Doodles in motion...

I found this odd little video through Creativario, which I would say I read, but it's not in English {I'm 99% sure I found them through Beautiful Decay}. I mainly look at the pictures and figure out every fifth word or so...it was stop motion animated by Kristofer Strom from Malmo, Sweden. I loved it - it is the essence of freestyle doodling in action...

From "Desk" to "Done"...

I scrapped again. It felt so good. I never realized how two handed an activity scrapping is until I broke my arm {for those of you who missed it - I broke my left arm in five places in early March, which is why it hasn't been very crafty on here lately}. I have so many amazing pictures I need to scrap...I kind of feel like I have scrapping A.D.D.

I had a morning to explore in Tokyo & I headed off on the subway to the Harajuku district - the Japanese punk capital of the city. I loved it!!!! I bought the pink skull & crossbones decal in the upper right corner of the page while I was there.

The style over there is to do a lot of layering of prints and colors with with ramped up pastels & black.

I sanded the letters on the title & cut out hearts from Luxe's Color Me...Loved paper. I included a piece of origami paper I picked up there too. I also cut and stitched a felt heart and used ribbons to add additional textures to the page. The stuff in the shops was outrageous {check out the smaller pictures}.

I have so many great Harajuku photos, I'm sure you'll see more pages, maybe even a mini album...

"Sense"-ational Sundays...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

I SEE: The Office

I love, love, love the writing on this brilliant & witty show. Other season premiers I caught this week were Big Bang Theory, ER & Ugly Betty. I watch Grey's online...so don't ruin anything, I haven't seen it yet!

I HEAR: My Inlaws

Every year, with the coming of Big Tex {pictured}, comes my inlaws. Yep, it was opening weekend at the Texas State Fair this weekend & true to tradition James & Elizabeth came up & went on opening day. Matt's grandmother owns the crazy mouse there...so that's how that got started. Anyway - we had a nice visit on Saturday up at Rusty's new home in Trenton. Elizabeth officially gets the "worls'd toughest chic" award...she tripped & fell at the fair Friday night and all day Saturday said her arm hurt {but not too bad, just like "wow, I can't really bend my arm. I'm sure having a nice time visiting". Anyway - she got an xray after a day of socializing and a 4 hour drive home and she had broken it! Fractured radial cap...wowzers!!! Her main concern? Not being able to use her sewing machine for 3 - 6 weeks. lol.

I TASTE:Barbeque Chicken

Well, it's almost October & it's officially Crock Pot season at the Adams. I bought a cookbook I really like - Five Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes. I find that if the title has "five ingredients or less" my husband will cook out of it and the recipes are simple enough I can really use them as a springboard to to tweak them into something creatively my own... So here's the yummy chicken we tried this week from the new book:

1 c bottled barbeque sauce {well, I used a whole small bottle}
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tsp yellow mustard
and I added pepper & garlic
chicken drumsticks

Combine sauce. Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Fabulous & almost no effort.

I TOUCH: Scrapbook stuff!!!

Yep, I finished my layout! It was so good to be scrapping again...Here's a sneak peek. I'll post the full layout & more shots tomorrow.

I SMELL: Barbeque Chicken
OK, that's probably cheating using one thing for two senses...but it smelled amazing and was by far the winner this week!

Shop Etsy Saturdays: Artista Muerta

OK, so you can probably tell I'm trying to get more disciplined about my blogging since I'm now committing to THREE regular features {"Sense"-ational Sundays, On My Desk Thursdays & Shop Etsy Saturdays}. I used to do regular Etsy Saturdays, but I think I tried to do too much {tutorials, multiple shops in a week, etc}. So I decided to simplify my formula and this is what you can look forward to every Saturday:

I believe in Etsy and in the spirit of independent craftsters everywhere. I love to buy handmade and unique items for myself, my home and as gifts. As someone who sells on etsy as well as shops there, I have found hundreds of talented craftsters and amazing creations while I have been online. My tastes range from Mexican Day of the Dead to Japanese kitchy cute and from homemade soaps to paper crafting originals, so if one week isn't your speed, be sure to come back on the next Saturday and see what my next pick is! Every Saturday I have committed to sharing one of my favorite shops with you...

Artista Muerta
With bracelet titles like Rockabilly, Urban Decay & Girly Gothic I couldn't resist linking this shop as my first Saturday pick! Today I have included photos of their Rockabilly Charm Bracelet, Butterfly & Skull Earrings and a Tattoo Heart Art Pendant.

The Life & Death of the Pocket Ninja...

