Thursday, March 6, 2008

Your Questions, and the Scoop!

I thought I might start publicly announcing answers to questions I get in my posts rather than just emailing the person back if I think it's something others might want to know, as well as invite you to ask me questions about myself(kinda like getting tagged, cuz nobody tags me! aren't you just dying to hear all sorts of weird things about me?!), stamping, whatevah! If I have enough, maybe I'll pick one day each week to post all the answers, or just add a few at the end of each post.

Here are a few recent ones, that I thought might interest you:

Several people write:
What if I don't have the Coluzzle, can I still make your purse?

You can, glad you asked! Here's what I'd do: try taking a few measuring cups in your kitchen, the kind that nest in different sizes, maybe a 1/2 and 1 cup? (I'm guessing here because I don't have these anymore, but I bet most of you do) Trace around them to get the different size circles you need and cut. Let me know how that works. Again, I will be posting a template you can print out, trace cut.

Jess K asks this question (with several parts):
How do you do it all? I'm a stay at home mom with a 3 year old and 1 year old. How do you find so much time to stamps, create, clean house, do laundry, run to Target, etc??? I'm dying to have more stamping and me time worked into my day :)


Jessica, I'm afraid my "beautiful blog life" is but an illusion, my "real life" is a mess you stuff in the closet! house is a complete wreck, pretty much has been since the first release! Dishes in the sink, forget sweeping/mopping, the best I can manage nowadays is just throwing all the clutter/toys my kids leave everywhere in baskets and dust bust the corners on occasion! There was a day back before I had kids that my house was nice and tidy. That 6 years ago. Now I am the "anti-Martha"! Fortunately, my DH isn't a neat freak, he lets it go. Oh, I'd prefer it look nice(and I DO clean for guests!) but you know, if I just squint, I can barely see the dirt! There's stamping to do! (Hopefully one day stamp designing will finance paying someone to do all this pesky housework.) Unfortunately, with a family of 4, the laundry is one chore I canNOT avoid (and more and more I'm forgetting to put it in the dryer! ughh!) My DDH (DEAR DEAR HUSBAND!) does almost ALL the cooking!
I stamp and create during my kids favorite Noggin programs(which they've been watching too much of lately) or in the dead of night(when I should be sleeping! and I need sleep! unlike some people (Gina K!) "Me" time happens at the gym, my one time to have some daycare for my 3 year old(and they are fabulous there!)
Designing and BLOGGING ARE taking a lot of time, but I love it, and I also feel if I DIDN'T have this, I might go nuts(just this past week my 3 yr old almost burned down our house while I was drying my hair, poured an entire bottle of honey on the rug (anyone know how to get THAT out??) during a brief phone call, you get the idea! So, I really need to come up some kind of routine /schedule to keep things going/from falling through the cracks. I hate schedules :(

coco1019 SCS writes(re: my stamps)

Could these be the ones that Gina K mentioned you were able to customize? Hmmmm

No. I haven't a clue what that lady is up to with this "new line"! And I'm on the design team! but boy do I wanna know! She's so sneaky, that Gina K... But YES, you CAN customize my new sets! (high FIVE!)

Erika M writes:

What! No animals - nooooooo!!!! (regarding the lack of animals in my two new sets coming out*)

YES, Erika, deep breaths. It's gonna be okay. Trust me guys, you will go NUTS over these new sets!

Alyssa writes a guess about my new sets (and I'm paraphrasing here):

"Revolutionary**"... Independence Day??

Nope. Good guess, but that would be too limiting. Which leads me to Munchy #5: I made something EVERY stamper can use, to give to ANY ONE, year round, that NO Stamper has yet! These sets are the very first of their kind!

Now YOU are all about to write:

What the heck could it be?!

Oh dear reader, I wish I could tell you now! I can't WAIT(although I have been! for almost 2 months to reveal it, and it has been agony!) for you to see it for yourself and start creating! And you don't have to be an "animal lover", or a flower fanatic", (or fill in the blank with whatever you personally collect) to WANT it, there's something for everyone here!*** And you can bet I will be offering a tip sheet and a bazllion ideas and tutorials for them right here on my blog! Just a few more days!! SO! EXCITED! The first peek of the sets in there entirety will be at 9CST in Gina K's store!

