Happy New Year!

It's the New Year somewhere. Have a great 2008!

I'm going to be my usual fuddy-duddy New Year's Eve self & do nothing much this evening. Well, Mr. WhiMSy love & I will watch movies, play games with the girls & the girls & I are going to make brownies after we eat pizza & sip orange cream soda--with a straw!!

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I always anticipate the feeling of "newness" & "change" & "a fresh start" that the new year brings. I celebrate that!

I look forward to new things & fresh ideas & changes for the better!

***UPDATE: 9:15pm--Mr. WhiMSy love has gone to bed. HAHA! It looks like the girls & I will be going it alone on our brownie & soda sugar high! I wonder how long they'll last...

New Favorite Etsy Shop!

It's a shop called Witty Workshop , she's from Montreal & her shop is full of "prints, art & paper lovelies". I wanted to brag a little about this shop/artist, not only because I LOOOOVE her stuff, but because she's having a sale through Jan. 27th---BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!---on all her prints! The one pictured is called "Tea Party". I think this would look so sweet hanging above my girls little kitchen playset. Another of my favorite prints is "Cupcake in the Stove". (Well, I think I just found my two "Buy One Get One Free" combos!)

Happy New Year's Eve Day!

The girls & I are insane--we're working on Valentines! I realized I am WAY more prepared for this holiday than I was for Christmas!
The pink tree is coming down today. I'll miss the ole girl. Until next year. I WAS going to keep it through Easter, seeing as I hardly had the chance to enjoy it much this year. But, Mr. WhiMSy love wasn't LOVING that.
I just got a treasury on Etsy! It'll be full of pink goodies! Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=21192

Valentine Stuff!

My new "Heart Shaped Sugar Cookie" tags & cards are in the shop now! Created from an original colored pencil drawing done by moi, with pink frosting & red-hots! Yum! Click HERE for the 'Valentines Day' section in my shop.


I'm busy cleaning my art studio. Yay....fun. (It's a vicious never-ending cycle.) But, I'm finding all sorts of cool stuff I forgot I had! One thing I found was 2 pillows that I made about a year ago & stored away to sell at some point or another. They are HEART pillows & I think I'll give a go at tossin' 'em in the shop! I've got a few more Valentine-ish items I'll be adding in the next couple weeks also.

Stuff on a Thursday...

Today I spent a bit of time on Etsy organizing "WhiMSy love". I hadn't ever really done that before, but it was a necessity after the holidays. I came across many misspelled words in the descriptions...I changed my "holiday-ish" wording in some listings...I even noticed some "tags" I could change/add that I hadn't seen or thought of before...I juggled some pictures around...& made notes of certain items in the shop that aren't selling & ideas of how I could change them to make them more appealing. I highly recommend a good cleaning if you have an Etsy shop, especially with the new year approaching.

I am super excited about Valentimes Day. I say "Valentimes" because that is how I said it as a kid. It rolls off the tongue better that way. "ValenTINES"? That just sounds weird. Anyway, I don't know if YOU know, but Valentimes Day is right up there with Christmas for me. I LOVE IT! My mom always gave me & my bro & sis a box of chocolates when we were kids & then it turned into tiny little gifts as we grew up. I still do that today---gather (or make) tiny gifts to show my affections to my family. Almost like an Easter basket, but for Valentimes Day. I love cheesy & sweet Valentimes Day cards & the tacky & lovely faux velvet covered boxes of chocolates covered in the cheap lace & plastic flowers. Mmm. Love it all! I'm working on a my first ever "WhiMSy love" Valentimes Day card too! It's a colored pencil drawing & I just finished it tonight! I can't wait to show it off!

I realized a GREAT "WhiMSy love" goal for 2008: Keep track of my finances. I've never done that before. Are you shocked? It's not like I'm making bookoo (is that how it's spelled?) dollars here. But, I do need to get organized. Not only will it keep me in reality about how much I might NOT be making (then I can adjust prices, rethink some things, etc.), but it'll get me organized for when my season of success arrives. I am so confused & scared by all the financial stuff--the "books" as they say. I know there are a lot of you out there who are just as confused as I am, so I'll make sure I let you know my steps along the way. (And if any of you have tips, I'll gladly take advice!!!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I've been in my jammies all day! Hope you all are having a cozy day too! Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night Before Christmas!

YAY! Christmas is almost here! Tonight I'll be spending the eve before Christmas with my brother, sis, & their families, my grandmother & mom & dad. I can't wiat!

I've been busy making cookies--(these are the sugar cookies I made as a kid with MY mom. They're a lot of work & so now I've been handed the secret recipe & make them every year with MY kids.), finishing the last minute handmade gifts (I suck), & wrapping all the presents.

