Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Paper Dolls…Sisters

This is one of my favorite pieces of my mixed media Paper Dolls: Sisters. I made it a while ago but gave it to my neighbor for her girls' room before I got pictures of it.  I borrowed it recently to take some photos.
I love using 3-D objects like rhinestones, ribbon, and paper flowers to add texture and dimension.

Laters Baby…….

Monday, March 26, 2012

Baby Album Update

The baby album was mailed to Canada- $33 bucks to ship that thing.  My husband's comment "It is really inconvenient that she lives in Canada".  In more ways than one!  I liked it much better when she lived across the street!

I added some dangles which I think made the cover even better…

Laters Baby…..

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Giveaway Winner

I added the comments from the original post as #1 and 2 and then added the comments from the giveaway post as 3-8.  I used Random.com number generator and the winner of the ring is
lisahMar 23, 2012 05:48 AM
Love the ring! You are so talented
Drop me an email or comment and give me your address.
I had a busy week- my mom came down and we saw Elton John in concert in a very small venue.  It was a terrific show.  I LOVE concerts and had recently commented to my sister- my  usual concert buddy- that we needed to see one soon.  Right after that Elton announced a show in my hometown and then we got Madonna tickets.  Michelle noted that when I ask to see a concert the universe delivers! 
I cannot way to see Madge.  Madonna grew up in Michigan and even attended my Alma Mater- The University of Michigan- so I expect big things.
I love concerts and thankfully my sis lives near Detroit AND is willing to go with me while her husband has been terrific enough to babysit for me time and time again.  In the last year or so we have seen:
Taylor Swift- Twice 
Adele- LIFE CHANGING event; in a very small venue before she had to cancel it all
Britney Spears- Amazing show; great seats
Gaga- My 70 year old mom was dancing as much as we were.
In the past few years we have seen The Dixie Chicks, The Jonas Brothers (more times than I care to remember), Nick Jonas, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Cher, Justin Timberlake (twice), Christina Aguilera (twice), and Pink (one of my favorite shows). 
After the Elton show mom and I spent two days shopping….Yesterday was HARDCORE.  My family is going to NYC and needed clothes for some events.  I am super excited because my daughter and I are going to see the Martha Stewart Show.    Martha has been my idol for years and years.  We actually have to wear dressy, colorful clothes….no black, white, brown or grey for her audience.   Um, that is my life-uniform palate.  Thankfully the spring 2012 color are all about the tangerine.
We are having another warm day here… Just hard to remember it is only March.  Usually it is so grey and drab this time of year.  I cannot believe how terrific this has been but I am worried about the fruit trees in this area.  I hope this gift of warm weather doesn't become a huge nightmare. 
Laters Baby….

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Let Me Introduce You to My Beloved 50 Shades.

I have debated for months whether I should write this post.  I am conflicted because the story I am going to introduce you to is something that holds a very special place in my heart.  And it is naughty, a little dirty, and oh so delicious.  Something you read and cannot-CANNOT-stop thinking about.  This morning I read on Perez Hilton that my beloved 50 Shades is #1 and #2 on NYT Bestseller List.  What?  Are you for Real?  Seriously?  It is indeed true.

Let me start at the beginning.  If you are under 18 you can just stop reading right now because this story is not for you.

I read the Twilight books in 2008.  My daughter wanted to read them and I figured it was my motherly duty to be sure they were appropriate for a tween.  They hooked me.  I was so enamored I read them back-to-back…. 5 times straight.  The only thing that stopped me from restarting Twilight for the 6th time   longed for more.  It was then that I discovered Twilight Fan Fiction or Twific.  If you have read some of it you know that fanfic is simply women writing stories using the characters and sometimes the loose storyline of Twilight.  Some keep their characters vampires but many write all-human stories.  Some Twific is completely out there, some fills in where Stephanie Meyer didn't go, and some simply tell the story the author wanted to tell.   Oh, and some are very naughty.

from Twilighted.net
Twilight isn't the only fanfic out there.  Oh no, everything from Harry Potter to classic literature to Avatar and beyond have fanfic following.  Maybe  extroverts get dressed up as their favorite character and go to Comi-Con or Dragoncon while introverts write and read fanfic.  There are several sites that host fanfic stories but the biggest Twilight fanfic site is Twilighted.net.   I read several stories over the course of several months, until I stumbled on Master of the Universe.  A delicious, delightful and naughty story written by Snowqueens IceDragon, Icy to us, that took Edward and Bella into humankind, made Edward a bajaillionair who loves to dominate and Bella an innocent, newly graduated college student who meets Edward by fate and eventually warms his cold heart.  The story unfolded over 2 years, a chapter at a time- every few weeks- and it was the most delicious, fun, exiting and dirty little secret I ever held.  I would get a sense that a new chapter was released and I would check my email, literally squeal, pray for evening to hit so I could sit and devour that chapter.  It was delicious torture.   This story moved me….in ways I've never felt from a story before.   Never read a story that consumed me that much.  I am not kidding when I tell you I have read the entire story online 7 times, read certain chapters many more times and have read the books once.   And I never. told. a soul.  It was my secret.

