Organization on the Cheap

Hi! Just have to share a new addition to my craft room (and no, I don't expect anyone to pin this as it is, was still just setting up and taking the pic to show a friend.) In the past, I showed you I have a counter (oh my goodness that was back in 2008) that runs along the wall of our shared office (the wall to the right before only had a ginormous map of the US (husband's) and nothing else, except my card baskets on the FLOOR. As my craft space began running over with stamps, tools and other goodies, plus my own handmade creations and cards from friends, I'd been pleading with my husband to let me "go vertical" and take advantage of that space (and move the map, I want to hang up my bulletin board where I can actually see it!)

Well, praise the Lord, he agreed at Christmas it WAS time to start working toward the craft room of my dreams, but bless his heart, he has been so busy it leaves no time to build what we'd like. I'd really been wanting to add some inexpensive shelving to maximize the space in the mean time, but veneers and particle board really chap my handy carpenter hubby's sensibilities!
I didn't think there was anything cheaper than IKEA for book cases, but look what I found at Walmart: An adjustable 5 shelf case for 25 bucks! A 3 shelf for 15 bucks! (How could he refuse?!)
So I took pics of both on my camera phone, plus a shot of the dimensions of each.
I like how they aren't too deep so it doesn't make the space feel smaller or awkward entering the room. GKD binders fit in there with tons of space left over in front. One shelf holds twenty binders (80 stamp sets)
Lovin' the adjustable shelves to fit just what I need or change when necessary...
Then, I came home and measured out my space to make sure it would work. (Go ahead, YOU can go measure that empty spot now, too, I'll be here!) THEN, I proudly (and sweetly) showed him all my "research and recon". (hee!) He agreed! (and really how could he say no, with my birthday right around the corner?) ;) Love!

Creating that corner now gives me so many options and I love just being able to turn to my right and roll over to get what I need without getting up! Before I had a hanging cabinet we purposed to my left (not pictured, but still there, and added after the 2008 post) that I had to get up from my chair, walk over and CLIMB on my desk to reach stuff on top shelf, I'm serious, not the most user-friendly! And I have a little room to put a new knickknacks to make it a little more personal and inspiring.

I still have to go through all the junk underneath my desk(and am not showing my desk at this point after marathon stamping session, oh my!) but stamping for our release the following day just felt like heaven. I got SO much done and it was so pleasant. Oh, and there's my bulletin board tucked into the "L". Still haven't made it pretty like I want, has a lot of coupons and old pics on it now, but it was hanging previously on the wall beHIND me (where the map now is, HEE!) and I never added anything to it because I couldn't see it or easily reach it. And love how having it all in one color instead of a hodgepodge of cabinets feels like "a system". One thing we did do differently was leave off the black cardboard backing that you nail to back, my husband drew the line. It's pretty to have the painted wall show through and gives it a more open feel, but you will need to secure it to the wall to give it more support, or in our case, my husband just used a tiny nail through the side to attach it to the counter, it's not going anywhere! Handy, smart husband!

So! We are getting a little closer to my dream space. Amazing what 40 bucks can do! I still would like to have shelves running the entire length of the wall above my desk, because of course I'm still going to be getting more and more stuff. Baby steps! (oh, and repaint since these are colors from when it was a playroom, pre-illustrating/stamping) There's been a lot of trying to roeorganize my Nestabilites, papers, etc, too, and it takes time (but good thing, I can watch a Netflix or my DVRed shows while doing!) I'm getting there!

Hope this gives you an idea about how easily you can add some organization and maximize your space it you see fancy craft spaces that look like a piece of heaven but are just not in the budget. (Or some tips in persuasion!) It works for me! Oh, I also bought one of those big penny candy jars for 6 bucks, also at Walmart, and just threw a ton of ribbon in.

Looks pretty, easier than trying to keep them on some spools and now I just plunge my hand in...like pulling out candy! Less calories, though... :) Might get a couple more. ;)

Have a terrific, productive day!I've been doing a lot of paring down and shuffling, reshuffling of the house, which I know will pay off later! hugs to you!

The Easter Bunnies!

