a blog shower

My sweet friends Charlotte Lyons and Diane Wells have teamed up and are throwing a blog shower to help us get ready for our little friends. Isn't that so nice?

If you are interested in joining in the fun, please email Charlotte or Diane. CLyonsWeb@aol.com or DWells@awhimsicalgarden.com

ikea shopping list

After cpr and first aid training tomorrow, we are heading to Ikea to pick up a few things for the room....

goody goody gumdrups!

Just take a gander at this bounty of booty I got in the mail yesterday. Isn't it an absolute treat for the eyes?

This is just my kind of fun...I could spend hours just looking at each piece and dreaming up some kind of project for it. If this is your cup of tea too, just head on over to here and you'll have more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

hey!

How do you like this new picture of me? It was taken by Kim Haynes at Silver Bella. She's so sweet and easygoing. Can you believe this...she squeezed me in by doing this photoshoot at 7:30 am Sunday, just before she hit the road to go back home. How wonderful is that?

I was feeling just a bit under the weather today...you know that kind of under the weather that just so happens every 28 days or so. So, instead of running around and doing very much physical work today, I've been perched here by the fireplace, eating cinnamon toast and drinking hot tea and working on my website. I decided to change the frontpage to go directly into what was the "shop" page. It just makes more sense to cut to the chase.

I also made illustrations for all the categories...


Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a little more back to normal because geezy pete, I have a whole lot to do. Just thinking of it all makes me tired.

just in...

Isn't this wonderful? My friend Wendy made this ornament for a swap at Silver Bella. When I saw it, I fell in love and knew I must share it with you. She made just a few...find them here.



Here are some other things that just arrived this week...

Wonderful tokens for easy and quick gift giving...


Something sweet...



Find all these new things here.

how the paper houses are made...

Hello, friends. Want to know how I made the houses?

I used scrapbook paper and cut the shapes out freehand...a rectangle for the house bottom, a triangle for the roof, a small rectangle for the door, squares for the windows, etc. I glued all of the small pieces to the house base (house bottom + roof) using a glue stick. Once all the pieces were secure, I outlined the bits using a charcoal pencil. I sprayed a fixative to seal the charcoal (otherwise it smears everywhere and makes a big mess). Then I put the whole house through my Xyron sticker maker using a repositionable cartridge. That way they are easily moved around or even removed, if need be.

I stuck them to the wall and Ta-DaH!

This is definitely a project the children can help with. I used lots of different papers but I especially love the Small Wonders collection from Brenda Walton. This is a great way to use up scraps, too.

Another idea is to make the doors and shutters openable and put real pictures in the doors and windows.

the room, part two

Here's part two...houses!

I was totally inspired by Catherine's fabulous house paintings...see them here.

















I wanted it to feel like walking into a storybook. I was going to keep adding houses all around but Rich had a better idea. He envisioned some of the hills with kids flying kites and tossing balls and having lots of fun. He said that way the children can imagine that the pictures are of them. I love it!

We had our physicals yesterday, complete with flu shots and a tb test. On Saturday we'll get our cpr and first aid training, and then head over to Ikea to get the bedding and accessories. We're shooting to be ready by the first of the year, but, at this rate, it might be a lot sooner!

the room, part one

I just finished painting the room and here's how it looks.

I'll be back later this afternoon...I have to run off to an appointment now.

paint

I woke up bright and early and got to work right away. I've already gotten all the orders to go out today packed up and ready to be picked up. The rest of the day is all clear for painting.

I'm going to dash out now to buy the paint. I never fret too much about paint color. I know I should but I just usually eye it and hope for the best.

Hopefully I'll have photos to show you this afternoon.

gingerbreadland

We made our gingerbread houses on Friday. It was a lot of sticky fun. Maggie and Seth ate more candy than they stuck to their houses. The frosting was tricky...it was either too thin or too thick and a few times the whole houses collapsed. The kit that came with a foundation (from Target) ended up being the easiest to build.

Hope you're having a lovely Sunday. I'm taking it easy now but I think later I'll prep the room for painting. Maybe. 'Though this fire feels so nice and it's been a while since I've read more than a chapter at a time of my book.

gobble gobble

The tables are set...the turkey is in its salt bath, the oven is preheating, cups upon cups of homemade turkey broth are waiting to be used. One by one, I'll tackle each recipe.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is full of reminders a'plenty of God's blessings.

wolfgang, don't let me down

I went to the grocery store at 8 am and was very pleasantly surprised. No long lines. No pushing and shoving. Just happy shoppers like me, quietly checking off their list and filling their carts to the brim.