In early 2011, Icy announced the book would be published!   On May 22, 2011 Icy released the last chapter and announced the publication details: it would be "50 Shades of Grey" and would be published in May.  As soon as the preorders were announced I ordered 4 copies: 1 for me, 1 for my sister, 1 for my mom, and 1 for whomever else I decided needed to join the world of 50.  After the books arrived I was still a little unsure about telling anyone.  This was such a fun little secret.    I told me sister I had this deep secret.  She responded "I don't want to know".  "It's not that bad" I said.  I handed them each their copy.  It took my sister a months to read it and she was hooked.  My mom  was hooked.   I took my copy to the beach with my mother-in-law who wanted to know what I was reading…hmmmm should I tell her?  Should I give it to her?  I did.  I told a few more people, gave it to my trainer and waited for #2.

The short version of the story is that suddenly 50 Shades is everywhere. This morning I read on Perez Hilton that 50 Shades of Grey is #1 and 50 Shades Darker is #2 on NYT.  I am sure the 3rd book, 50 Shades Freed-my personal favorite-is somewhere rising up the chart as well.
This book means so much to me. I have literally been giddy all day long.   I can't even begin to put into words what this story means to me.  I wish I knew Icy (E.L. James to rest of the world).  It has been such a ride.  So much fun to see the little Twitfic take off to become a NYT Bestseller.  I keep hearing people say they read the entire series in 3 days and I don't know how to comprehend that .  I read it over 2+ years.  I have entire passages memorized.  This story has been part of my life for 3 years.

Run to the story to get your copy. It is available as an ebook on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iTunes or as a paperback at The Writers Coffeeshop who has a few copies still and in Pre-order through major booksellers.  It has been purchased by Vintage and will be published by them and widely available.  There are write ups on Huffington Post, NYT, Today Show, and Good Morning America.  Jay Leno told a 50 joke a few weeks ago.  Today I see in the LA Times reports that all the major studios are competing to make this into a movie.  You can view the authors blog 50Shades.com.
If you have read them let me know what you think…if you haven't, run don't walk, to get them.  They are BDSM slanted but that isn't the main focus and really after the first book that isn't important.  You don't have to be "into" BDSM to love the story….I'm not…my mom isn't….Icy isn't.  It is just a beautiful love story between a deeply flawed man and beautiful, honest, no nonsense woman.

Don't forget about my giveaway.  Click here to leave a comment.

Laters Baby…

P.S. See if you can figure out why I end each posts with "Laters baby"

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Comments Fixed and A Giveaway

Ugh, the blogger pixies have been messing with my comments settings.  I think I fixed it and it is all ready for the giveaway.   I had changed my settings a week or so ago to only allow comments from those who are signed IN.  Basically this was to keep people from leaving Anonymous comments.  The only reason I wanted to ensure people are signed in was because there is no way to respond to an anonymous comment.  I NEVER ever intended to restrict comments to only allow those who belonged to the blog.   My aunt sent me an email complaining that she couldn't leave a comment and then my mom clarified it is because they like to leave them Anonymous- rather than try to sign in with Blogger or Google.  No problem I just reinstated the Anonymous option and didn't think about it again until I realized NOBODY left a moment for my giveaway.   I just now realized that although I choose Anyone can leave a comment, the mischievous pixie reverted it to "must be a member of this blog". ..Twice... Even when Anyone was clearly checked on the setting page, the blog itself was still saying Members Only.  I've very sorry.  I hope nobody is angry.   Hopefully this is now corrected.  I will now pick the winner on Saturday March 24th.

So let's start over.


I've decided to do a giveaway of something I made.  So, here's the deal…leave a comment below telling me how terrific I am.  No... seriously just leave a comment saying whatever you want and on Friday 23, Saturday 24, 2012 I will pick a random winner.   If you choose to leave an Anonymous comment just be sure to leave a name or other identifying ID so I know what to call you.  Check back on Saturday evening to see if you have won.  