Well, I should have announced this a week ago, but have been so busy: we welcomed two new babies into our home on March 25! bunnies that is, they are 5 weeks old. My husband raised rabbit as a boy and he and Jonathan have been building a veritable hutch extravaganza in the backyard the past few months on weekends in preparation of some new pets. The boys and I had never had rabbit before and we had no idea what we were in for! After watching them hop around, explore the new cage, nuzzle each other, stand up and wash their little bitty faces with both paws (so CUTE!) for a couple HOURS on the first day, Jonathan verbalized exactly what I'd been thinking: "I didn't know I was going to love them this much! I didn't know how awesome it would be!")Jonathan got a white Netherland Dwarf (Easter if it's a girl, Blizzard if it's a boy; at this point, it's still really heard to tell) They have shorter ears and are only a couple pounds fully grown.
And William chose a Dutch Dwarf, which he named Pegasus (boy or girl). I love the Dutch coloring, when we first saw them, Jonathan exclaimed, "It's like he's wearing little pants!") They are still a little squirmy at times when you pick them up (so William is still adjusting to the scratches), but Jonathan discovered that if wrapped up in a bandana, it has the same effect as swaddling a baby! They just hunker down and get a "sleepy baby" look in their eyes, if they were cats they'd be purring here! So it's fun way to snuggle with them inside while watching TV...
So I had to get started making some Easter cards for the boys with my "Basket Blessings" set. Very easy to color! Leave the white one white except for the teeniest bit of gray on nose and tail and light shading on the undersides with BV31. E13 for the golden fur, RV63 in the ears and some flicks of YG97 for the grass.
When my kids came in and saw the stamped rabbits, they were colored so differently from my previous projects I'd made with the set, they didn't even realize it was an older image! "Mom, you made a new stamp *just* for our bunnies?!" hee!) Haven't finished the card yet, but just had to share! (I'm almost out of time too, Easter is just a few days away!) If you don't have your own bunnies but need some live inspiration for how to color these, especially if you want them to resemble particular breeds, just use my favorite coloring guide: Google images! :)
William asked me to draw in a little carrot for his bunny that he could color, hee hee! (dark shadow on the underside my own addition I snuck in after he was finished) ;)

Been thinking about a new pet for your kids? How about a bunny? :)

The Next Great Baker

Good morning! Don't forget to enter my blog candy in the post below if you have not already! Thanks for all the good feedback I'm getting in the comments to help me plan posts!Had to share some photos of my William decorating his first "fondant" cake for his 7th birthday this past weekend at Foodie Kids. He shared his "vision" for his cake with me a few weeks ago, with a both a sketch and description ("I want 3 stacked tiers, 8, 10 and 12 inch, fondant covered, piping, jungle cake with a 3d snake made of modelling chocolate", can you tell who's been watching "Cake Boss"?) Well... THAT was all waaaay beyond my capabilities (or supplies! or budget!!)

Fortunately, Foodie Kids, which I have told you about before on my blog (used to be called Kids Cook) offers a really nice option that he agreed was the perfect compromise: an 8 inch tier in your choice of flavor (already baked by them and fondant covered), and then the ability to use all their supplies and three colors of fondant for cutting, modeling and three different types of candies to add. Although they didn't really have many cutters specifically designed for his jungle theme, we were able to easily improvise with a lot of what they did have (part of a peace sign cutter to make a tree trunk (when flipped upside down, etc. The letter cutters were a big hit!)

He chose Skittles and Nerd ropes for the bottom, (which the woman at the store thought was just the prettiest, cleverest way to ring the cake, especially for a jungle!) We were there for a little over an hour, allowing him to add all his details, draw on the cake with edible ink markers, plus decorate the cardboard cake box, for 21.99, I thought that was a great deal! Yes, I could have made a boxed cake from the grocery store for about 5 bucks, but when you take into account the price of all the candy, fondant (this is super expensive), decorating glitter, which is so gorgeous and sparkly in real life!) etc I thought the cake and experience was a steal! His focus in this next photo is what Buddy would call, "being in the zone"!He loved having it on the spinning turntable, too "just like Buddy's" (although he did almost spin it off at few times, getting a little overexcited, that was nerve wracking!) Although at first it looked a little small compared to the layer cakes we normally have, it was just the perfect size for our family birthday at home (big party was last weekend) plus having a couple slices left over for after school snack the next day. (Kind of nice actually not to have tons of cake hanging around the next couple of days, you know?) :)

We would definitely go back and do that again for a special occasion! (I hear they are franchising so you might have one in your area soon!) Highly recommended!

So much to catch you up on! (Will have to see if I can upload video from our video camera of me doing back handsprings at his Jumpoline party!!) Thanks for visiting today! :)

Everything's Bigger in Texas...

How excited do you think I was to round the corner of the historic Burnet, TX town square and see these larger life sculptures of our state flower? (How perfect for sharing some bluebonnet inspiration this month on the blog!) Here is Jonathan standing in front of them.

