WEEKEND SALE!

I'm TOTALLY behind on announcing a fun sale at WhiMSy love this weekend! So, here goes...

All Bottle Cap Badges are BUY ONE GET GET ONE FREE!! Yes, you heard me right. Isn't that awesome?!?!?!?!?!  

(While supplies last!) 

This weekend only. Found in the FunkOlicious Jewelry section of WhiMSy love.

Offer ends Sunday Nov. 1st @ midnight PST.

{Email me at whimsy-girl [at] hotmail [dot] com or message me if you have any questions.}

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Tacky to the Max (cont.)

Tia & I had a GREAT time hunting for the perfect tacky Christmas sweater! There were so many to choose from. Our shopping cart was piled high with all things awful & awesome in the holiday sweater department. We tried on 13 sweaters, all varying in ugliness. Some of the best were: a faux cross-stitch mitten sweatshirt, a completely sequined angel sweater, & a teddy bear sweatshirt--lined in gold glittery puffy paint! After our impromptu fashion show we both fell in love with some fabulous sweater vests.

Here's a video of our vests in action...

And, yes, I do realize I look like a Christmas whale. My vest is 3 sizes too big. I thought maybe it would make me look smaller because of the surplus in size. But, nope. And I'm pretty sure I broke that "black makes you look slimmer" rule by a longshot! Who cares though, it's all in good fun. And I have great plans for my tacky sweater vest. I'm hoping to pair it with some red leggins (wouldn't stirrup pants be the icing on the tacky Christmas cake?!) & a long-sleeved turtle neck.

Oh, & Tia's vest has major bell overload. It's awesome! And the back is my favorite!

This picture, my fave of the day, shows some ugly sweaters that almost won us over.

Yay for silly days with friends!

♥

Tacky to the Max

Last holiday season Tia & planned on buying really tacky Christmas sweaters. You know, just 'cause. BUT, that never happened.

Until today. We're heading out to the thrift stores to begin our hunt for the perfect ugly holiday knitwear. I hope the ugly sweater fairies bring us heaps of horrible cardigans. We're looking for the hideous, the distasteful, the unattractive. I'd honestly swoon for a sweater vest!

*Bedazzled? Bring it on!!

*A sweater featuring cuddly teddy bears wearing their OWN tacky sweaters? I'm sooooo there!

*Light-up Rudolph nose? I'll buy replacement batteries if I have to!

*Bells? The more the merrier!

*Giant life-sized Santa head complete with mop beard & other obtrusive facial features? I think I'm going to faint.

*Puffy paint? *SQUEEEEE!!!*

To be continued...

♥

Vintage Fabric=Happy!

I just recently did a trade with a fellow handmade creative in Spain & what I traded was a bundle of 6" squares of some of my collection of vintage fabrics. I thought it would be neato to put a couple of these bundles in the shop just fer fun. I call 'em Happy Stacks & you can get yours now!

♥ ♥ ♥
(To see what I received from the trade click HERE & HERE.)
UPDATE: I totally goofed on the pricing of these, so go check out the new l-o-w price!

3-2-1..Blast Off!

Sometimes I want to launch like a rocket to the sky. And forget about laundry. And ignore the bills. And pretend not to see my long list of things to do. Gliding high & obliged to do nothing but fly...

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Week in Review

It was a wonderful, silly, & random week. Tutorials were on the menu this week. As was a last trip of the season to the Farmer's Market: in the drizzly rain with my mom. And some thrifting. Yahoo! (Thrifting & Markets & Tutes..oh my!)

Unexpected prezzies arrived in the mail for my girls from a sweet blogger. Tiny handmade kitties? What gets better than that?! {Thank you Leah!}

I spent the first part of this week trying to recover from last weekend's retreat. I was so stinkin' tired. Nothin' beats a Sunday afternoon nap. I don't know why. A nap any other day of the week is just not as lovely as one on a Sunday. Ya know? Has there been some scientific analysis or research data collected to support this strange phenomenon? There should be.

A not-so-fun happening this week was my 2nd visit to the dentist in a week & a half's time: for a DEEP clean. Ouchie mama. But nitrous was my friend & I'm pretty sure I can do anything with that strapped to my face. Suprisingly, after not being to the dentist in about 9 years, I had only 2 little cavities--& they were found under some fillings I already had. So, a crown is next on the list of dentist-y things to do. Ugh. And this "crown" has nothing to do with royalty or princesses or NOTHIN'!

