Sugar*Sugar

checking in

So, back to getting organized. Am I alone when I say that I can't seem to ever arrive?

My bff Aly is one of the most organized people I know. How she does it with 3 kids, one will never know, but it's just how she is. She is just naturally a clean freak. Her laundry always seems to be clean AND put away.

Then there is me.

If you show up to my house right now, you would find 3 piles of laundry all around my living room. They have been picked thru by 3 children and 2 exhausted adults who are preparing to leave for a week of summer camp.

It's a wreck around here. Oh well. I'm not really complaining, I'm just more... stating the facts.

It would not be so bad if I were sending them off to camp without me. I would feel a little more at ease...

No, I am the camp counselor who is taking them all to camp! It's crazy, I know. Buuut, I'm looking forward to a week away from normal living. I'm hoping I can find some inspiration, give my mind a rest and also get a little sun.

(one does not get much sun sitting in front of a computer screen....)

So, that's this week. I'll be home next weekend and I'll check in with you all then and let you know how camp was...

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But, before that, I have a few other things I've been meaning to share!

First, I was organizing my trims, and decided to do something fun with them. First, I wrapped them around plain manilla taggies:

Then, I found this old gadget I bought a few years ago at IKEA... I love IKEA, don't you? It's basically a hanging line with little jaw clippies that hang, so you could hang curtains, or kids artwork or important papers...

I thought it would be a cute way to hang my trim tags, so that I can see them and admire them, instead of filling up random boxes.

I used all my hangers already, now I need to order some more...

Cute, right? So, as you can see below, I need to finish up so that it fills the whole line, sort of like a trim valance?

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In other news, I wanted to tell y'all that I am coming to Silver Bella 2008!

WOOOO HOOO!!!

If you've never heard of Silver Bella, it is a super fab paper arts event held in Omaha, Nebraska, hosted by Teresa McFayden of My Minuta. You can read more about it HERE, HERE and HERE! This year's special guest speaker will be the ever talented Mary Engelbreit!!!!!

I am SOOOOO EXCITED to go and hope to meet some of you sweet BELLAS!!!!

Please drop me a line if you are going to come! I hope to meet everyone!! :0)

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Alright people, I've gotta go, still a few last minute things to pack. I hope you are all enjoying your summer!!

xoxo

                      

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you are all enjoying friends and family today!

xoxo

Getting Organized

This seems to be a constant issue for me. Staying organized. Oh, it's so hard for me! Especially in the summer months with kids at home, growing laundry piles, popsicle sticks and slip-n-slides into the mud.

My studio has been in a constant state of messiness for a while now... I've just been putting things off and making due. Piles of papers, bits, buttons, ribbons and half complete projects have been waiting to be dealt with...

One of the dreaded chores has been dealing with my several boxes and drawers FULL of trims and ribbons.

I finally dumped them all out into ONE HUGE PILE!

I thought I might never make a dent!!! :0)

But, I have... after 2 days of on and off, facing my pile... I could feel it staring me down as I walked past my studio door. I did my best to avoid eye contact with it.

 

So, I'm about 1/4 of the way thru my pile... it looks at me a little nicer now, not so terrifying after all.

This feels MUCH better! I can't wait to see them all together when I'm completely done!

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I hope you are all enjoying your summer! I have an unusually busy summer this year... not like I've ever had! In lots of ways that's a good thing, keeping the kids busy and me half way sane!

So, with that comes less time in blog-land, so forgive my infrequency! I am going to do my best to post at least once a week during the summer, just to keep connected with all of you busy gals!

:0)

Okie Dokie, I'll chat with y'all soon!

xo

Analise

The Art of Gratitude

 

Yesterday was a good day.

I got the phone call I had been waiting for, telling me my little sister was finally admitted to the hospital, ready to have her baby! She's had a hard pregnancy and has been ready to deliver for oh, about 6 months now. lol So I'm happy for her that the waiting is finally over and I have a new niece!