*REALLY glad to hear you're gonna miss the critters, though! But there are some new ones right around the corner, I promise! I've only released 7 animals out of what, 70,000 on the planet? There's lots more to do (and I have ten or so drawn already that are waiting patiently to see ink one day soon...) In the meantime keep showering your hoppys and hippys with love and attention...

**What I predicted my new sets will be, in Maria's interview...

*** I realize it IS possible to build something up too much and then have people feel let down because their expectations are too high..but in this case.. NO! WAY!! ;)
(I mean, I think. Ya know, maybe just in case, crank them back down a couple notches, but still hovering above "very curious and excited"! LOL!!

See you tomorrow, we can dish about Gina's sneak peek #1(Still don't know if it's my sets, but my guess would be it's an intro to Gina K's newest illustrator Rupa!)

22 comments:

  1. Hi Melanie,
    Just wanted to let you know that your blog gets me through the day...he he. I have awarded you the "You Make My Day" award on my blog. Check it out when you get a chance.
    Hugs,
    Pam

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  2. You poor thing - honey on the carpet!! I found this link that might help. Scroll down to syrup on the right hand side and then follow the links - the letter C has instructions for what to do. http://www.hostdry.com/pamphlet_carpet_cleaning_tips.htm#spotc

    HTH!

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  3. In the long run it doesn't matter how perfectly clean a house is or that everything is on a schedule... what matters is that we enjoy life and don't sweat the small suff... sounds like you are doing a great job at it and I am so thankful for your time and creativity.

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  4. OMGosh, you are killing me! Now I'm super confuzzled! I'm gonna go nuts trying to figure this one out! Ok, maybe tomorrow we'll get a little summin'summin' from Gina! I don't even care what, anything! I'm still hungry...can I have your 6th munchie early??...no--k, fine! t-hehehe

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  5. Ok, I have been trying to figure out what the stamp sets could be and now I'm even more puzzled than before! It's going to be really hard to wait for the 10th to arrive. I sure hope Gina will give us a few cluse too!! Can't wait......

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  6. I'm so glad to know I have other dust bunny stampin' friends out there!!! ;) Go bunnies!!

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  7. I check your blog every day now! I can't wait for the new release - but I'm very confused... wonder what it is?????

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  8. Okay...........I totally think it's stamps ABOUT stamping and scrapbooking!!!!!! Is THAT it??? No "stamper" could live without and doesn't have yet??? Is it???? Huh??? Huh??? Huh??? Oh I cannot wait for that first sneak peek!! Think Gina will put it up just after midnight??? I'll be up!!!

    And you know.......my kids don't remember that the house was not perfect (and it wasn't!! LOL) but they DO remember having fun and having a mom that would play with them........trust me.......that is more important than anything!!! Although......I'm with ya on affording a housekeeper someday!! LOL

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  9. u ned to injoy the famle yor cids wil not care if the howse waz a et off the flors cind of plase but tha wil remembr wat fun tha had with u i have had a stroke 6 yers ago wen mi cids wur 13 and 8 i have nedid hlp evr sens i waz a stampr b for and then ot had me strt agin for rehab mi cids hlpt me with mi rehab al the time and that iz wat tha remembr iz hlping me get betr and now i can tipe on the computr bi mi slf onle mi speling iz not to gud but i can stil du it so u just pla with the cids and yor husband and to hec with the howse it wil alwaz b thar trust me mine iz stil here i luv to cum and chec owt yor blog it iz a brite spot in the da cep up the grate job u du heres to cep on blogin q

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  10. Hi Melanie,
    Thanks for sharing some insight into the crazy life of a creative girl! Joy is attained in moments...and the fact that you enjoy your crazy life and realize the blessings brings many of those joyful moments!

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  11. No matter what, I still think you rock!!! Good luck with the honey carpet!!

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  12. Melanie, It's always comforting to know that I'm not the only one whose house is not exactly Martha-esque ;) Don't you just HATE when you've waited so long to put the clothes in the dryer that you actually have to wash them again? Arghh! Thanks so much for keeping it real with us !!!!