The fam did some pumpkin carving too. I'm afraid our sweet-faced pumpkins will be mush by the time Halloween rolls around. But the hubby was so giddy to carve 'em up that I just went along with his jack-o-lantern antics. Silly me to follow that Mr. WhiMSy love down a happy pumpkin craftin' path!

Well, here's to a great week!
Happy Monday!!

*Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

♥

Shop News

The girls & I have made lotsa Bug Catcher Necklaces. We're hoping they'll be a big hit for kidlets this Christmas & for making awesome stocking stuffers! I've been too slow at gettin' them listed in the shop. But I'll eventually get to it. If you see one in this picture you want, let me know & I'll check if it's still available: I'm also beginning to set aside some of my finished projects for the upcoming Holiday Bazaar. (And remember, when you buy a necklace made by Pazely or Zoey, you're supporting they're tiny pocketbooks. And that makes them very happy. And keeps them motivated.)

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Did you know that WhiMSy love now has gift certificates?? Yeppers. I can create 'em to any denomination you desire.

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Also in the works: Vintage Button Ring Coupons! Want to give a friend a nifty Vintage Button Ring but aren't sure what color or style they'd love? Purchase a Vintage Button Ring Coupon & your problems are solved! A pre-paid Coupon will let THEM decide!

♥

Next weekend (you're the first to know!) I'll be promoting the Vintage Bottle Cap Badges. I just ordered a hefty load of grape bottle caps--my best sellers--& I'll be craftin' up a nifty sale just for these badges. So, stay tuned!
♥

Sylvia C. Winner!!

The winner of the Sylvia C giveaway is:

kayla!!!

Congrats on winning the Speak Your Mind bangle!

Thanks for playing along everyone!

I know Sylvia was inspired by all your comments!

And, don't be sad if you didn't win. You can still get fabulous goodies at Sylvia's Etsy boutique HERE!

History in the Making

Recently I was thinking about how the things we make have a story whether we realize it or not. All handmade things have a history.

For instance, you might think about "that baby quilt" you've saved for years & remember how your little babe used to lay so innocently upon it or played peek a boo with it as a toddler. Eventually it became the building materials in some serious fort construction. And then it folded so nicely at the end of a teenager's bed. But, did you think about the "birth" of the quilt? Yes, grandma made it. But, did you know she made it while smoking cigars & watching reruns of her favorite soap operas? (OK, that might be a bit extreme. haha!)
But I think it's fun to think about where things came from or wonder how they came to be.

 My vintage buttons rings are usually made while I'm cozy on the couch late at night, all alone while the family sleeps, sipping hot yummy drinks & watching my favorite indie films.

My little felt owlie pencil toppers were mostly made as I traveled back & forth with my family over the mountains to visit my dad at the Veterans hospital in Seattle after he was diagnosed with cancer last year.

My girls & I create our bug catcher necklaces while making up nonsense stories & giggling about silly things.

And I just thought about a delicious pistachio torte dessert I made not long ago---while crying & brokenhearted.

The saga of our handmade treasures doesn't start when the final layer of decoupage is dry or the last loose thread is snipped. The tale of our projects-in-the-making do not commence once the painting is "just so" or the meringue has perfectly set.
The story of each thing we create begins even before they are loved. Their history begins....in the making.

♥

Goofy Glasses from Pipe Cleaners TUTORIAL

 

I got this idea from a book, but I changed up a tiny bit of the construction. I thought these would be perfect accessories for Halloween costumes, not to mention everyday dress-up for the wee ones.

The only supplies you need to make 1 pair of Goofy Glasses are: 3 pipe cleaners & scissors. (NOTE: If you have the really sturdy nice pipe cleaners then 3 will work. I had some pipe cleaners from the dollar store that were pretty flimsy so I doubled up in certain steps & had to use a total of 5.)

Take 1 pipe cleaner & cut it in half. These will become the "lenses". Oh, & I'm sure the fuzzy pipe cleaners would be more comfortable to wear (& less itchy), but all we had were these metallic ones. (Can you say 'pipe cleaner rash'? haha!)

Loop these 2 pieces into a circular shape, twisting the ends over themselves.

In this next step, you'll cut 2" off the remaining long pipe cleaners.

 If you have the strong kind of pipe cleaners, you'd just be cutting TWO 2" pieces off. But, I had to double up & that's why there are FOUR 2" pieces on mine. (Gosh, hope that's not confusing.)

