My schedule has been so incredibly crazy for so long…I just haven’t had the time to devote to designing.  So after much consideration, I have decided to close my shoppes at The Digi Chick and Commercial-Use.  The good news is, that means it’s sale time!  All items are 50% through the end of February!  I will still leave my CU products up in my site store…and hopefully have time to design sometime soon.

Thanks so much for your support of my designs and for being such an incredible community of creative souls.  I have truly been blessed by “meeting” so many wonderful friends in digi-land and will continue to be blessed by your friendship!

I was one of those students who was constantly doodling in the margins of my notes…flowers, trees, birds, swirls….a little bit of everything. No sense in putting that doodling practice to waste! My new release today at The Digi Chick is a collection of shapes filled with doodles, Doodle Stamps. This little element set is on sale today for $2.00! I’ve included a sample using the stamp, created by TDC creative team member Sharyn. I just love her hybrid card, especially the little green accordion element behind the heart – how creative!  Sharyn used another new release to create the card, Donna’s adorable Sugar Blossoms set.

I have one more TDC new release share, a layout I created with Jenn’s awesome Just Chillin’ set – great for teen and tween boys and Fiddle-Dee-Dee’s Fuss Free Tiny Bubbles Templates!  I was so glad Heath actually agreed to some pictures so I could play with this fun kit!

Welcome 2011!  Starting a new year is like slowly opening a present you weren’t expecting…you don’t know what is in store but you anticipate a wonderful gift!  I’m always careful about what I do on New Year’s Day.  I’ve always heard whatever you do on New Year’s you do all year long.  So believe me, I don’t do laundry, pay bills, run to the store for something I forgot or do paperwork.  I know I will do those things in the upcoming year, but no sense in writing it in stone!  Instead, I try to bring in the New Year doing things I enjoy and today I did just that!

Now,  those are things I would like to do all year long!  I haven’t made any resolutions but those are all things I would love to spend more time doing in 2011!  To help with the scrapping part of it, I bought a subscription to 52 Inspirations at O’Scraps to spark my scrapping and journaling!  I’m anxious to start this creative journey and hope the weekly goodies will keep me on track

I know lots of you complete Project 365 – a photo a day.  I know better than to try that.  I may go days trying to remember where I put my camera…but I do have a template to share with those of you organized and disciplined enough to complete this fun project.  You can download the template HERE!  Good luck with your creative journey and may God bless you in 2011!

I’ve had a wonderful week off – relaxing, organizing and visiting. I went to visit a friend, Laura, who lives a few hours away. We did what girls do…we shopped, we ate, we laughed, we cried, we painted. We reflected on the past and set goals for the future. One thing we both want to do is experiment with mixed media art so we played around with a few techniques while I was there. I mainly experimented with a few painting techniques and then decoupaged a canvas for a later creation. But Laura went straight to work and created a wonderful piece! Mixed media really does suit her I think…she is so incredibly creative.

When Laura finished her piece, she gave it to me! I asked if she was sure because it was her first mixed media piece. She said “Of course! I really needed our visit and besides, read the inscription on it”. I read it and knew it would always remind me of our visit and friendship. It says: A visit with friends can refresh the body, ease the mind, soothe the soul. Thanks Laura!

Just wanted to take a minute to show you some printable gift card / money holder goodies on Etsy. Download the pdf file, print as many as you need, cut and stuff – you are good to go!  You can find these and other printable holiday goodies HERE.

I’m quite sure that somewhere in our bathroom is an ESPN magazine with a cover that says something like “Nobody’s Perfect but Everyone is Trying”.  That thought came to mind this weekend when I heard a news report about Christmas.  Apparently, a study of the major networks revealed that of the over 500 holiday stories mentioning Christmas, less than 2 percent also mentioned God or Jesus.  REALLY?!?  So then what are these stories about?  Christmas shopping, the economy and finding the perfect gift.

Oh, I understand the perfect gift angle.  I mean, haven’t we all loved someone so much we just wanted to give them the most incredible, wonderful present in the world?  That’s how God felt about each of us when He gave us the perfect gift that very first Christmas….Jesus!  And while the story of the first Christmas may be no newsflash to Christians, it is the best news there is…so why not share it in every “Christmas” story?

I think, to date, one of my most popular designs at The Digi Chick is All is Calm…an element set commemorating the first Christmas.  I created a remix of that set this month,  All is Bright, in brighter, happier and with some playful elements thrown in…and why not?!?   It’s such a happy story!

Anytime I see a nativity scene, my mind eventually wanders to perhaps the funniest dream I ever had…I dreamed Mary and Joseph were on the Oprah Winfrey Show.  I don’t remember the full dialogue, though it was hilarious, but I do remember Oprah, shocked that Mary, visibly VERY pregnant, was denied a room.  And I remember Mary saying, “yes, they could definitely tell I was pregnant but they insisted there was no room” to which Oprah, in her best Dr. Phil voice, asked, “and how did that make you feel?”  I sure wish I could remember all of that interview!