She is completely adorable and has the bestest chubby cheekies an auntie could ever want! :0)

It was such a happy day for so many people! I loved sitting in the waiting room with all of the other families waiting on news of their own. Babies really bring people together. Everyone there was willing to wait, for hours, in a boring, stale open room of strangers... just for that one little person to arrive. I felt so honored to see other families celebrating, crying, hugging. And of course, listening to all of the veteran moms recounting their own birthing stories to anyone who would listen. All of us strangers felt like we were on the same team, exchanging smiles and nods of congratulations to one another.

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Another great part of my day came a little earlier when my daughter brought me the mail. My advance copy of the most recent issue of Somerset Life! YEAH!!

Here's the conversation:

Me: Oh my Gosh! Is that? Oh! It is!! (I begin carefully opening the outer wrapping...)

Kid 1: Guys! It's Mommy's magazine! Come here!!

Me: Just a minute, let me open it and see...

Kid 2: Mom, I never saw your picture in the other maz-a-gine, are you sure you're in a maz-a-gine?

Me: OH MY GOSH! *smiling* Yeah! There I am!!

Kid 3: Mama, you said we are gonna be millionaires! How come we aren't millionaires yet?!

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Again, I am completely stunned, honored, amazed and full of gratitude. This issue of Somerset Life is beautiful and full of artful ideas and projects that are useful and inspiring! I am totally humbled that I have the opportunity to a part of this publication.

Inside you will find art and projects from so many talented artists and fellow bloggers! I found work from Melissa, Suzanne, Andrea, Lisa, Karla, Lori, Kristen, Pam, Rebecca, Sandra, Tammy, Dawn, Diane, Mendy, and so many more! I was also so happy to see letters to the editor from the super sweet Tiffany and Jenny! :0)

 

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A note about Show & Tell Sunday!

Because of all of the hustle and bustle and new babies and all, I have decided to take a week off of Show and Tell. So take a break y'all!!

Relax this weekend!!

No rushing to take photos, no polishing, dusting or ironing required! :0)

Talk to y'all soon!

xo

Analise

The Beginning of Summer

I have the photo above as one of my scrolling pics for my screen saver. So I see this photo all the time, every day.

And, I have this fortune (from Panda Express... Orange Chicken, OMG so good!) posted on my fridge... if only I would consider it more often when I reach for the mint and chip ice cream or extra rich super fattening coffee creamer or the dip to go with my chips, but that's a whole other blog entirely.

I think I may have shown this photo before, but I felt like I needed to share it again today.

Mostly for me, but we can share....

I've started my summer with a bang. I've been working on a gigantic yard sale all week to raise money to send our church kids to summer camp. I'm so tired, it's not even funny! We will continue to raise funds for them for the next few weeks, then I will be their chaperon to Kids Camp in July.  

Because of all of the things I've got going on, I am going to need to step back from the computer a bit more and focus on the kids.

Oh God, please help me.

*wink*

hee hee

Okay, so here's the dealio...

For all of you out there wondering about this week's Show and Tell, you can find the sign ups HERE at the sweet Miss Heidi's blog, Birds of a Feather. She has graciously volunteered to host this weekend as Cerri is preparing for her new shop opening!

Like Cerri, I also will be unable to post and share this weekend, but I'm sure you will all have a great time without us! :0)

Also, If you are new to Show and Tell and would like more information on how it works each week, read HERE , HERE, HERE or HERE to find out all the details!

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If you've sent me an email and I haven't yet replied, please accept my full apologies!

I have been gone most of the week and will be pretty busy for the next week and a half, not on the computer much, except when I can get a few moments! I will do my very best to return all questions as soon as I can! :0)

Thanks so much everyone, I hope you are having a great summer so far!

Enjoy every minute!

Oh, and remember...

YOU ARE ABLE TO DO WHAT OTHER'S SAY YOU CAN'T DO!

xo

Analise

Trash to Treasure- Show & Tell

Welcome everyone!

