THE END IS NEAR...

... the end of 2009, that is.

hi. hello. it's been awhile. a loooooong while. i noticed that my last entry was in october sometime. yeesh. i guess i've been busy! it has been a crazy couple of months. and now, here i sit in an eerily quiet, empty house on this last day of 2009 (kids are at a sleepover with the cousins and the husband is at work). i'm left alone to survey the damage of the past few weeks... bills, empty packages scattered about, gifts needing to be put together and put away, leftovers needing to be thrown out (blech!), candlewax stains needing to be scraped off tables, mantels and carpets, new clothes needing to be hung, rooms needing to be organized... wow. it's quite alot to process at this moment. i think i'd rather just relax and reflect. and have a drink. excuse me while i go pour myself a glass of wine... *clinkclink*

so, there have been a few happenings and projects i've wanted to share, but just haven't had 5 minutes in a row to sit and blog about it... until now. i figure it would be sorta weird to share holiday projects and such AFTER today. i have approx. 7 hours left to get this in before the new year begins so here i go:

first on the list is my december DT work for Point Blank Period - Prompt #4/Holiday Madness. i'm also proud and honored to announce that the PBP blog and design team (along with our work for this particular prompt) were featured in the december issue of Scrap Street E-Zine! thank you to Sasha Holloway (PBP founder) and Stacey Michaud for the opportunity!

next are the only 3 holiday projects i managed to get done this year, but so glad i made some time to finish them. i'm quite fond of them! if you know me at all, you know that is something i rarely say about my own work. this first one was actually a Bleuprint i created for Bad Girls Kits back in november sometime using this page from a Pottery Barn catalog as my inspiration:

the result:

i decided it looked kinda lonely so i made 2 more holiday wall collages as a kick start to transforming my existing holiday decor. it's out with the red and in with the green, cream, gold & silver! (oh, and some Hambly. *swoon*)

i'm sorta sad i have to pack these away until next x-mas... unless i can find a spot somewhere to display them year-round. hmmmm...

lastly, i lied. i did manage to squeeze in this holiday project... these mini ATC's for some special peeps. i see making more of these little suckers in my future. SO FUN!


and there you have it. i had hoped to also share some photos of my holiday decor and general x-mas stuff - photos, events, gifts, blahblahblah - but i guess that will have to wait until next year. which isn't too far off! yes, Christmas is 12 months away, but if time flies as quickly as it did this year, it'll feel like we're doing it all over again in just a month or two. oy.

so 2010... what have you got in store for me? i've given up on resolutions, but have vowed to do the best i can on the goals i've made for myself this year. blogging is one of them. i took Shimelle Laine's Blogging for Scrapbookers class earlier this year. i've just looked over some of the lessons this past week and i am SOOOOOO glad i signed up for it! i've heard that her all of her classes are FANTASTIC and this one was no exception. (thank you, Shimelle!) there may be some changes in store for this blog soon and i am quite excited! until then...

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! twenty-ten... here we come!

xoxo

WISHFUL WEDNESDAY

these 5 wishes brought to you by the 2009 fall TV lineup... of which i watch way too much. poor TiVo.

* i wish i didn't have to listen to the Dancing With the Stars band & singers butcher song after song after song. i can't even focus on the swinging hips of Lacey Schwimmer (she's hot) or Maksim Chmerkovskiy's strong hold (and other things. ahem) anymore because i'm too busy cringing. and since when do ballroom dancers dance to Jon Bon Jovi and The Clash? what? please... for the love of dancing, send that band packing with the next couple to be eliminated.

Cheryl Burke and Maksim Chmerkovskiy on DWTS - ABC monday nights

* i wish mr. big hadn't divorced carrie bradshaw, left new york & gone off to become a crooked, prostitute-banging politician. *sigh*

Chris Noth on The Good Wife - CBS tuesday nights

* i wish the small town of Eastwick, Rhode Island really did exist because i shall like to move to there. big fountains for which to splash in, harvest festivals and hot witches? how could anyone not want to move there?

Jamie Ray Newman, Lindsay Price & Rebecca Romijn in Eastwick - ABC wednesday nights

* i wish... i wish...so many wishes where it concerns this show, i wouldn't even know where to start. let's just admire this for a moment, shall we?

Patrick Dempsey aka McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy - ABC thursday nights

* i wish someone had told my TiVo that Medium was moved to a different night and station. i've missed 5 episodes! FIVE! now i have to catch up on my tiny-ass laptop. sucktastic.

Patricia Arquette, Maria Lark, Sofia Vassilieva, Miranda Carabello and Jake Weber on Medium - CBS friday nights (in case you were wondering what happened to it)

there are so many other shows i could have commented on, but honestly... who has that much time? so, what are your favorite shows this season? (besides Glee. that's everyone's favorite. or maybe just mine.)