I just finished making the brine solution and all I have to say is Wolfgang, baby, please don't let me down.

Let me tell you what I mean. This recipe has copious amounts of honey, maple syrup, cloves, peppercorns. 24 ounces each of honey and maple syrup! A half ounce of ground cloves?! My whole house smells so much like cloves right now.

I'm not complaining...but I am worrying. Thus my plea to Wolfgang Puck. I hope he knows what he's talking about with this recipe.

While I wait for the brine solution to cool to room temperature, I'm going to head back out for some specialty ingredients, including Kahlua for the sweet potatoes and chestnuts for the dressing.

Oh, and did I tell you that tomorrow is Seth's birthday??! The little turkey was born on Thanksgiving day so it's extra special that it's happened again. He's a little under the weather (nearly walking pneumonia, according to the doctor this morning!) but that hasn't dampened his excitement at turning 6. We practiced it a few times..."How old are you, Seth?" "6!!!!!!!!!"

I'll see him on Friday. We are making gingerbread houses. Everytime I talk to him he has a new bright idea. Today it was chewing gum. He's going to roll it up and make a doorknob with it.

I have a feeling, knowing Seth, he is going to eat more candy than decorate his house with it. But I also know he'll have bigtime fun with it. My mother, Maggie, and I are also making gingerbread houses...a veritable neighborhood of gingerbread!

a get together

Tuesday already? How can that be?

My friend Lesley stayed with us this weekend while she attended a nearby show. She'd mentioned Friday how she tried to connect the year before with Hope. With very little notice at all, Hope hopped over Saturday night for dinner at Whole Foods, followed by dessert at my house. We talked and talked and talked. It was very therapeutic and honest and nice.


From left to right: Hope, me, Lesley

This morning I have to get a few orders out, finish up some projects, and then prepare for Thanksgiving. The last count was just under 20, most of them wee folks. I'm going to brine the turkey and I feel the need to review a few things such as timing.

I also need to move the tables in place and set them. I think we'll be able to seat everyone with just the dining table and kitchen table, both with all the available leaves to extend them fully.

Oh, and I haven't gone grocery shopping yet. I know...I'm crazy. Truly I think it's a matter of being in denial.

making room

Here comes the fun part!

We need to get the room ready for our little friends who will be coming to live here. There are a few challenges...1. the room is not large 2. the room needs to be appropriate for girls and boys, infants through 7 years old! 3. we have a budget of just $800 for decorations, furniture, paint, etc.

First of all, geez louise are cribs ever expensive!!? I would love to be able to get a beautiful crib from PB kids but holy moly people...$2000 for a crib?! We're looking into the possibility of a hand-me-down. Otherwise, I think we found a nice alternative.

I picked up a fabulous antique twin bed from my friends at the cottage for the rock bottom price of $50. (I'm not counting that in the budget since I bought it last month, before the budget was established. Cheating, I know. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!) My sweet friend Linda is painting it for me a nice antique white. It is a 4 poster bed that's missing its finials. I'm going to find some cute wooden birds to paint the same color as the bed to make fun and funky finials.



The photo above sparked the whole plan for the room. It's from the fabulous Red Shoes.

And here's what we are putting together for the plan. All of the house paintings are made by the very talented Catherine of Red Shoes. Most everything else is from Ikea. Oh, but the last photo is also from Red Shoes.

If you live in Ann Arbor, you are the luckiest girl in the world. Especially today since today is the day Red Shoes has its open house. Go! Experience it for all us poor souls who live too far away.

thank you

It's a drizzly morning, dark and calm and sleepy. I have a lot of work ahead of me today putting my house back together after pretty much ignoring it for weeks on end.

My sweet friend Lesley is staying with us this weekend while she does a show in town. She is such a very gentle spirit. Spending time with her is like journeying back in time. Truly.

Anyway, I can't let her see the house like it is, with stuff strewn all over the place. I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of things this week. Every day so far I've planned to tidy up a bit in preparation for Lesley's visit. And here it is the day before she arrives...I've painted myself into a corner.

I do want to take another moment to thank you so much for your response to our news about being foster parents. You've reaffirmed it for us. We especially love the comments that tell firsthand how being a good foster parent makes a difference in a child's life.

All along this journey, deciding whether we should or not, I kept saying to God "if this is what you want me to do, please show me." You wouldn't believe the affirming signs he's posted along the way. I count you among those signs.

Thank you, dear friends.

playclothes!