This is the 3rd try at posting my blog... typepad seems to know that I am tired and is toying with my emotions! lol Okay, okay, I'm gonna get to the point, and let's cross our fingers that this draft survives and makes it online!! :0)

Today's Show & Tell is "Trash to Treasure"! I am really excited to visit all the blogs and see all of the treasures everyone has found.

I am going to share the list of gals who are participating first, then share my "trash" with you!!

As always, if you would like to join in the fun and post a blog of your own, please leave me a comment and I will add you as soon as I can. I will be out all morning, but will catch up as soon as I get home.

Please stop and say hello to:

Tammy

Pinkie Denise

Di

Polly

Susan

Stephanie

Lisa

Barbara

Suzanne

Kathy

Fitty

Mya

Lynn

Joanna

Karen

Christa

Melissa

Andrea

Heidi

M at OC Cottage

Lisa

Rene

Jeanie

Cami

Jeanne

Lynn

Debbie

Rebecca

Tiffani

Stephanie

Elly

Linda

Deanna

Shanda

Heather

Margo

Dede

Nancy

and of course, be sure to stop in and say Hi to Cerri at Little Pink Studio and see her treasures!!

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My Trashy Treasures are honest to goodness, real trash!

If you know me well, you know that I am not beneath taking things from trash heaps, dumpsters and piles o' junk everywhere.

I know it's rubbed off on my friends and family. They have all been known to call me with the exact location of some "cool looking" trash on the side of the road.

Here's a real quote from a message on my answering machine, left by Aly.

"Analise. Hi. It's me. Did you see that old door laying in the grass, just past the corner of Alluvial and Armstrong? You need to go get it before someone else does! I almost stopped, but there was a grouchy looking man there, taking out his trash, so I just stared at him. Go get it."

I was too late.

Someone else took the door. Dang!

Another time, during a clean up day in our town in Texas, aptly named, "Clean Up Cleveland", Jeff and his mom came driving up to my house with an old door STRAPPED TO THE TOP OF HER 2 DOOR FORD FOCUS!!

No, I'm not kidding. It happened.

I'm like, "What the heck are you doing??"

Jeff's like, "Getting you this door. We found it in the ditch... What?"

I did like the door. Perfect color, chippy old paint... it now hangs over my fireplace...

It looks really cute at Christmas with stockings hung on it with care.

Another trash heep find was an old bed frame from the 1800's. Aly's neighbor was throwing it away, and she jumped all over it... for me. :0)

It was broken in parts, but have saved it all, juuuust in case! These are a few of the pieces of carved wood roses, wreaths and bowers with the original shabby green paint.

I've also been known to paint anything and everything. Usually either PINK or WHITE, of course. I remember my sister in law one time telling me to "cool it with the white paint already". "Never!", I replied.

Here' a peek at the inside of this old wardrobe I found. I've painted it and added fabric for the panels, easy peasy.

(fabric and a staple gun)

Sorry, the lighting is terrible! I had to use a flash...

I really, REALLY don't like using flash...

anyway, the photo... sorry...

I lost my train of thought, I'm watching a movie and writing at the same time.... 

okay, last one for now... I'm writing this at 12:30 am, so, I'm getting a little loopy!

I found this old ugly frame in the garbage behind a thrift store. I was dropping off some items for donation, and saw it in the trash dumpster. I investigated. It held an old badly executed oil painting of a vase of flowers. There was a huge tear down the middle of the canvas, so it was therefore rendered "garbage" according to the thrift shop standards...

I know, they were being picky, right? lol

So I snagged it. It sat in my garage for a year.

When I first started blogging, I decided I wanted an inspiration board. So I tore out the canvas and hung it around a fabric covered cork board.

It fit perfectly. The ugly gold was getting to me though.

A few weeks ago, I found a can of spray paint I forgot I had. I wanted to use it right away on something...what... what can I paint?

The FRAME!

So, it went from drab to fab, in about fifteen minutes!

I just love how it came out~ totally bright pink! Fun right?