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  13. So much mystery! I love a mystery. I'll definitely tune in to find out what's up.

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  14. OMG, your description of your kids/house sounds like you were talking about me. It is amazing what kids can get into during a short phone conversation, believe me I know. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  15. You are so funny i glad to hear that you are human like everyone else!!! Sometimes you totally wonder how some of these ladies do all that they do?? And still come out on top? LOL :)
    Laura

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  16. I am so stumped. I can't figure out what your new set could possibly be. More clues perhaps?

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  17. Oh Gosh you are so bad!! I mean, you are so good at building the anticipation regarding your new release!! Now I WANT TO KNOW!!!! Argghhh... ;-) LOL

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  18. Here is how I keep my house clean. And then basically do nothing but do things that I want to do the rest of the time. :D

    On Monday I do my laundry. The beauty about laundry is that you put in a load and you can go back and do whatever it is you want to do. BUT...remember to set a TIMER..just a kitchen timer...for the length of your washing machine cycle. Then you'll remember to go switch them out to the dryer. THEN set a timer for the amount of drying time and go immediately and take them out the dryer and just lay them out flat on the bed if you don't want to fold and hang them up. That way you won't have to iron anything (I'd rather be boiled in oil than to iron.) Remember to re-set the timer for the washing machine. :D

    Then on Tuesday, I go grocery shopping. I keep a magnetic pad on the fridge so that I can keep a running list of things we need. If it isn't on the list or doesn't catch my eye when I'm in the store, I don't buy it.

    Wednesday I go to the post office. You know how you box up stuff (or at least I do) and then they sit there for-ev-ah. Well, I take care of the post office and the library that day...the library is next door to the post office.

    Thursday is my cleaning day. I run the vacuum, mop, dust (with a Swiffer duster) and make sure that everything looks nice in the house. (I don't clean the bathrooms or the cat litter pan, that is my husband's job plus he cooks and does the trash.) My cleaning day takes me less than an hour to complete (I have a lot of wood floor to be mopped.)

    Friday is the day that I find a special project kind of thing to work on for a little while. Nothing too strenuous but maybe I was wanting to clean out under my bathroom sink or something. I call this my "Day of Discovery" because I'm always finding things on my special project day that I forgot I have. heh

    And basically the messes that happen throughout the day, I deal with as I go along. I clean up after myself and the furchildren. Like if I spill something on the stovetop, I'll wipe it up right then rather than waiting 'til later because later it will be a hot mess to try to clean up after it is all burnt on and dried up and yucky.

    Oh, and buy a Roomba. I run my Roomba every day in my "public" rooms. It works well on my carpet, wood floors, area rugs, and tile. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats so I have a LOT of fur...plus stray pieces of dog and cat food and dirt that they track in from outside, etc. Sometimes I run it twice a day...and it really does work and it really does help. I do run the regular vacuum once per week though.

    There you have it. The diary of an obsessive neat freak who also stamps and does charity work and designs websites and does graphics work and on and on....

    Anyway, just wanted to share! Sorry for writing a book. :D

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  19. You are just making these sets more and more intriguing by the post! Good job! :)

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  20. MMMmmm So much fun to think about what it could be . . .

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  21. Sometimes we forget our heroes STILL have to clean the toilet. Thanks for revealing your feet of clay. Now that my kids are gone and I have great-grands, I feel qualified to tell Moms of preschoolers. If at the end of the day there was no blood and no one died you did good. My neighbor's 3 year old asked me yesterday where all the dust came from. I told him it was MAGIC! He helped me swisk it away. Then looked worried and asked if it would come back. I promised him it would come right back so he could help me again. Oh, to have the mind set of a 3 year old.

    At 64 I'm still waiting for the pixies to come each night to clean my house!

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  22. Melanie I had to laugh about the time question . .so many people ask me that and your answer sounds almost exactly like mine (only I have 4 children!!). I am quite confident that I will not look back 10 years from now and wish my house had been neater or cleaner . . enough said! :)

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