a bit of a challenge...you see, Cameron turned 5 and he LOVES Batman...so...here is what I came up with:

it's a dog eat dog world!

It's time to start preparing for the biggest little dog gathering in the world! The Buda Wiener Dog Races are heading our way and that means thousands of chihuahuas and their owners will descend on this area. One thing we should all know about dog lovers - they consider their pets family and sometimes the four legged companions get treat better than the two legged kind! If Buster wants a new collar - Buster gets a new collar. If FiFi needs an upgraded stroller - out with last years model it it! Last year my booth generated a good bit of traffic. This year I plan to take it up a notch. That means I have all four paws in the mod podge (paws, oh man, I crack me up) I am busy making every kind of pet themed item you can imagine. The only problem is I just ran out of adhesive...I'll post pictures tomorrow!

spending a day of love doing what I love...

Today is Valentine's Day. My dear sweet husband planned a very romantic day. We had reservations at Kobe (japanese steakhouse) and went to a movie...the best part?!? In between the two he let me sneak in to buy some paper to finish up a few projects. I am hoping to have a wide array of products ready for the official website launch.

In addition, we had a wonderful converstation about renting workshop space. He's not totally on board but at least he wearing a life jacket! Hang on it's bound to be a fun ride!!!

it just keeps getting better!!!

I want to start by thanking each of you that has been so supportive during this journey. Many of my friends and customers are eagerly calling awaiting the launch. It won't be long. In the meantime I want to show you some of the exciting new product that I have gotten. I am fast and furiously getting things altered. For now...here's a sneak peak...I want to start by thanking each of you that has been so supportive during this journey. Many of my friends and customers are eagerly calling awaiting the launch. It won't be long. In the meantime I want to show you some of the exciting new product that I have gotten. I am fast and furiously getting things altered. For now...here's a sneak peak...

not enough hours in the day...

do you hear that? It is the sound of my mind spinning 110mph! A few of my wholesale orders have arrived and now I am fast and furiously putting samples together to post pictures here and to get the website shopping carts up and running. I have to say, I have gotten some amazing feedback. People are loving these things. This weekend one of my favorite products arrived - a crown chipboard album. I love it so much I have already ordered more. I hope to have enough products and samples to start the rental space next week. How exciting! Stay tuned...it's gonna be a fast ride...

the possibilities are endless...

I am so excited! I have heard back from many of my wholesalers and I am very happy to report there is a lot of good stuff on the way. I am working on some samples of each project and will post pictures as soon as I can.

Today is also the day that the website should launch - that is very exciting!

not exactly hallmark...

I have always loved personalized gifts! Nothing is better than a truly personalized card...who needs cookie cutter cards produced in mass when you can have something so unique. As an introduction to my personal digital services I am offering Valentine's cards made to your preference. The prices are as follows:

24 - 6"x4" valentines $8 (Additional valentines, packs of 10 for $3.00)

tick, tick, tick

The transition is so exciting! As I close down one business and open this new one I am anticipating the changes and looking forward to what the future holds. I have put in my application for a lease of a little boutique downtown. Fingers crossed there...I am gathering all info needed for wholesale accounts. It is a very exciting time. Hang on for the ride...

Word Album

Altering is still very new to me but I have fallen in love with the artform! I saw the cardboard word albums at my LSS and decided to try to create my own. With Christmas just around the corner I thought my SIL would love one so I set out to create. I used my Wishblade to cut the letters AUNT AMY in the cardboard that comes with my page refills. It wasn't as smooth as I had hoped it would be but I have since remedied that.Once I had the letters cut I decorated one by one. It was alot of fun embellishing them with stickles and the like. Once the album was complete it was a huge hit! Amy LOVES her album!!!
I will post other pictures of it later...but for now I have made the process easier and decided to create for others.
I charge $2.00 a letter to cut the album or $3.00 a letter if you want it decorated as well.These make a great gift!