Well, I must be getting on my way, it's 1am now and I need SLEEP! Thanks for listening to me ramble! he he he

Talk to y'all soon,

Analise

Sweetness

As soon as I saw this vintage style "Sweet Shop" sign, by Kari Ramstrom aka, the super sweet Artsy Mama, I knew it must be mine! I was totally excited to find it still available in her etsy shop... three clicks later, I knew it would be on it's way to me!

Adorable Right? And SO me!

It's made from mostly vintage materials, vintage ledger paper, vintage flocked wallpapers in the yummiest of colors, vintage crepe paper ruffles and trim!

I *LOVE* it Kari! Thanks so much!!

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I also need to announce the Show & Tell topic for Sunday, June 8th. I can't believe it's already June and time for school to be out. Honestly, this year seems to have flown by!! My kiddos are out of school this Friday and the Summertime madness will begin. Yeah!

So, our topic... I thought it might be fun to show me your trash,

your TRASH TO TREASURE, that is...

I would LOVE to see your shabby, chippy, "trashy" finds that you have made chic and fabulous! Tell a little about what you've done to repair the piece, if needed, or added paint, or taken paint off, or left how you've found it! Before and after pictures would be great too!

Sound like fun?

Please leave me a comment if you will be sharing so I can be sure to add you to Sunday's list!

~Analise

Studio Storage

Sorry for my tardiness in posting today's Show & Tell blog!

  

I am feeling a lot better with my whole wisdom tooth situation, or lack thereof. To leave out the icky details, I'll just say I had some complications that I'm still dealing with. I'm still having nerve pain and will go back to the doctor again this week. For the most part, I am on the mend! :0)

This week for Show & Tell, we are showing our container storage for our studios.

I have to be honest.

My studio is a WRECK. Completely a mess!

So, I sifted through some old pictures I had and thought I would post a few of them. Don't worry, you don't have to be appalled at my piles of paper, trims and fluff. ;0)

I am, however, going to be short and sweet today, just posting photos. Cerri at Little Pink Studio is our fabulous hostess today, so pop in to her blog to check out the list of other gals showing their studio organization ideas!

 

Thanks for dropping by y'all!!

xo

Analise

A little whiney...

Oh, it's been such a long week and a half.

I just want to whine.

My wisdom teeth are still giving me pain. The doctor says the swelling from the infection and dry socket is what is giving me the nerve pain. *sigh* I'm going in tomorrow for the 5th visit.

waaaa waaa waaa

My friend Aly would say, "Waa waa, call the waaambulance!"

I do need call the waaambulance. Maybe they will take me in and give me something that will sedate me for like a week. Hey, nice hospital stay, no cleaning house, watch tv, maybe get some sympathy flowers out of it??? Doesn't sound too bad...

In other news, I'm working on some items for the next issue of Somerset Life, and I'm feeling so uninspired.

You know how that can be?

I feel like this every time I send something in.

Completely incapable of conjuring up something that looks even half way pretty. Usually I make some things that are just, well, ugly. I get all of the ugly things out of my system, by then it's 2:39 AM and I am wondering, "What I am even doing awake at this hour?"

Then the next day, things are clearer, things don't absolutely disgust me anymore and I can actually focus on a task.

 

So, I've completed some items, took a few snapshots and thought I would post them here, mostly for myself... I need to see that I've done something productive in the last 10 days.

  

It feels better when you can stand back from the things you've been brooding over for a few days and see them in a different light. Or even just daylight, for that matter....

Maybe things are not as bad as I think and maybe I just need to get out of the house a little....

Anyone want to go see a movie?

Show and Tell: China

Welcome to Show and Tell Sunday!

Today we are showing are beautiful China, Silver and Crystal!

Below is your list of participating blogs, we have a BUNCH of gals this week!

Side note: Typepad has (thankfully!) updated some features and the links should open in a new window... so less back and forth for ya!

Remember, if you are participating and do not see your link, just leave me a comment and I'll add you just as soon as possible!

