don't forget...

Sign-ups for this year's ornament swap close this coming Friday. It is shaping up to be an even better swap than last year's (if that's even possible) with ten returning swappers and one new swapper. There's still plenty of room and as we all know, the more the merrier!

christmas shopping...

So, how are the rest of you doing with your Christmas shopping? Me? Ehhhhrrm. Heh. Hooo. Yes, well, not too far in just yet. It's awful, I know. We have a few things for the boys and I have ideas for everyone else on our list. I guess that's a start.

Beyond thinking about purchasing or making gifts I've been planning the wrapping of all these unpurchased and unmade gifts. I made gift tags today and decided to put some up on Etsy (in an effort to gain more traffic to my work...momma's got bills to pay).



The way they're displayed here they seem HUGE, but they're not. The tree is just young. The tags actually measure 2.75" by 4.25". Just the right size to add a little note along side your TO and FROM if you are so inclined. In making these first sets I decided it would be cute to add some accent paper hole reinforcements. And how cute would some extra fibers and maybe a whimsical bead or charm added to the hole be? Extremely cute, that's how much.

yes, please...

If you were wondering what I'd like for Christmas or my birthday (and of course if you've got a big spendy budget): I would LOVE this. Or this.

do you know what tonight is...

Project Runway Season Four begins!! Seems like the bulk of the contestants this year are seasoned veterans of the fashion industry. I've already set my mental barre pretty high...hopefully the show won't disappoint.

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The 2007 Ornament Swap sign-ups are still running. We have quite a nice group forming...so far six nine from last year's swap and one newbie. It's going to be so great! Go »> here <« for the details.

christmas ornie swap...

my contribution to last year's swap. click here to see what the group did as a whole.

Who's ready?! I am!! This year's swap will work just like last year's. 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.

Sign-ups will close on Friday, November 23rd. Mail-to-me deadline is Friday, December 7th.

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

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

okay, it's completely addicting...

I am admitting a budding addiction here...I designed this template card (and entered it into a contest at Zazzle) just so I could make matching postage to go along with it.

Hey, if you have a minute, hop on over and give it a vote. Five stars would be nice :). And just so you know, I'll be forever grateful...

Back to housework and artwork for me...um, probably just artwork, but the housework part looks good on paper doesn't it?

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I should also put a link to this post as it got itself buried in all the other posts after it while in draft mode. Yay for tiny teeth and tiny girls!

christmas bits...

This year's Christmas card design is now available for pre-order and last year's design is marked down! I am offering flats and cards again this year. And if you're one who likes a coordinated set, I also have custom postage over at Zazzle as well. The flats are 4 by 6 inch with rounded edges and the cards are 5½ by 8½ inches with a landscape orientation and interior message reading, "may this christmas bring peace and goodwill to every man, woman and child. Each set will come with ten coordinating red envelopes packaged in a clear card box. Singles will come with one red envelope packaged in a clear cellophane sleeve.


noël christmas cards with matching postage (!!!)

A set of ten Noël flats is $13.

A single flat is $2.

A set of ten Noël cards is $20.

A single card is $3.50.

Postage and applicable sales tax will be added to total.

While I was over at Zazzle, I went ahead and put the artwork on a handful of other products as well. Take a peek when you have a minute.

The cards will be back from the printers in a few days...once they're here I'll post actual photos of the finished product!

den meeting success...

Logan and I hosted our first Cub Scout den meeting this evening and I have to say I feel like it was a success! A little hodge-podgey, but still a success. Logan's den will be the Color Guard at the next pack meeting so they learned the ins and outs of the flag ceremony. We painted and decorated picture frames and learned about and built a food pyramid (working toward their Tiger badges). We learned the rules of Ringer and then played a make-shift game using the mashers I made for the boys, a bag of florist's marbles and a lasso. Each of the boys earned a belt loop for the effort.

Aside from scrambling around to get ready for the meeting this evening, I've also been working on some new jewelry pieces and pricing for the upcoming sale. Seems like there are never enough hours in the day!

houston...

we have teeth. Yes, teeth. Molly's tough-as-leather gums have finally allowed a couple of razor sharp little pearls to claw their way to the surface. Trying to get some photographic evidence is proving difficult. If you'd like to find out for yourself, feel free. Just be sure to boil your finger and brace yourself for a little blinding pain before you let her chomp down on your digit.

Also? I would like to say amen and hallelujah to the tooth fairy for bringing back full nights of sleep again.

behold...

the beginning stages of transition from a scooter to a full fledged crawler:

click here

boo to you...

Halloween has come and gone and now I'm ready for Christmas! This year's Halloween wasn't done up like I normally like to do, but I did get a few things accomplished. Behold:


classroom treat bags for Logan and Caleb

Lynn is totally exasperated by me putting these little things together for the kids...too much time...could be spent doing other things...blah, blah, blah. And that's all well and good because the boys and me? We get a big kick out of doing it. I know Caleb L O V E S to hand out the goody bags to each of his little friends and their siblings and his teachers and pretty much anyone else in the general vicinity. I imagine Logan loves it too, though all I really know is that he is tickled to death to walk into his classroom with a big bag of treats for his friends at the beginning of the day and then likes to tell us all about how everyone was so surprised and excited to get a treat at the end of the day. Me? I just like to find cute stuff the kids might enjoy and package it up all spiffy-like. That my boys love it as much as I do is a bonus. I suppose one day they'll be embarrassed by the thought of handing out treats so I'll just take advantage while I can.


boo bat atcs for my haunted halloween atc swap

I present to you the worst picture I've ever taken of an atc set. It didn't matter where I took the pictures, under what light I took the pictures, whatever, good pictures were just not meant to be. Anyway, these little guys were named by Caleb and originally were going to hold a dangling spider in one wing and a dangling ghost in the other until it proved the spider would not stand up to much handling. Luckily my awesome sister and her awesome husband bought me a Cricut as a thank you for helping them with their wedding stuff and one of the cartridges it came with has those little tag things on it. FUN! Anyway, throw in some of Martha's baker's twine and viola! Boo Bat lives! To all my atcs swappers: the last of the cards arrived on the 30th and yesterday was a zoo for me so they'll be in the mail today for you all.


dark mater, pwincess leia, 'torm trooper as per caleb

It was indeed a very Star Wars Halloween here at the Lyons' Den. The weather cooperated: perfect temperatures, no humidity and perhaps a slight breeze. Really nice! The boys scored just enough candy to feel victorious...in years passed it was ridiculous the amount candy they hauled in...it was like they'd held up a Walmart candy aisle or something. In any event, everyone had a good time. Molly and her buns were a huge hit with anyone who saw her, Caleb and Logan were good sports and remembered to say thank you more often than they did not. All around? A great evening.