First of all, thank you my friends for all your very kind and warm encouragement. We are really excited about making a home for children who need it most. I'll definitely keep you posted.

Secondly, I wanted to announce that I've added the playclothes to the site.

My sweet friend Cindy worked for weeks on these, sewing and snipping and adding beautiful details. Click here to see the collection.

I decided to separate the tee shirts from the pants because of a little bit of a size discrepancy. The shirts run quite a bit on the small side while the pants are cut extra generous. If you buy both a shirt and a muu-muu, please use this coupon to get a discount: mymuumuu1

If you purchased a pair of muu-muus at SilverBella and there's a problem with sizing, just let me know, will ya?

something big

I don't think I've ever come right out and shared with you that Rich and I are not able to have children. It has taken nearly 10 years of us trying, both with and without medical help, to realize this fully. And it has truly been the single hardship in our life together.

At first we grieved it like a death. Well, in a way it was the death of a dream. The dream of seeing Rich's freckles and all the charm of his smile and his kindness in a little miniature version of him. Or a little curly haired curious and strange little version of me with a smile that is entirely too large for her face.

It's still very sad to think of that dream. But it's been a while and the sharp edges of it have dulled a bit.

The big news we want to share is that we are getting busy with building a family in a nontraditional way. Rich and I are preparing to be foster parents.

It's a long process, filled with social workers and home visits and preparing a room that'll feel like home even when home is not as safe as it should be. We also need to prepare ourselves emotionally and mentally. This is no small thing.

The most wonderful part of this whole process has been the acceptance that this is what we are meant to do. It makes sense of our infertility. Something that once seemed so unfair, so cruel now serves as the gateway to this new life that we would not have otherwise chosen.

Our mission will be to love each child as if they were ours, give them a loving home, be steady and gentle, and care for them for as long as they are here. Sometimes it might be days. For others it might be years.

Your heart would break wide open if you heard some of the stories of what these children have lived through. I don't know what this big new adventure will mean for this blog or my online store. I'm certain that there will be some changes.

When I was explaining to my nephew Seth about it he said "I t'ink you should get one about 3 years old, Amy." "Why's that?" "I can teach him to ride a bike!"

Later on that week, he asks my sister if he could teach her little Maggie to ride a bike. "Oh Maggie is still a little young to ride a big bike" she said. "She's happy on her tricycle" To which he replies "Well Amy's going to let me teach her little boy how to ride a bike!"

more?

yes, indeedy. I'm not sure I'll get more charm bracelets in before the holidays so grab 'em while you can. Here.

Oh, and there is still one more glitter house left. You want it?

It's one of my very favorites, actually. I love the vintage lead figure of the woman with the umbrella. She's actually worth a pretty penny.

giddy

I am still so giddy from this weekend. And all this giddiness is fueling my work. I fixed up my website yet again, using graphics my sweet friend and doodad fairy mo sent me. Plus I added a few new things to the site...

2 new fragrances



Plus, more The Birthday Girl is in stock.



Click here to order any of the fragrances.

Since the patent for my smellovision is still pending, if you'd like to smell the fragrances for yourself, just let me know when you place your order and I'll add some scented shredded paper to your wrappings.


Also just added to the site...new CHARM BRACELETS! I know that announcement sparked a frenzy of excitement in your heart...here they are...








If you are so inclined, click here to order.

for sale

These little pieces of real estate are now available. Click here to order.

happiness hangover

It's amazing how such a wonderful weekend can spill over into monday, making things that are slightly bad seem not so much so. For instance, your husband washing the shirt and pants the scarecrow wore with the straw still stuffed in them thus breaking your washing machine. I didn't like that old washing machine anyway. Oh, and finding out just a week and a half beforehand that you are hosting Thanksgiving for your husband's family, serving at least 20 people. The more the merrier! And finally, while unpacking your goodies from the weekend, discovering that the perfume you were selling leaked out. Gee, the house smells nice.

Good news for you, some houses are coming up. Ready?

ciao bellas!

The bellas have left Omaha with a cloud of glitter in our wake.

Silver Bella was the most amazing weekend of my life! I met lots of really wonderful people. Made tons of fun things. Sold almost everything I brought. Slept almost not at all.

The picture above is of all the rockstar instructors at the end of the very last class.

I really hated to say goodbye...in fact, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to very many.

I took almost no pictures but here are two I found on my camera from vendor night.

This incredibly sweet cowgirl is Jennifer. I took the picture for my friend Lorraine. We were just dazzled by all the girls in cupcake-like attire, done up western style.