When Meg came over to spend the night last Friday, she wanted to make something {as usual}. She had been pining for black felt so I had picked some up...she wanted to make a tiny ninja {which I dubbed the "pocket ninja" because she had a ridiculously little pocket on her shirt and it fit perfectly in there}. Now, it was adorable...but then...I don't know. It kind of died. I guess she sewed a little too close to the edge on the neck & over stuffed and a seam busted and stuffing started poking out. She was so sad...so I suggested we really kill it properly.

Here is an altering tip you probably won't get anywhere else...I think Heidi Swapp's crimson acrylic paint makes the best fake blood on the planet! Once the decision was officially made to kill the ninja, Meg removed the eyes she had sewn on and replaced them with the little "x"s. Then we removed a bit of stuffing and sealed the hole with the aforementioned fabulous paint {it's a little plasticised and glossy, really fab blood if there's ever a disaster with a stuffed animal}.

So...this was not the turn we though our Friday night crafting would take...but we ended up having a big laugh over it. And, who else has a dead pocket ninja doll??? That's got to count for a few extra cool points when she takes him to school...

On My Desk Thursdays...

Visiting On My Desk yesterday gave me an idea...I am going to share a photo of what's on my desk (whether it's a project or a mess) every Thursday. Should be interesting...

So here's the first - it's pieces of a layout I'm working on...the photos are from the Harajuku district in Japan. I haven't scrapped much the last 6 months with my arm being broken, but I'm itching to get back into it full swing!

Thank you...

Well, thank you very much...both Jen & Jane nominated me recently for an I *love* your blog award.

Here are the rules…

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog
2. Link the person you received your award from
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.

So, here are my seven nominees:

Anna Maria Horner - This fabric artist's blog is full of visual inspiration! Her photography is gorgeous and I love the way she writes & thinks.

Print + Pattern - This UK design blog is a visual feast! Daily doses of what's hot in the world of design from a European perspective.

Jennifer Lynn Moody -Yep. Jen's blog is one I check every day. She's a great writer & it's a great way to keep up with her especially when she's on the road.

On My Desk - This unique blog posts daily photos of the workspaces of creative people from all art & craft disciplines. I love to see other people's messy desks.

Funky Finds - This quirky trend blog is run by a local girl & a friend of mine. She & her beloved chiuaua have been tracking down cool stuff for years. Best thing? She's a scrapbooker! She was one of my students back in the Magic Scraps days...

designsponge - The ultimate design tracking blog. Oodles of information & inspiration!

Feeling Stitchy - So, I'm really into figuring out doodle stitching & this seems to be the fun place to go. Lots of cool embroidery & project ideas.

So - that's who I love. Hope you check out a few. I think they're really worth seeing! Hope you have a creative day...

Meet "Owlie"...

So, this is what I did with the owl pattern this weekend. He was super easy & I added some Creative Cafe felt trim to the wings for a little added texture & doubled up on buttons for eyes. Making it was SUPER relaxing...I just sat on the couch, watched a movie & sewed.

Later this week I'll share the "pocket ninja" Meg made Friday night while her brownies were baking.

I have some really fun projects in mind, so keep reading, you never know when I'll post more patterns & instructions! Post a link in the comments if you made an owl last weekend too!

"Sense"-ational Sundays...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

I SEE: CANstruction!

There was a big CANstruction exhibit sprawling over NorthPark Mall that ended last weekend and I was able to catch some of the amazing can sculptures. I wish I had more time that day to look & take pictures. I guess I'll have to trek over to te mid cities for the next one in October...

CANstruction is a unique food charity sponsored by the Society for Design Administration (SDA). Teams of architects, engineers and students come up with unbelievably elaborate food sculptures. After each exhibition, all their "building materials" are donated to local food banks. Be sure to visit the CANstruction site to see more photos of the amazing builds!

I HEAR: ABBA
I put my favorite ABBA songs on a player all by themselves & have been jamming to them on a loop. I've been a real retro kind of mood!

I TASTE: The Ortolana
I admit it...I was not very good about taking my lunch this week. So that meant I landed at Cavalli's twice. So this week's top taste was one of my favs from there:

...and if you're wondering just what that is - it's a personal pizza with roasted eggplant, peppers, artichokes and jalapenos. So good...Congrats to Cavalli's! They just got named as having the best pizza in Dallas by D Magazine (very impressive considering they've only been open for 7 months!)

I TOUCH: My Sewing Box

Yep, I'm taking the time to actually make an owl this weekend. I'll share it tomorrow...

I SMELL: Brownies
Thank you, Meg for baking brownies Friday night & making the house smell like it was dipped in chocolate!