If I don't get to say it tomorrow, I'll say it now....HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! Have a wonderful holiday!

Speaking of Jeanetta...

I just got my mail & there was a little gift from Jeanetta! I swapped one of my "ugly ornaments" with her & so now I am the proud owner of Jeanetta's "ugly" ornament. It's not that ugly, Miss Jeanetta. It does make me giggle though! Jeanetta says "it's a 'Sugarplum Fairy Snowman'....er woman?" It does look like a sweet little snowman forced to wear girly clothes. I love it! Thanks girl!

Holiday Quiz Fun!

I had a few spare moments in my day to linger around some of my favorite blogs & stumbled upon some personality quizzes on Jeanetta's blog. I love those things! Here's my results... Some are kinda funny--like, "What Kind of Gift Giver Are You?" Um...duh!
















My hubby & I are going on our weekly date night tonight. We've hired a sitter (for the second time EVER!) & we're going to Red Robin to eat---(YUM! Bonzai Burger here I come!) We're hoping to purchase our FINAL gifts for Christmas. Oh, & how romantic is this: Mr. WhiMSy love's mom is going to buy us a new mattress for Christmas, so we 're going mattress shopping! I'm totally going to test the beds by jumping on them. Seriously. If it's not springy & fun-like, it's not for me.

Presents for me! Presents for me!

Ok, I'll be honest with you. I love Christmas. And one eensy-weensy, itty-bitty reason why is because I LOVE GETTING PRESENTS!!!!!! And look what came in the mail from my bestest friend EVERS, Beck (from Little Daisy Chains). It's a scarflette--or "neck warmer" made by Atelier Iona Loyola. It is absolutely beautiful & wonderful & I love it!! Thank you Beck!!!

And look what my sweet mommy surprised me with today! It's the first cupcake-y thing from my mom! I love it! It fits very well on my tree. Oh, & speaking of tree....Remember how I ordered my pink Christmas tree & I was waiting & waiting & waiting for it to arrive? Well, I was so happy it came yesterday & I love having it all decorated in my house. Guess what arrived at my house today? ANOTHER PINK CHRISTMAS TREE! haha! There was some sort of mistake in shipping & they sent me 2. I only got charged for one tree, but I thought it was hilarious. It's going back to "Pink Trees-ville" tomorrow.

I'm working on my final Christmas gifts. Grandmother is getting a placemat purse that will be extra special with lots of trims & doo-dads. And my brother & sis-in-law are receiving a set of coasters I'm making out of wool felt. I'm punching them with a hole punch & stitching some kind of design that is yet to be determined, so we'll see how it goes...

I'm off to craft! Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas!!!

Here's my new pink tree!!!! It was so super easy--& super fast---to put up! It's my first PRE-LIT Christmas tree & I highly recommend them!! Mr. WhiMSy love even said it made the house more cheery & lightened things up. (Not like I live in a goth cave or anything!--my house is pretty cheery anyways.) I had fun with my camera & my new tree, so get ready for some major pink-ness & some showing off! I definitely need a tree skirt--I've always wanted to make one, so what a grand excuse to MAKE SOMETHING!--(next year.)





Here's the tree in more daylight. Notice that I didn't even bother to pick up the random shoe, the coat, the dirty sock...




This is the ornament I got from my swap buddy from the last cupcake swap I did earlier this year. I love it! It's actually been out all year hanging on a knob.






HAHA!

I love this ornament. My parents gave it to me when I was about 11 years old & performed in the Nutcracker Ballet with the New Orleans Ballet Company. The head fell off some years later & my dad glued it back on---backwards! I love laughing at it every year when I pull it out of the box of decorations.

I got this ornament several years ago at Anthropologie when I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona. It's one of my favorite shops! It has a lovely handmade/vintage feel.

This decoration is a frame ornament I bought at Pottery Barn & then filled it with a picture of Mr. WhiMSy love & I smooching when the clock struck midnight for the year 2000. It's our "Millenium Kiss". He was working late as a valet & I drove down to see him & spend the New Year with him parking cars. Very romantic huh!?

This is the little wooden 99cent ornament I bought at JoAnne's. The girls & I painted a couple nights ago & this is the finished product.

I just bought this vintage ornament on Saturday at one of my favorite antique spots in town. I saw it from far away & thought it was a cupcake! It's not, but it gives the elusion of one, so that's just as good!

This one needs explaining. This is an ornament that I remember hanging on our tree every year as a kid. It was one of those "toss-it-away-raggedy-ornaments" that I refused to let my mom get rid of. So, I inherited it. It's falling apart. But I love my disco mushroom anyway!

