an early christmas present...

A healthy baby AND she's a girl!

elfin greetings...

4x6 flat * blank on flipside * a6 red polka dotted envelope


5x7 greeting card * blank inside * a7 green polka dotted envelope

Here they are...finally. I had them printed in two different sizes: A7 greeting card size and 4x6 flats. Purchase buttons are up on the paper page.The greeting cards with envelope will be available individually for $3.75 ppd or in sets of ten cards and ten envelopes for $19.75 ppd. The 4x6 flats with envelope will be available individually for $2.75 ppd or in sets of ten flats and ten envelopes for $14.75 ppd. The individual cards will come to you in a cellophane sleeve and the sets will have their own clear box with ribbon!

I am totally smitten with this little guy. Logan is too. I think I've stamped about a hundred pieces of paper for Logan since I carved the stamp and he colors each of them with different colored hair and outfits. I framed up the original collage in a temporary frame and need to find a nice black wood frame to really finish it off. But before I do that I need to take pictures of all the great stuff I've been receiving in swaps and such over the last couple months. I have been a bad, bad, bad girl about keeping up with all that. Hopefully I'll be able to accomplish that in tomorrow sometime.

and the breaks are where on this thing...

Um, so yeah...Thanksgiving is four days away which means Christmas is thirty-four days away. Yikes!

Caleb is visiting all the grandparents down in San Angelo right now. He's been away since Friday. I thought I would accomplish many, many things in his absence. Ha. Not so much. At least not things I want to get done, like some new jewelry pieces, my Christmas ATCs and ornaments, and a certain purple north texas owl/penguin mix that I owe as a birthday gift.

I did get Christmas cards designed and off to the printers. Some should be ready to go this afternoon. Others by Wednesday. I also got some stocking stuffer things finished and my ornaments started too.







Today we're going to see a fetal/maternal specialist for a super-duper sonogram. My doctor wants to make sure all is well with the baby since I am having to take high blood pressure meds throughout this pregnancy. Hopefully we'll find out who's in the oven while we're there.

I will be spending tomorrow morning with Logan's class reading stories and teaching a Thanksgiving themed activity. What activity? I have no idea! I'll find out tomorrow. Then in the afternoon the Kindergarten classes are having a Thanksgiving Feast and putting on a pageant too. Rest assured, many pictures will be taken and possibly a movie or two.

sock puppet snake...

Made at the request of Logan's teacher. I hope he works out okay. He turned out sort of wormy or Loch Ness Monster-ish instead of snake-like. It is a sock puppet so I guess it's okay to be a little vague. Right?

have you seen...

while wandering through the store of which we do not speak last week my sister and I noticed the totally awesome, totally Tord Boontje, holiday paper cut decorations hanging from the ceiling. Well today I discovered it IS Tord Boontje work AND you can buy it CHEAP. So I did. I bought two nine foot paper garlands that I can't wait to hang up somewhere. They also had some plastic tinsel garland, but I couldn't bring myself to buy any of it even if it is Studio Tord Boontje.

After roaming all the Christmas aisles I am sorely tempted to start sneaking Christmas stuff out about the house. It probably wouldn't bother Lynn all that much except for the fact that I typically leave our Christmas decorations up until mid January...partly out of laziness, but mostly out of I-love-you-too-much-to-put-you-up-yet-ness. I will resist, but it will be difficult.

Now I'm off to make a snake sock puppet.

olivine, i love you...

My sister, Katie (a.k.a. Aunt Doot), and I have been painting my kitchen and living room all week...on her vacation no less. Somebody's gunning for sister of the decade. I am IN LOVE with the kitchen paint...pretty smitten with the living room paint too, but the Olivine? It's perfect. All the crap objets I've collected over the years blend perfectly with this color.

And also? Our new couch will look even more lovely being surrounded by the new kitchen and living room paint jobs.



It will be here in six (please, please be early!) to eight weeks. Can't wait! Our current couch is only three or four years old but it is a WRECK. Amazing what two small boys and various family pets can do to a piece of furniture. Now we're down to two small boys and only occasional visits from family pets so hopefully this new couch will last us a few more years. We shall see.

I'm hoping to get back to my work schedule next week but with the holidays looming, who knows how effective I'll be! Only 51 days until Christmas...

ready for some christmassy swapping goodness?

me too! So let's get started with two: a Christmas ATC swap and a Christmas ornament swap.

The ATC swap will work like this: Sign-ups for this swap are closed. The theme is simple...Christmas. Your cards can be vintage, contemporary, folky, fabric, beaded, embroidered, how ever you want to work them. As long as they represent Christmas. You will make FIVE cards and you will get five in return. For this swap postage will be slightly higher (I promise the extra postage will be worth it!). Please send along FOUR .39 cent stamps (international swappers will need to paypal or send $3.35). Please mail your cards to me no later than December 1st. I will mail out all packages as soon as all cards are received.

A few reminders:
* Please don't forget to send postage!!
* Please scan or photograph your cards before you mail them to me.
* Please, please, have fun making them!!

The ornament swap will work like this: Sign-ups for this swap are now closed. Your ornaments can be made any way you like, just make certain they will stand up to shipping from you to me and from me to their recipient; that they aren't too heavy (your box to me shouldn't weigh more than a pound); and that they are something you would be thrilled to receive. You will make FIVE Christmas ornaments and you will receive five ornaments in return. Please mail them to me in a sturdy box along with $4.05 for USPS Priority mail return postage no later than December 1st. If you use the post office's online postage like I do, please feel free to print your own priority mail postage and send it along with your ornaments. International swappers, please contact me by email and we'll figure out the postage via the USPS website. I will mail everyone's packages out as soon as all ornaments have arrived.

A few reminders:
* Please don't forget to send postage or money for postage!!
* Please photograph your ornaments before you send them to me.
* Please, please, have a good time making them!

If you'd like to join either or both swaps just email me at amy at aplcreations dot com with your mailing address and blog (flickr, picture trail, etc.) address and which swap you're joining. I will send out an email with my mailing info once the swap sign-ups have closed.