catching up...

First I want to thank everyone who commented or emailed me sharing their own experiences with dust allergies and all the tips for dealing with it. Since we've done the dusting overhaul and have tucked little dust kits all over the house Caleb seems to have greatly improved. He has only needed a handful of breathing treatments and now that we've figured out that stinking nebulizer the treatments have been smooth sailing. His eczema is completely under control for the first time in his life and he is actually sleeping through the night. No waking up to rip all his clothes off to scratch! No waking up because of coughing! Halleluiah.

We've been busy around here...dusting...ugh, the dusting; working on various projects; growing a baby; Caleb started speech therapy last week; purging cabinets and closets...a neverending task...where does all this crap come from?

The Projects:

Valentine Treat Bags


logan's valentine treat bags

We've started early on this project so that it stays fun for him and doesn't become a chore. The bags include a little tub of playdoh, a funsize bag of M&M's and a Power Ranger valentine signed by Logan. Caleb did some too for his new classmates. His treat bags are almost the same only some stickers instead of valentines.

ATCs

I also finished and mailed some ATCs for Mary Ann's Oh-So-Charming Valentine ATC Swap. Like a numb skull I did not take any pictures and they were so cute! I've decided I'll have to make one more just because.

I haven't yet started my own ATCs for my Valentine ATC Swap...they're next on the list after I get this posted. I will try to remember to take pictures! I'm blaming the absentmindedness and the being WAY behind schedule on pregnancy hormones.

Paperbag Swag Swap


click on the image to see move views.

Theresa is hosting this round robin swap and I am joined in the group by some super talented ladies (Theresa, Mimi, Kristin, Cathy and Ellia). The talent in this group is a amazing to say the least and that in itself is a tiny bit intimidating. Add that to the fact that until yesterday I was completely, I mean COMPLETELY, stumped as to where to begin on my album and hopefully you can understand where my brain has been lately. Anyway, once I felt that initial spark (thanks again Grandma and Grandpa for the tripod! Works like a charm and totally kicked me out of my creative slump.) things really flowed and I finished it this afternoon. I have to say I am very pleased with the way it turned out...I'm not one to take self portraits, let alone think to use one in my work, but this time it was just the thing. It goes out in tomorrow's mail and then I'm going to start on my swag goodies for the other participants now so when it comes time for me to create my spread in each of their books I won't be overwhelmed at the thought of having to do the two pages AND swag for the pocket too.

snowmen and spam...

Last weekend the boys and I sat down to paint a box full of wooden knobs and made a plate full of polymer clay carrot noses with the intent of making snowman ornaments for the tree and for family gifts. To date Caleb and I have actually assembled some ornaments and Logan and I have a date to build his ornaments tomorrow. I'm working on a tutorial for these guys...hopefully I'll have it up tomorrow sometime. They're super easy and super cute, especially when they're all wonkified by wee artists hands.

Here is a group of ornaments I made last night:



And here is Caleb with his two completed snowmen (as eyeballs):



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Oh, and the spam mention? Haloscan is apparently under attack at the moment as I am being buried with spam comments. I have no idea if they're malicious links or what, but to be on the safe side I switched on the comment moderating so that I can ban the IPs and delete the spam before anyone else has to mess with it.

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12/18 New filters seem to be installed and the spamming has ceased! Back to regular commenting for all of us :).

stella and the much too sunny afternoon...

"stella's day didn't exactly go as planned..."

Stella woke up bright and early this morning expecting a sunny, but COLD forecast. Everything seemed to be going according to plan until just about lunch time when the sun really started beating down and suddenly things weren't so chilly anymore!

Stella knew her days were numbered from the start. She really wished she could've had a few more days to enjoy the view, but accepted her fate and melted quietly to the ground.

We gathered what was left of her and stuffed her in a clear glass ornament for posterity's sake.

Stella's guts are vintage mica flakes. Her eyes, mouth and buttons are little black glass beads (currently buried under her hat and scarf). Her arms are bits of grapevine twigs. Her scarf is made of ribbon and her hat is a tiny i-cord made on a knitting nobby.

trees...

We finished putting our tree up this evening. Lynn's job was to unwrap and distribute the ornaments to the boys who in turn hung them on the tree or handed them to me to hang on the tree. Uncle Nic helped too.



I have to admit it turned out really nice: Logan and Caleb were very satisfied with their job; Lynn actually looked at our ornaments and was surprised by how many really nice ones we have in our (my) collection; and I think Nic had a good time too. I fully anticipated it being completely lopsided and wonky, but in the end the tree was reasonably balanced, needing only a few minor adjustments.

I am definitely missing a box of ornaments and decorations somewhere around here...will have to go looking for that tomorrow. Instead of looking for it tonight I decorated another little "tree." Some of Logan's weekend homework was to bring a 3-D shape wrapped as a gift to class on Monday. I have a stack of these press board cones that I often forget I have. They're just plain brown things and I thought, "how boring." So, of course, I had to decorate it before I wrapped it and sent it off to Kindergarten.



I decoupaged some green mulberry paper to the cone, wired some tiny grapevine around the outside, made a little nest out of excelsior and tucked the little cardinal inside the nest and topped it off with a tin snowflake I painted white and then covered in German glass glitter. Took about twenty minutes (plus dry time for the glue) to put together and everything was from the stash. Hooray for quick and "free" projects!