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

xoxo

MORE ART TO SHARE...

i seriously spend more time browsing galleries and checking out everyone else's work than doing some of my own. which kinda sucks in a way because i'm always SO INSPIRED AND READY TO CREATE after perusing everyone else's work, but i just can't break away once i get started. it's a vicious cycle. *sigh*

here's what i have to share today:

first - my Catwalk selection over @ SIStv. fellow fashionista, Larissa Albernaz, hosted a special catwalk challenge last week & this cute layout by Drinoleto was one of the entries. i love how she improvised on her title work... it gives my used packages of Thickers some hope! heh.

next - uhm... WOW. words cannot express how much i ADORE this. and the fabulous girl who made it, Tara Anderson. i mean... right? *swoon*

she created this little lovely for this week's Bad Girls Elements d'Art... where she also posted a mini tutorial on how to create the ruffly sewing pattern border and sweet little flower... which i will definitely be trying soon! if you have a moment, you must go check it out. you're welcome. ;)

so... what art have you seen that has inspired you beyond belief? please to be sharing with me, thank you. :)

xoxo

WISHFUL WEDNESDAY

these 5 wishes brought to you today by the late night infomercials that invade all 25849731 channels on my satelitte tv between the hours of 1am to 5am.

don't act like you don't get sucked into them too. i know you do.


* i wish the Bump It people had mentioned in their instructions on how to use this product, that it requires you tease the crap outta your hair for at least a good 5 minutes (thus requiring a fair amount of upper arm & body strength) and about 2165714 gallons of a good STIFF hairspray to hold said Bump It in place. and even then... my hair did not hold. wanh wanh.




* i wish this infomercial didn't describe what must be happening in my kids' bathroom every morning that is actually making me consider buying this product. frick. does it come in any other colors?




* i wish my husband hadn't thrown out 48/49 pieces of this Smart Spin storage system because he thought they were disposable. or just didn't want to wash them out. now i'm left with nothing but a lonely "spin". crap.



* i wish someone could tell me if this Perfect Brownie Pan does indeed, make the perfect brownie. because if so... I'M BUYING THIS SUCKER! i mean, they look like perfect brownies... right? and holy shit! it cuts the brownies for me! lazy.

* and lastly...... i have no words. i wish i did. actually, no i don't.

i didn't post links to these products because, well... these people do a pretty good job of advertising all by they own damn selves. plus, the products pretty much sell themselves, don't you think? also... you can snag these treasures at any store with "Wal" as a prefix.

just sayin'. ;)

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

xo

SOME ARTING HAS HAPPENED...

and i'd like to share it.

first - i have to show you these ADORABLE "country bumpkin" bracelets & headbands made by Shell Gautreaux it is my pick for this week's catwalk over at SIStv. they are a perfect combination of texture and daintiness and just overall cuteness! how fun would these be in a fall photo shoot? seriously *swoon*worthy. CONGRATULATIONS on the catwalk this week, shell! :)

and second... i did a little arting of my own.

last friday was my first Bleuprint over at Bad Girls, which was a challenge where i had to create a sketch & a layout based on a photo that i found inspiring. as i was flipping through my fall pottery barn catalog, i found it... my inspiration. and this was the result: :

i had so much fun creating this one. i think it's the "fanciest" page i've ever done. definitely one of my favorites... probably because it's fall related. i am so looking forward to seeing all the fall & winter layouts and projects out there. how about you?

"it's the most wonderful time... of the year..."

xo

WISHFUL WEDNESDAY

these 5 wishes brought to you by the new fall *Pottery Barn* catalog... oh, why do you tempt me so?


* i wish i could have these beautiful glass containers on a table somewhere in my house without having to worry about a child, or ball... or a dog's fiercely wagging tail, knocking them over and shattering them into a million pieces.

find these delicate beauties here: Voluminous Vases

* i wish they had pumpkins like these in my local pumpkin patch. wicker & silver & wood.... oh my!

non-rotting pumpkins found here: rattan pumpkins

* i wish i knew how to cook a turkey so that i could have thanksgiving dinner at my house, thus having an excuse to set my table like this and eat off of these adorable turkey plates.

find these cute turkey plates here: *gobblegobble*

* i wish i had wine. i mean, i love these monogrammed wine glasses, but they're no good to me without the wine. which i am currently out of. so... yep, i wish had wine.

find these lovely booze holders here: stemless wine glasses

* lastly, i wish the entry to my house looked like this one - pumpkins, gigantical lanterns, black crows, leaves on the ground... all of it. freakin' pottery barn.

incindentally, this was the inspiration photo for my Bleuprint challenge and layout above. aaaahhhh... beautiful fall.

so... what are your wishes on this beautiful wednesday?

xo

WISHFUL WEDNESDAY

these 5 wishes brought to you today by a store i wish i lived closer to. or hell, even in.
*anthropologie* , i love you. marry me.


* i wish these oh-so-adorable aprons weren't "butt-outs" because i would totally wear them as dresses. eh, maybe i'll do it anyway. LOOK AWAY!

find more of these pretties here: Anthro-Style Aprons

* i wish this was my bedroom. and my bed. and my 254916 pillows. and my sheets. and my duvet. and my pretty purple rug. *sigh*

find this gorgeous bedding here: Adelaide Duvet

* i wish this yummy, frilly little number was sitting in my closet right now. someday soon, my pretty... someday soon.

find this little number here: Gumshoe Sweatercoat

* i wish it wasn't ridiculous to wear boots such as these in arizona because otherwise i'd be wearin' these suckers everywhere... all day. everyday.

take a closer look at these fancy boots here: Winding Ruffle

* and lastly... i wish i had thought up the concept of writing on my bare-ass wall and turning it into wallpaper. $700 a roll? CA-CHING!

for other lovely prints and patterns, check it here: Anthro-Style Wallpaper

so... what are your wishes this lovely fall wednesday?

xoxo