One more note, as Cerri shared last week, Show & Tell is open to everyone to participate. If we find that you may have forgotten to post about this week's topic, we may remove your link from the list, as others are coming to see your Show & Tell post.

Also, we ask that you refrain from sending any spam and commercial advertising links in your comments. In keeping with the original idea of "Show & Tell Sunday", (being fun prompts for blogging and meeting other bloggers with similar interests) we will NOT post any links to on-line shops, businesses and/or commercial sites. Please leave your blog address only. Thanks! :0)

Okay, your list! Have fun and enjoy!

Tiffany

Carla

Lynn

Nancy

Miss Rhea

Mya

Kristin

Dawn

Kathy

Phyllis

Trish

Lorena

Jenn

Svenja

Sherry

Karen

Laura

Denise

Elly

Betty

Linda

Sarah

M (O.C. Cottage)

Mary Ann

Karen

Katherine

Debbie

Alisa

Sew Funky

Fitty

Sarah

Deanna

Pinkie Denise

Stephanie

Polly

Di

Rosanne

Barbara

Heidi

Jenn

Melissa

Cami

Rosalyn-Sue

Sue

Margo

Alison

Suzy

Karla

Marja

Heather

Rene

Lisa

Katie

Also, don't for get to check in with Cerri at Little Pink Studio this week for next week's topic!!

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So, my china.

It's actually a cool story.

Before we moved from Texas to California 2 years ago, we sold a bunch of our junk in a huge "California or BUST" moving sale. I sold anything and everything. I wanted to start over. I literally remember pulling the sheets off of my mattresses and box springs and hauling them off of the frames and throwing them in the front yard... they sold a few hours later.

Jeff and I had to sleep on an air bed for a while after that. I remember we had to air it up every night because by morning, it was half flat and we would wake up having both rolled to the center, folded like a taco.

Aaannnnyway, I sold a lot of my dishes in that yard sale.

So, when we arrived here, I was a yard sale maniac. Looking for new treasures to quietly collect dust for me.

So, one day Jeff calls me. He says they are having a rummage sale at the church and he found "the perfect shabby chic dishes"!!!

You know how it can be when your husband finds things... sometimes it's totally right. You kiss him because you are completely stunned that he did SO WELL for you!

Other times it's totally and completely wrong, and you wonder if he's ever even met you. You smile and thank him and hide your new gadget in the cabinet over the fridge... you know the one you NEVER open. You check it only when you are moving OUT of the house and decide to just leave it as a "gift" to the next owner?

Well, this time Jeff got it COMPLETELY RIGHT! Whew! He came home and plopped this huge cardboard box down in the kitchen.

"Here are the dishes I was telling you about, 35 bucks for all of 'em." *smile*

I open them and gasp. For real.

I was like... "Uummm, do you know that these are really, REALLY nice dishes?"

"Ya, I thought you would think they were pretty."

"No, I mean, these are REALLY EXPENSIVE DISHES!!! And there are 12 complete place settings plus all the serving platters and bowls and EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!"

"Huh, let me look them up on eBay..."

Oh, you know you do it too... don't act so innocent...

So, he looks them up and this is his response:

"BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE!!!! THEY ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING WE OWN!!! WHERE CAN WE SELL THEM?!?!"

LOL

Needless to say, we still have our Spode Irene china... I only took a few pieces of it out for photos today... So if you ever drop in... I'll set a pretty table and we'll eat on it together! :0)

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Oh! Thanks again for all of the well wishes on my wisdom teeth extractions! I had all four taken out last Monday. Unfortunately, I developed dry socket and a huge, I mean HUGE swollen face. I've been to the oral surgeon's office 3 times this week and have another appt. for next Tues. I am on antibiotics and LOVING the pain medicine! YEAH FOR THAT!

*SIGH*

So, hopefully, this week I can get back to normal. Sorry if I have failed to respond to your email and you are waiting on one from me... you might want to try me again!

*chubby faced wink*

Analise