Here’s a quick update on our floor project – floors in living room and master bedroom are officially finished!  Our house iss still in complee chaos while my craft / therapy room and son’s room are getting a face lift!

…makes Jack a dull boy – and a tired one too! I have heard people say they needed to go back to work after time off just to get some rest. I feel like that today after our snow day. I’m sure Mike does too! I was hoping to get some design time, but it just didn’t materialize. I did get a little creative time though, putting together some gifts for my mother to give her chair aerobics classmates! She caught a glimpse at my “right brained” shopping list and thought they would make fun little presents for her friends.

I also moved everything off the shelves in our master bedroom among other little tasks needed for our floor project. You know, laying the hardwood is just part of the project….there are so many other things to do. I know every time we would talk about replacing this carpet, Mike would say “I’m going to have to pull up those baseboards” and I could just see his wheels turning realizing the domino effect of tasks to complete. I didn’t appreciate that though until the first day when he was pulling padding off of nail heads on the subfloor. This really is quite an undertaking and I feel like, by the time we finish (well, mainly Mike finishes) we will have moved and cleaned just about everything we own! But based on the initial results – it will be well worth it!

Here’s a great photo of Mike (because none of his gray hair is showing – ok, well, maybe a little) reconnecting the television and bundling all those wires! And a second photo of Birdie contributing to the day’s work by holding down the chair!

By the way, our Christmas tree has a “permanent” spot now at the base of the staircase – kind of hidden but – I think Santa can find it!

We don’t have an Elf on the Shelf at our house, but we do have a Christmas tree that seems to move every day. Monday I came home from work and it was in the kitchen. Tuesday it was in the middle of the living room and today it was back in the kitchen before it moved to a little out of the way nook.



Why so much moving? Because we are finally getting hardwood for the living room and bedrooms! What a perfect time of year to bring 51 boxes of hardwood into the house…Not! We have boxes in most of the rooms downstairs and right now, the living room furniture scattered, rather crowded in the other rooms. It’s a challenge for us to get to the front door, except for Birdie.



Day 1 – carpet and padding out. Day 2 – sanding the floor. Day 3 – on the way with 2 boxes down!

Aw, I have let this Etsy shoppe sit empty way too long…so today I thought it was time to start adding inventory to my Partysaurus Etsy Shoppe!  I began working on my new inventory a couple of weeks ago and photographed some samples last weekend…guess I was waiting to have the whole kit and ca-boodle created before listing any   I have tons of templates and tons of products perfectly created in my head but if I wait for all that to materialize….well, the shoppe will be empty for awhile!

I decided a long time ago that creating printables with my designs was something I wanted to pursue.  I love the ability to reprint for one and the ability to customize and maximize my digital design!  So I am working on gathering a collection of printable goodies with my past designs!

Today I listed a few items with flexible use – the primary design was for cupcake toppers but the design easily lends itself to creation of stickers, tags, and embellishments for favors, cards and invitations!  Here’s a peek at my new Partysaurus listings as cupcake toppers!

I’ve been accused on several occasions of having my head in the clouds, living in my own world, daydreaming, etc.  I say, why not?!?  Besides, the words of Joel Osteen encourage me to dream when he says “God will never put a dream in your heart without first equipping you with everything you need to accomplish it.”  Seems perfectly reasonable to dream, yet, sometimes life’s stresses and challenges drain my energy and hope and dreams seem foolish to pursue.  Without stepping back from the short term frustrations, sometimes it is difficult to recapture the energy and power of dreams…but I try to stay focused on them because they are the very things that make me feel most alive…and I believe they are the very reason I am alive, the reason I was created. 

I have spent time pondering my dreams while taking Kelly Rae’s course.  My problem is focusing on just one or two….I have so many ideas, plans, dreams….I just flit around from one to another without ever devoting the energy to accomplish any it seems…my silly right brain again I guess.  Do you every feel that way?

I gave you a sneak peek of my Always Dream kit, inspired by all my contemplation about dreaming.  It is available at The Digi Chick….here’s the kit and a beautiful layout by Tracy (additional items in Tracy’s layout include Fuss Free: Square Pegs by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs, Designer Bundle 1 by Wendy Page Designs, and foliage from Quirky Park by Roben-Marie Designs, all available at The Digi Chick).

In case you missed it, be sure to check out my sneak peek post HERE because there is a small freebie in it.

Now to leave you with a tune that has been playing in my head with all this dreaming (make sure to imagine it in the voice of Kermit the Frog)…

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
and someone believed it,
and look what it’s done so far.
What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me….
…………………………………………………..Paul Williams………

Keep dreaming!