What will you win?
The ring is a fashion made from a base metal ring blank, Crystal Clay, and Swarovski Chatons.  The crystals sparkle like only Swarovski can.  It is much prettier in person.

If you don't want but want a ring I am selling them n my Etsy store which has a link in the sidebar.  I can also custom make a color if you don't' see what you like Convo me in Etsy to discuss it.    

Laters Baby….

Giveaway Update

I have some "readers" who have had problems leaving comments especially if they use a setting besides "anonymous" soooooo if you would like to leave an "anonymous" comment for the giveaway, please be sure to leave a name in the body of the comment here.  I will draw the wining name and post it on Friday- be sure to check back in Friday evening.

Laters Baby…

Monday, March 19, 2012

A Raining Jellybeans Giveaway

I've decided to do a giveaway of something I made.  So, here's the deal…leave a comment below telling me how terrific I am.  No... seriously just leave a comment saying whatever you want and on Friday 23, 2012 I will pick a random winner.   What will you win?

Laters Baby….

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Baby Scrapbook Album


Cover
My friend,  Dr. Karen saved my life.  Not the way you think.  She didn't prescribe a medication, order a test, or interpret a lab report.  She did come into my life when I needed a mentor, a friend, and someone to just listen to my odd- seemingly unrelated-medical symptoms.   Believe me, she did all that….and more….oh so much more.

Unfortunately, she wasn't MY doctor being that she is a pediatrician….cuz... you know... I was too old for her demographic.  Had she been my doctor there would have been so much less suffering and a much quicker accurate diagnosis because Karen was the first doctor to validate my headaches as real.  It's a long story but in the way of doctor after doctor telling you there is no reason for you to have severe daily headaches you do start to wonder if you are making it up somehow.  You question if you are somehow making yourself sick with the headaches.  You question if you are simply a baby and can't take pain….if you are just depressed and somehow have turned depression into headache pain.   But, while she wasn't my doc, she was my friend,  neighbor,  clinical preceptor (for my  and a life saver.  She spent time with, she listened to me, she saw my excruciating pain and how drastically severe pain was ruining affecting my life.  She believed me and believed in me;  there are no words to express what that meant to me.  Severe chronic pain steals your soul and sucks the life out of it's and and she helped me find the correct diagnosis.   While she  couldn't be my doctor, for sure she was my kids' doctor when we lived near each other and has remained an important medical resource for their health care.  I wish I had the words to convey   She is AMAZING and WONDERFUL and I owe her my life and my world.

This wonderful woman has just given birth to her second daughter in close to a year and a half.  I never gave her a baby gift when the the first girl was born. I kept thinking I would make something amazing, profound and heartfelt but my health kept getting in the way and I never did.  As baby #2 was getting close I decided I needed to do something.  Keep in mind she is a doctor married to a lawyer.  They can buy anything they want so I wanted to give them something that shows how much they mean to me and something unique they can't buy.

I decided to make a scrapbook; something she can't buy?  Hmmmm a scrapbook that compares the girls, month to month.  Since they are so close in age and Karen is a busy working mom, something easy but fun and meaningful.  I made pages for each month up to a year so she could put a picture of each girl and journal a little about their personalities, milestones, whatever.  Karen has beautiful handwriting so I know she will have a beautiful album when she is done.
Inside cover.  I blurred out family details.
1st page for journaling
 A vellum envelope  filled with MS pink heart glitter.
Tied with  a pretty silk hand-dyed ribbon
 Mom and dad before the first baby
All about baby #1 - I blurred her name
An extra page for pictures or journaling 
Pictures of mom and dad before baby #2
All about baby #2- again blurred
Extra page for pictures or journaling
1 Month
Close up
Close Up of Journaling Tag 1 Month 
2 Months
Close Up 2 Months  
3 Months  
3 Month Close Up
Journaling Tag 3 Months 
4 Months 
Close Up 4 Months 
Close Up Journaling Space  
5 Months 
Close Up Journaling Space

Close up of Journaling tag 

7 Months 
Close Up 7 Months 
8 Months 
8 Month Close up
9 Months 
Close up 9 Months
10 Months 
10 Month journaling tag 
11 Months  
11 Months Close Up
Close Up 
Close Up
11 Month journaling tag 
12 Months/first birthday 
Birthday cake for 1 year olds
That is a lot of pictures!
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Laters baby….