I wish I'd taken more photos...but I think others took lots. I'll try to collect links to others post-bella reviews.
My friend Pam snapped this picture of me toward the end of vendor night. I sold all but 4 of my houses. Can you believe it?

As I unpack today and tomorrow (and, uh, the next day), I'll share goodies in the shop, including those 4 houses, muu-muus, perfume, and charm bracelets!!!! Stay tuned.

boots? check

Success! I found the perfect pair of boots. I love the touch of pink in the embroidery on the heel. They are cute and comfortable and I know I'll wear them after Silver Bella. Best of all? $40. Loehmann's. Perfection!

Omaha or bust!

All this is packed up and is on its way to Omaha. I'm going to track the packages everyday so that if they do get lost or their progress is slowed down, I'll know precisely at what moment to really start panicking.

Now that all this stuff is gone and I can't tinker with it or add to it or make one more last thing or just sit down in front of it and stare (I confess), there are other sorts of things to do. I need to get a haircut. I need to see if I can find a pair of cowboy boots* (but if not, borrow a pair from my sweet friend.) I need to figure out what clothes to bring. I need (I just decided this morning) to make some fun business cards to hand out.

*Why cowboy boots, you ask? The theme of dress for Silver Bella's vendor night is Junk Gypsy, as seen here. I do not have a cowboy hat or boots or a prom dress. I do not want to appear a fuddydud. I would like to:

1. use what I have

2. fit in with the theme

3. be cute

open house

The halls were decked, the stockings hung, lights twinkled...it's Christmastime at the Cottage!

The Holiday Open House at the Cottage was fabulous...a site to behold, really.






Suzy and Beth of GeorgiaPeachez and Beth's Bagz were there with their wares...bags and pincushions and corsages! Oh, it was all so wonderful.

Here are a few pictures of Beth's pincushions.

And here's a peak at how my little room at the cottage looks...

Here's what I scored from Beth and Suzy's fabulousness...

A corsage...

A holiday handbag...

A laptop bag (and Suzy is sending me a matching laptop sleeve!)

And a beautiful pincushion...

Three huge boxes that I could probably ship myself in just went out full of goodness for Silver Bella. I think I need a nap.

all work and some play

My parents are visiting this weekend. We worked all day on Saturday, pricing and tagging and wrapping and boxing stuff up for Silver Bella. My father keeps saying "Maybe I should go with you...I think you're going to need some help."

We took a break from all that work yesterday to go on a little Sunday drive. We drove a little bit west to take in the beauty of Skyline Drive. The trees are so wonderful right now, each one shouting "no, look at me...look how pretty my leaves are!"

And just guess what we saw in two different places...BEARS! We didn't just happen to see them. There were little traffic jams at each of the places, full of insane people who were actually chasing the bears so they could get a picture of them. I really thought that we might be witnesses to some sort of "When Bears Attack" special. We stayed safely in our car, ooing and ahhhhing and giggling. But unfortunately for you, not snapping photos. You'll just have to take my word for it. Bears.

My parents are getting ready to leave. They really were so much help to me. They kept saying, and I have to agree, that they didn't know how I could've gotten all that I needed to do this weekend done all by myself.

I still have quite a list of things to do. Of most importance today is to get these boxes packed and shipped off to Omaha via FedEx ground. I'm whispering a little prayer in each of the boxes that it makes it there safely and on time. If not, I might be selling kisses or lemonade or tap dance performances.

p.s. Next post (maybe this afternoon?) I'll share some pictures of the Cottage's open house, my room there, and some of the goodies I scored from the trunk show there.

p.p.s. I've gotten some emails inquiring what Rich did with that dry ice...sorry I'm so forgetful! He put the dry ice in a smaller bowl inside the bigger bowl of candy. Everytime the doorbell rang, he poured a little water into the dry ice bowl to make a foggy mist pour out of the candy bowl. It was quite a hit and lots of kids made second rounds just to see it again!

another silver bella surprise

I'm introducing a Limited Edition, special perfume for the Bellas! It's a very clean, fresh fragrance with a hint of lilac. Very yummy indeed!

I'm also debuting a new special holiday fragrance at Silver Bella called Sugar & Spice. Very cinamony and sultry. Oh, and so sweet!

These 1 ounce fragrances include carefully chosen and blended essential/fragrance oils. A very pure grade of perfumer's alcohol ensures the fragrance stays strong and true all day. $26 (Both fragrances will be available first at the Silver Bella event)