CPSIA "PrePost"

Just a little bit to get anyone whois unaware clued in on the CPSIA deal. On Wednesday we are starting a "blog in" so, I wanted to post this so people whould know where it is coming from.

• General CSPIA info
• Amending It
• Following It
• Some FAQ
• Handmade Toy Alliance Stance
• How it Effects Books
• CPSIA Central
• Petition
• A "Save Handmade" Quilt
• Maybe Oprah can Help? I submited
• Info on "Blog In"
• and of course, What Etsy users have to say

See you on Wednesday

One a Week Ornaments

I made these for my one a week Christmas ornament project. The pictures were taken from the Christmas gala I went to with my sister for her work's gala. It was held in Charlotte at the Omni hotel. It was beautiful and there were Christmas trees everywhere. I have decided that every group I make I will use pictures that go together. I also entered these in a challenge at scrapbook.com. It was a tag challenge to make a set of tags that have the same or a similar design.



Since it's almost a month until Valentine's Day, I really need to start working on stuff for that. Maybe some cards or saw a project idea for a "Nuts For You" jar of nuts.

UpCycled Crayon

This weekend was the 7th birthday of one of my nieces. We went to her favorite Mexican restaurant for her party. Can you tell what her favorite TV show is?





So of course we got her some Hannah Montana stuff, a guitar with lip gloss, and a coloring book. I also picked her out a Disney Princess bubble bath kit. But I thought it needed a little something else. So, I made a really lame looking double boiler, and melted some crayons to make her an upcycled-heart-shaped-rainbow crayon.




Close Up of Side

Kimberly liked the crayon okay, but Big Daddy was the most impressed I think. He had all sorts of questions, and was showing and describing it to everyone like HE made it.

Layout for Christmas of 2002

Here is a layout I made for a challenge at Scrapbook.Com. The rule was 90% of the layout had to be circle. It could be one big circle, lots of little ones, it didn’t matter. I made another layout, very similar to this one, but I thought I would go with something a little more traditional.



First I traced a circle onto the maroon cardstock. Then I used my jumbo square punch to make tons of these squares. I used paper from a DCWV pad, so that they all matched relatively well. I rounded the corners with a medium punch, and inked the edges of some of them. I glued them all down in the outline of the circle, then filled the circle in, overlapping them so there was non of the card stock showing. I matted the photo, then placed it a little off center over the circle.



The other layout I made I cut the circle out of the cardstock, so when I was finished the layout was an almost 12 inch wide circle-ish shape. I made a few more since then, using different size squares, stamping on some of them, a circle full of other circles. It’s time to move on to something else.

Upcoming Excitment

So, this is it. Well I guess tomorrow is it, but what ever. New Year's Eve.

I think I have explained myself already, but just in case here is the official press release type statement. I don't really make New Years Resolutions, more like goals, or solutions. That way when I don't follow through, like what 99% of people that make resolutions, it doesn't feel like as big of a deal. Last year I lost a bit of creative motivation. After almost 2 years of being seperated, my son's father and I have started the process of reconciling. And while we have known each other for years, it is almost like that "new love" phase, where you want to spend all of your time together. Which leaves little time for crafting and, well to be perfectly honest, myself in general. So this year, I have decided to do something about it.

I want to do at least one project a week. And here in a public forum is where I shall post the evidence. I once heard that people that share their resolutions with friends are somthing like 75% more likely to stick with them. So instead of friends, I am putting it out here.

I also want to get back in the habit of one of last years "not" resolutions. I decided to combine two things I love, photography and the out doors, and commit myself to venturing outdoors every other weekend (the daddy's weekends) and photographing nature. Believe it or not , I did pretty awesome at this one, sticking with it through the cold months, and not really slacking off until I guess it was June or July, when the hint of a rejoining first arose. This year I am reinstating it, but it will hve to include a few changes. Up until last week we were still going by the every other weekend creed, but it seems a little silly now, so the field trips will include not only my little Honey Bunny, but also Poppa Bear.

I have also decided to give Becky Higgins Project 365 a try. I was planning on taking a picture of my Honey Bunny every day that way I could do one of those 40 seconds for a year videos like you see on YouTube. I was thinking something more like this though, I just like the tree one too. There is a challenge posted on scrapbook.com and I have singed up for it.

I also have it in my head to make 1 homemade Christmas orniment a week, or maybe like every other week for the year. I didn't really like the ones I had on the tree this year, and I don't want to be racing around at the last minute trying to get them done next year. Plus I look forward to Christmas all year long, so this will help ... prolong the Christmas spirit. I hope.

Other than that I am just going to be doing like randomish craft projects and layouts I guess. I've seen tutorials for journaling jars, recycled placemats, and a ton of other things I want to try. I will post my result, with a link to the place where I first saw the idea. I guess that's it for now. I'll end today by posting a layout I finished last night. It is a picture I took of a Christmas tree while my sister and I were out of town for her company's end of year awards dinner.