Take ONE of those 2" pieces (I took TWO) & twist it to connect the "lenses".

Now, take your two long leftover pipe cleaners (I had FOUR) & connect them on opposite sides of the "lenses". (I twisted each of my pairs together. You can see how the bottom side is twisted & the top side hasn't been twisted yet.)

Now fit the glasses on your face to measure how long they should be. Twist them up, over & around the ears.

Carefully take them off your ears & snip the excess off with scissors.

These bigger Goofy Glasses were made the same way--except you'd use one whole pipe cleaner for EACH "lens".

You could really go crazy with silly shapes like stars or triangles, etc.

Have fun!

♥

Giveaway from Sylvia C!

The lovely Sylvia, of Etsy boutique Sylvia C., is giving away one of her popular

Speak Your Mind bangles! You get to pick any phrase--up to 35 characters--& Sylvia will create a custom piece just for you. What would your bangle say?
Leave a comment for a chance to enter & win!

I'll draw a name this Friday morning, October 23rd.

Visit Sylvia's shop to support handmade & get great ideas for gift giving this holiday season.

(And tell her I sent ya!)

Visit Sylvia's blog by clicking HERE.

♥

Week in Review

Yay!--I'm back after a weekend away. But it was a relaxing & peaceful & lovely weekend with Mr. WhiMSy love. We went on a reatreat to a beautiful place, were surrounded by lovely people, ate scrumptious yummy foods & learned a lot about how to keep a healthy marriage. Goodness all around I tell ya!

Even though this was such a mucky, grey, damp & dark week in terms of the weather, I got a lot of "happy" accomplished: fishing with my brother, pumpkin patch field trip with Pazely & her Kindergarten class, weekend getaway with the hubby &....not so happy: a visit with Mr. Dentist. (I did get a self portrait with the tooth pro though!)

Lots & lots of jumping went on this week too. I could have had a whole mosaic of jumping, simply from the last seven days: in a boat, on a bed, on a bench, on a log, on a dock, with my mom, off a train...(this sounds like that Dr. Seuss book).

Oh, speaking of "jumping": The center square of my mosaic this week is rather sacred & miraculous. Mr. WhiMSy love jumped with me. For the first time. (Moment of silence please.....) He mentioned something about, "This is it. Please don't ask me again." Whatever. I'm still gonna ask.

I've decided I really need to get busy with my handmade goodies for the *hopefully* upcoming holiday rush. So, I'll be crafting up storm after storm for the next several weeks. I've got some fun tutorials in mind & a really cool project in the works for my shop specifically for the holidays this year. But, of course, all that has to be put on hold until I get some custom orders finished up, stockpile a bit more on the pretty much un-stocked Holiday Bazaar pile & do the whole mommy & wifey thing.

Here's to a productive week!

(And a giveaway tomorrow! Stay tuned!)

♥

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

Stuff-n-Things

The girls have been madly crafting their sweet little hearts out by making oodles of Bug Catcher/Treasure Keeper Necklaces. I'll be stocking the shop with our latest designs early next week. (And we're all tickled that Bug Catcher sales are picking up! Stock up for the holidays people!)

♥

I'll be gone this weekend with Mr. WhiMSy love on a retreat to Newport, Washington with other couples from our church. We'll be staying at Inn at the Lake. It looks gorgeous! I can't wait!

(Tia has the lovely duty of playing "mommy" to my kids. She's got 3 boys, so she'll have her hands full. Thanks pal!)
I'm totally psyched about driving 3 1/2 hours & crafting, crafting, crafting this afternoon. Wheeee!!! Gotta go! See you on Monday my lovely little blog peoples!

♥

I Came. I Saw. I Fished.

 Yahoo! My fishing adventure was a success!

Honestly, I mostly just enjoyed hanging out with my brother. We had 2 1/2 hours to troll Lake Wallula in the quiet-mucky-yucky-rainy-wet-grey day-weather. We had no bites all morning & were heading back in. Until.....my prize showed up.

It's funny 'cause I had just been talking to Andrew about how we should try some different bait. Particularly some ham-n-cheese sandwiches in the cooler. He just thought I was weird, but I was seriously gonna pull my pole in & loop some hammy goodness on that hook of mine.

I reeled & squealed & was as giddy as any fishing girl could be.

It was pretty cold out there. I borrowed the giant coat from Mr. WhiMSy love & the ski pants, snow boots & fishing gloves from my bro. The Vera Wang hat is mine.