Thanks for reading & hope you have a "sense"-ational week!

Flashback...

So, Brandy brought her darling kiddo, Paige, up to the office yesterday & I got a chance to cuddle her a bit. One time on my lap she decided it was time to CRY. {yes, that's an all caps, future drama queen sob} Nothing seemed to console her - until...

She was transfixed. She got perfectly still and quiet and just stared with her big blue eyes. Man, I love youtube. And Bizet on Sesame Street - that was always one of my favorites...

A project for the weekend...

I've started making softies & it's really a lot of fun! Meg's been making Softies too & today & wanted to share this little owl she made:

She varied it from the original (she did him upside down & chose not to add a beak). The whole thing took her under half an hour and she loved it! We found the pattern free online (I copied it here) over on Flickr's Embroidery Blog as well as a great tutorial on how to make it! The pattern and tutorial are by the talented Florista. Thank you for sharing!


If you have any spare felt you should try it! Softies are addictively fun! I haven't had as much time to experiment as the Megster has, but from time to time I'll share some of my creations too.

If you're new to sewing or softies, be sure to scroll down on my sidebar. I've added 2 new sections. One for softies and one with GREAT sewing tutorials. I've already been using it myself to look up stitches. Hope it helps you too! Have a creative weekend!

Check back Monday...I'm making one myself this weekend & I'll post it here. If you try a softie owl this weekend, let me know - I'd love to see it!

Consipracy theory...

So I have a theory...my veins know when I'm headed to the doctor. They go into hiding and retreat for dear life. It's a conspiracy. From the gist of this post you can guess where I ended up this morning...

I had no idea this was a blood work appointment, but as fast as they could say "go to the lab", my veins went into quick retreat. I don't know - they call it "rolling veins"...my family's veins actually move out of the way when we're stuck with a needle.

The "bloodsuckers" (as my uncle affectionately calls nurses) always had such a hard time sticking my mom. I remember one nurse said, "You can scream, curse - whatever makes you feel good, sweetie. I've heard it all." And when she stuck her, my mom yelled at the top of her lungs "I COULD GET YOU FIRED FOR THIS!!!!" Poor thing. She froze, slack-jawed. Apparently, she hadn't heard everything.

I think of that now & smile every time I get blood drawn. So back to this morning. Right elbow, no luck. Left elbow, nothing. Left hand, no good. So where did they end up drawing from??? Left KNUCKLE!!! That really hurts!!!!

So, while I was there (and since, apparently I'm a masochist) I decided to go ahead and get my flu shot. FYI - it really burns this year & my arm looks like there's been half a hard boiled egg stuffed in it. I've never had this kind of reaction to a flu shot before. Don't get me wrong - I've had one every year since I was 17 & I'm a strong believer that everyone should get one...but, man. Ow.

OK, I'll quit whining now...

...and if you haven't already, go over to the Luxe blog to enter to win that great giveaway!

Go win some Luxe!

So, to keep myself motivated to blog every day on the Luxe blog, I've come up with a kind of posting incentive program. Every time I skip blogging for Luxe (on a week day that's not a holiday), I'm putting together a prize pack and giving it away. We're calling it the LUXE Lazy Blogger Giveaway.

So, since I somehow completely missed Monday & Tuesday over there I just put up this awesome kit. All you have to do is post your name & the city where you live ON THE LUXE BLOG to have a chance to win. (entries made on this blog are not eligible to win)

And you know me, if you read my log regularly, so you know there will be plenty more chances to win. Good luck!

And now for something completely different...

So, I was making the same old, same old for dinner & looked down at the Shake & Bake box and inspiration hit. There was a recipe on the box and I realized I had everything it had (and more) so I dabbled with it and came up with a whole new way to bake chicken.

zucchini, chopped
onion, chopped
fresh garlic, sliced
mushrooms, sliced
1 can low sodium tomatoes with juice
oregano
parsley
Parmesan

Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. Top with shake & bake chicken. Bake @ 375 for 35-40 minutes. Serve over farfalle pasta. Not only was it delicious, Matt ate up all the zucchini (usually a veggie he ignores like the plague).

So yum. Try it. It's really good & super easy...

"Sense"-ational Sundays...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

I SEE: Burn After Reading

Matt & I went to see Burn After Reading Friday afternoon...love Coen brothers flicks...It was as fabulously absurd, dark and funny as we had hoped.