I don't have a designer tree. Someday I'd like one, I think. But, I love looking at my tree every year because it is a tree of memories. I love looking at each ornament & remembering when my kids made it, thinking of where we bought each decoration, reminiscing about the memory surrounding each tiny piece. And my most favorite thing in the world around Christmas is turning all the lights off---except for the tree lights---& sitting & gazing....

It's Here!

My pretty pink tree is here! I'm decorating now & will have pics later! YAAAAAAY!
It's a much bigger tree than I've had so it may look sparse with decor!

Farrah Fawcett & Baby Jesus

Here's the drawing I created for my mom's Christmas cards this year. It was different drawing this scene as compared to my beloved "dessert" drawings. It was fun though!


And look what came in the mail yesterday from my granny! She & I both love mannequin head stuff & she found this Farrah Fawcett makeup & hair styling head & sent it to me. I googled it & found out it is from 1978. Cool huh?

What do you think of my latest design? I thought of it yesterday. This is a super fast, super sloppy rendition. Zoey (my 5 year old) has this grubby blue shirt she wears when she does messy crafty projects. It's got stains & splotches all over it, so I thought I'd make it more cute & I decorated it with a rockin' cupcake. I am going to use this design for some other projects in my shop too!

These are my new little boxes for my vintage button rings! Didn't they turn out cute?! The shape is much cuter than the plain square box I used to use. Plus, I just cut & fold. With the square boxes I had to cut, fold, use double sticky adhesive & then tie with a strip of fabric. These are part of the 14 rings I sold that are partially being sent tomorrow.

I'm off to go get my last minute handmade stuff done for Christmas gifts. It's coming down to the final days, for reals! I'm waiting for a sock monkey kit too! I've never made a sock monkey before & it's a gift for my 7 month old nephew Kade.

Happy Crafting!

Who is "WhiMSy love"???

I've been thinking a lot lately about setting some goals for "WhiMSy love" for the new year. One thing that bothers me is that I feel like there is not a cohesive look to the things I make. It's all random. I see some BEAUTIFUL shops on Etsy & there is a unified look to them, a similar feel to everything. I want that. So, I'm not sure how to attain that, but I want it.

I feel like some of my items are super funky & others are gooey sweet. But, that's also where my shop name comes into play: WhiMSy love. Some days I feel like a goofball---that's the "WhiMSy" part, & some days I feel all girly & romantic---that's the "love" part. And I LOVE trying all sorts of crafty projects. It's so hard to explain to people when they ask about my shop---"Oh, what do you do?" Well...um....I make rings out of vintage buttons, I do a lot of paper-crafts, I...uh...just started drawing &......I like cupcakes? I don't think I could ever pick just one thing & stick with it. I love trying new things & coming up with all sorts of creations. I just want all those random creations to have that "WhiMSy love" look....whatever that "look" is! And maybe the randomness is part of the "WhiMSy love" look. Or at least that's my excuse for now. Who knows...

I also want to come up with a logo & eventually create postcards, biz cards, letterhead, etc... I think before I do all those things I need to do some "WhiMSy love" soul searching. Who is "WhiMSy love"? What is "WhiMSy love" trying to say? I need to find the heart, soul, identity of "WhiMSy love" & so that is my goal for 2008.

So, any input, opinions, etc you have as I go on this journey will be MUCH appreciated! I'm excited about it! And I'm also excited about some new projects I have in mind for the new year!

**The crayon drawing is by my 5 year old of ME, done in August 2007.

Fe, Fi, Faux Food!

Did I say that I would show you the fleece food TOMORROW? I meant I'd show you in FOUR DAYS! (haha!) I have been SO busy trying to get Christmas gifts made, or doing holiday shopping so that I wouldn't have to do so much last minute stuff, that I didn't have a chance to sit my hiney down & show off my newest project!

BUT.....here it is! My washable fleece foods! I am giving a set to my 3 year old niece & a set to my 3 & 5 year old girls. I had to bring a set out today for the photo shoot, so my girls saw it for the first time. I told them it was for their cousin. They loved it sooooo much & they wanted to play with it right away & Pazely even said, "That is so cool that Ellie gets this!" It just tickled me because I am excited to give them THEIRS on Christmas morning--& they have no clue! Zoey even said, "Aw mom, will you make me one?"

So, of course a set of faux food is not complete without sweets--my cupcake & 2 sugar cookies. I really could have gone crazy making more & more & more & more food, but I had to find a stopping point. I figure as birthdays or other holidays approach I can add fleece food installments to add to their collection.

A couple slices of apples---Granny Smith & Golden Delicious. I didn't do a red apple slice. I may still do one for their set.

Peanut Butter & Jelly! My 3 year old daughter's favorite meal. These slices of bread were the hardest thing to make of the whole set. But the splats of peanut butter & jelly were the easiest!