I passed the time by drinking lots of hot cocoa, munching on Doritos & pop tarts, looking at all the sparkly shiny things in my bro's tacklebox, asking all sorts of fishy questions, & taking pictures of everything.

I also thought of a cool business: there needs to be a little boat out there on the lake that trolls around & offers warm yummy drinks & delicious snack treats to the other fishers. Wouldn't that be neato?

Oh yeah, & I did some jumping! A wee fishing boat jump! Can you believe it? My brother is now on the list of people that officially think I'm nuts.

Oh, & I had to laugh at this: In my brother's wallet he showed me a pic with him & an 18 pound steelhead he caught last week---right next to the picture of his daughter. Isn't that hilarious?! I loved it.

So, here's my smelly catch! It's a 10 lb Chinook Salmon.

My brother said he was rather proud to see his sister catch a fish. (Awww....)

Ok. One more.

I loved fishing. I think I'm hooked. (har har har!)

♥

Here fishy, fishy...

(Guess who's going on a fishing adventure in the morning with her brother?! ME! Yahoo!)

I'm a fishing newbie. The last time I really fished was when I was a kid, with my dad.

I got my 1-day fishing permit tonight. And in the morn' I'll be packing lunch & munchies & 2 hot pots of warm yummy drinks. Is it weird that I'm bringing pumpkin pie? I just thought it sounded delicious. Although, anything mixed with the smell of stinky fish seems to immediately turn unappetizing. So, we'll see...

I'll be wearing thermal undies & Mr. WhiMSy love's oversized coat & every other warm piece of clothing I can find. *It's gonna be cold!!*

Anyway, I'm super excited & can't wait!!

♥

Adventures in Mountain Climbing.

Once upon a time there was a girl. She was out of shape, which was no surprise to her. She does not make exercise her friend or fitness an acquaintance. She's bad like that.

Well, one morning, this girl & her pal got it in their heads to go hiking. One chilly, cold, windy, miserable, grey morning I might add.

The girl donned her grubby sweats, her under-used sneakers, her happy socks, a little mascara, some lipstick & started on her journey. Up a mountain. (Well, it looked more like a large hill.) But still, it was daunting to the girl.

The girl started out in an amusing mood, taking candid photos as she walked.

But that pretty much ended right when it started. The camera now captured images of pain & distress.

And, yes, that's the girl gasping for precious air in the background:

Oh wait. Another almost-lifeless snapshot of the girl. The girl's pal played the part of paprazzi while her friend turned blotchy red & almost passed out several times. (The girl says "Thanks." I do detect a bit of snarly sarcasm in that expression of gratitude.)

The girl took many, many, many, many, many, many breaks on the way up the mountain. Old men even passed her by. The wildlife mocked her. Giggly fit young girls whispered & pointed in her direction.

By the time the two reached the top, the girl looked like this. It was not pretty. This mountain could have been Everest. It was all the same to the girl.

The girl & her pal talked about making their mark at the peak of this hill-ish mountain. You know, like mountain climbers stake a flag to symoblize their pinnacle achievement? A lone orange-flavored lollipop was all they had. Stuck it right in the ground, those two did.

The girl was really proud. She was proud that she pushed herself to keep on going. She was proud she made it to the end.
But, she was not proud of her slow pace. Or her MANY mini rests along the way. She was not proud of the way she wheezed & panted for air. She was not proud of all the whining & complaining she emitted on the way up.
The she realized, it's not important HOW she got there. It's THAT she got there. This was the hardest thing the girl had done in a long time.
She realized, too, what a super pal she had, who didn't give up on her. Who listened to the chorus of wheezes, pants & complaints the WHOLE WAY UP. I'm sure the pal wanted to push the girl down that tumbleweeed covered hillside more than once.

Before heading down the trail, the girl commemorated the experience in her own way.
She felt happy. And alive!

And now she could experience the beauty of nature...the loveliness of friendship. For she knew tomorrow she would experience...the pain.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: The girl & her pal celebrated their "great" acheievment by downing some pumpkin pie & waffles smothered in peanut butter & syrup.

♥

(The girl would like those interested to know that she hiked up Badger Mountain. And please don't laugh or make fun of her. Because, though you may be able to hop, skip & jump up that wanna-be-mountain, or even moonwalk backwards with your eyes closed all the way to the top....SHE--obviously--cannot.)

THE END