I HEAR: TXCN & the coverage of Ike

We've been glued to TXCN & CNN watching Ike roll in. My brother & his family (in Houston) evacuated, but my best friend's parents (Sugarland) & brother (Pearland) stayed. Angie used to live in Alvin & I remember having dinner in that Landry's in Kemah, walking along the Seawall, sitting on Galveston beaches...so many places & memories - now washed away or facing devastating losses...

I read Issac's Storm or A Weekend in September about once a year. Those books made such n impact on me. It was truly horrifying to watch another hurricane take the same path...

I TASTE: Braum's
Had a chocolate chip ice cream cone this week and just about it made my day. I know - it's a simple thing, but it just seemed like a moment. I guess this wasn't an outstanding culinary week...

I TOUCH: Etsy Stuff...

Matt's been itching to pump up our etsy site for a while now & we took advantage of some of our extra time together to list a bunch of new stuff. One idea of his is so awesome I'm going to do a separate post about it later this week. I love being married to a creative guy!

I SMELL: Sexy Peel
I go through cycles with the soap I like & this week it's been all about Sexy Peel. This super clean feeling soap is blended with orange, lemon & grapefruit peels and leaves your skin so squeaky clean & awake it's tingly!

Spontaneous...

Going on Stay-Cation!

OK, I'm a goober...I'm so excited! I'm taking a couple of vacation days (Thurs & Friday) & going on "stay-cation" (i.e. staying at home doing nothing).

I was so excited, I reflected on the last few years to figure out why this is such a big deal.

• 2003 - both vacation weeks extremely sick or in the hospital
• 2004 - both vacation weeks extremely sick or in the hospital
• 2005 - both vacation weeks extremely sick or in the hospital
• 2006 - 1 week in the hospital/vacation suspended since company was closing
• 2007 - 2 job transitions, no vacation time accrued
• 2008 - week 1, in hospital with broken arm....
• and NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  

Seriously, with the exception of long weekends or Christmas this is a first in a LONG TIME! And it's extra special since Matt is on vacation too! And as long as I don't break anything I'm on track to have another week this year...

I am totally doing my happy dance over here...

"Sense"-ational Sundays...the "chill out" weekend version

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know, I'd love to read them.

Matt went dove hunting with his family this weekend & I just chilled out...here's some random glimpses of my weekend...

I SEE: Clerks

Classic movie. I always went for the Silent Bob type (Kevin Smith - so brilliant!). It was super cheap at Target on Thursday & I picked it up for Saturday night. Now I just need Mallrats, Chasing Amy & Dogma for a proper marathon.

I HEAR: Mamma Mia!

I went with my parents yesterday & was so pleasantly surprised! It was really fun...I love ABBA!

I TASTE: Tofu Pad Thai & Tempranillo
The perfect dinner for one...

I TOUCH: My Sewing Stuff
I'm playing with my sewing stuff this weekend. I had to pick up some embroidery needles Saturday and couldn't resist this adorable rainbow tomato pin cushion.

I SMELL: ...in the Shower
I waited until Matt was out of town to try one of Lush's new shower aromatherapy bombs. Awesome! Smells soooo good!

The Luxe Scoop!

OK Luxe fans, it's time! We've added our fabulous new products to our online store and are running a MASSIVE special for a LIMITED TIME ONLY!

****THE LUXE SPECIAL****
Order $30 worth of product and receive a LUXE BONUS PACK (a selection of 2008 products worth $10!!!)!

So, SHOP NOW while the quantities of the special bonus packs lasts!

Let me tell you what's new...You'll find Brown and Orange Simply Luxe papers, jotters & cardstock stickers, Sprinkles (if you order Sprinkles be sure to pickup some matching pink, turquoise, lime or black Simply Luxe!), Luxe-urious Labels and TWELVE NEW DESIGNS OF COLOR ME!

Have fun, happy shopping & have a creative weekend!

"Breathing is an interruption for..."

My mom would always say "I was the only child she'd ever met for whom breathing was an inconvenient interruption to reading." It made me smile, whenever I took my nose out of my book and actually heard her, that is.

So remember how I wasn't reading for 24 hours to give my eyes a break? Yeah, right.

I finished Eclipse Monday evening & started on Breaking Dawn. I think I've finally slowed my pace because I know it will be over soon....and because the late nights are catching up a little.

Whenever I read this much this fast I always dream about the characters in the book - which is great because it feels like I'm still reading...

If you are a fan of these books & haven't discovered Stephanie Meyer's website yet, treat yourself & check it out. My favorite part? She's created playlists for each book - like a soundtrack to a book - really cool & you can hear them on her site. Also you can read a partial draft of the fifth book, Midnight Sun, which is a rewrite of Twilight, but told from Edward (not Bella's) point of view.