Catch of the day! Kind of a boring one.

Three large ravioli's. I tried to do a "sauce" for these, but everything I tried to make looked silly. As if fake ravioli's isn't silly enough. My favorite! It IS a rather tall burger, but it looks so cool! Complete with char grill marks on the burger & hand-sewn sesame seeds on the bun. The lettuce was the most fun thing to make in the set.

My mom loves this egg. The yolk is the perfect color! I never thought I'd say this, but "What a cute egg!"
A stack of three pancakes, topped with two pats of butter. This was a higher quality fleece that I bought--more expensive. It is more fuzzy & thick.

I've been having discussions with my niece about Christmas & presents & I have found out that she is a pink freak--like her auntie! I was originally going to package her items in some super cute boxes I got at Old Navy (of all places?), but realized I had this pink bag (that I showed before), made from a placemat. So, I'll stuff her set of food in there, along with a tiny pot holder, oven mitt, chef's hat & apron that I will embellish with cupcakes. (I've yet to convert her to become a cupcake lover. Pink + cupcakes=we'll be twins!)

This is one of the boxes that I got at Old Navy. Don't adjust your screen--it is the brightest pink & orange I have ever seen. The other box I got is like a black & white hounds-tooth print. My girls may fight over this ONE, so I got TWO... just in case.

I had to show you the cutest little 1" pins/buttons I got while out shopping last week in the mall (gag, gag, I hate the mall). (They were $1.50 each!) It's a new funky shop called Fuego. On the side of the button is a link to the website where you can see ALL the buttons & other cool stuff!.... http://janejenni.com There were so many to choose from & I may go back & get some more. Super fun stocking stuffers!

Zoey is my "cowgirl" (She wants to be either a cowgirl who teaches ballet when she grows up or a mommy who rides horses.), & Pazely is my "cutie pie". My Auntie Beth is getting the "biker chick", I got myself the "goofball", I HAD to have the "cup cake" & Mr. WhiMSy love is my "stud muffin".

I finally got my Christmas cards sent yesterday. I sent out 50 Christmas cupcake cards!-- & oh!--tomorrow I'll show you the card my mom sent to her friends & family this year. She asked ME to create a holiday card for her!

I still long & wait for my sweet pink tree to arrive...I LOVE Christmas, but is it wierd that it doesn't feel like Christmas to me without a tree up?

So, that's it! My super long, super photo packed post! I hope you all are crafting away & having fun preparing for the upcoming holiday!

New Vintage Button Rings!!

I've stocked the shop with lots more vintage button rings! One of my customer's is purchasing FOURTEEN of them for girls in her youth group. Cool huh?

Tomorrow I'll have pics to show of my completed (YAY!) set of washable fleece foods that I made for my 2 girls & my niece for Christmas presents. Stay tuned!

Back in Action!

I had a fun weekend away & now I'm back in action!

I was bummed because my camera batteries were dying on my trip, so I only got a few pics. It was WAAAY to cold for walking a whole lot. So, this picture is when we were driving around. (haha!) The streets downtown were lined with lit up trees!

And, I learned something new about the city we were visiting. Walla Walla is quite the town full of wineries! (But mostly I just remember visiting this city as a kid every year to see my great-grandmother & passing by the STINKY paper mill!) And the region of Washington that I live in is the same latitude as some of the famous French country that produces wine also. Who knew?

This was a picture I took that only shows a tiny piece of a mural that was painted along the side of a building. My head would probably reach just the bottom of the picture.

One of the stops Mr. WhiMSy love & I made was to get MEEEEE a present!! (I had it gift wrapped even though I picked it out!) We decided to get each other cologne/perfume this year for Christmas. I decided on "HOT Couture" by Givenchy. We didn't get Scott's cologne 'cause my nose was DONE with sniffin'. MAN! We had so many perfume & cologne samples I was rather nauseous. I had hit my sniffin' limit. You're supposed to sniff coffee beans after you've sampled a few perfumes to neutralize it or something. There were small jars of coffee beans mixed in with the trays of perfume at the counters. After a while I just stuffed a coffee bean up each nostril. (Not really. But almost.)

Oh! &---I ordered my Christmas tree!!! I'm so excited! It's pink &, in fact, it's the same one that was pictured in a previous post. It has 500 pre-lit white lights & it's 6 feet tall. I don't even know when it will arrive. It hasn't even been shipped yet, so we may be putting up decorations on Christmas Eve.

I can't believe how quickly Christmas is approaching! Too fast! I'm about half done with my handmade gifts. That's what I've been busy doing. My poor hubby misses me.

In a couple days I'll have pics for you of my finished set of washable fleece foods! They are turning out SO cute!