If you live in Central Texas, I highly recommend planning a trip to Burnet next year for their Christmas festival and Main Street Bethlehem event. First Baptist Church in Burnet hosts not only a living nativity but has built a replica of Bethlehem ( has been going on for almost 20 years this is a permanent addition) with hundreds of costumed adults, children and animals inside creating the night of Jesus' birth in amazing detail! I have been wanting to go since I heard about it a few years ago, but this was the first time we were able to make it, they only have it the first two weekend in December. It was like being on the set of the movie , with the 1st century architecture I don't think you could experience anything like. the town is complete with a tavern, inn, jail, homes, carpenter, leather, rope making shops, weavers, a market, churner, temple etc. Passing by the holy family at the end, the one quiet place in the busy town, gave me a serious lump in my throat, it was VERY moving. Cameras were not allowed to keep the experience as authentic as possible. There are a few photos on the website but they do NOT do it justice as it doesn't start until 6, so the town is completely dark expect for candlelight and torches outside the buildings. The people interacted with one another but would speak to you if you asked questions, staying in character.

Having said all that, it IS over until next year, but I think your family would love it, mark your calendars to put this on your holiday traditions list if you can! The second Saturday of the month they have a large arts and crafts festival with food, kids activities and a parade which is fun thing to do before going to Bethlehem! Just this season, I noticed several other small towns around Austin trying to follow their example and recreate a main street Bethlehem experience, but I don't think you will find anything quite like this!

Do you have something like this where you live? I would love to hear about it!

Here come the Flowers...

Hello! Hope you all had a terrific and safe holiday (or just a nice, long, relaxing weekend if you didn't just celebrate Thanksgiving in your part of the world!) We just returned from Dallas and I need to go stamp like CRAZY to get ready for our release party Tuesday night, but I just had to share some special photos my boys and I took that I thought you'd love while visiting the Dallas Arboretum with my mom and brother!






Hope they inspire and excite you for things soon to come, are you ready for some new FLOWER STAMPS?? (Check here for Gina's Facebook peek if you haven't already seen it! (Do you think the guesses are right?)) :) TTYL, thanks for visitng today, such a big fun week ahead with the party and hops, so come back!

New Friends and Inspiration!

God morning! I had the pleasure of being introduced to a stampy kindred spirit named Marita at our church potluck this past Sunday, and I got to go visit her at her over-the-top adorable house and stamp room on Friday to brainstorm about getting our card ministry off the ground! This is just ONE END of her ginormous stamp room, or what I left thinking was "the happiest place on earth"!
And here is Marita herself, with her little Jack Russell terrier, Maggie, what sweethearts! Marita's whole house was the girliest, artsiest, most colorful place I've been in (she says you can do that when you live by yourself!) and I came away completely inspired by all her altered art, decorating choices, and impeccable organization! She also has a huge pop of red (her favorite color, just like mine!) in every room, be still my heart!

I could have taken about a hundred pictures of things I loved, one being this playful monkey that keeps the mood light in here!
Practically every inch of her place is decorated and bedazzled with collages and things Marita has made herself. Her stash of crafting stuff is as inclusive as a Hobby Lobby but she also makes she sure she puts all the stuff she collects to use, I love it!
Finally here is a pic she snapped of me snuggling with Maggie on the overstuffed couch (sorry for some of the pics being a little out of focus, the morning light coming into this huge room made things a little blurry) Having a sitting area in my craft room to chat and chillax like this would be my dream come true! I am just so excited to help Marita fill this room and warm, inviting home up with ladies from the Quarries for some cardmaking and fellowship!
(By the way, how do you like my new 'do?! Smooth and sleek here, just blown out by my hairdresser!)

Another big bonus, Marita wants to buy all my old, "well loved-but not being used anymore -needing a good home" stamps! So this will be the first step in the very long process of getting my craft area organized, decluttered, trimmed and slimmed down and hopefully turned into a more useful, enjoyable space!

Hope you are having a terrific weekend, I'll be back to sharing some stamped stuff very soon!

Did You Survive..?

...Halloween last night? Twenty some-odd blocks in high heeled boots last night about killed me LOL! Here's my little white ninja and menacing skeleton on the porch o' webs before heading out!
Here are a couple favorite pumpkins I spied along the way, at different houses but both inspired by Halloween Classics: Jack Skellington from "The Nightmare Before Christmas"...
and Linus from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" :) Thought both of these people had some crazy good carving skills!

Hope you all had a terrific time! The kids came home with pillow cases full of about 5 pounds of candy each , seriously William couldn't' even carry it all the way back to the house! We arrived home to find the candy bowl on the porch completely empty, but thankfully my nice bowl was still there! I think Jonathan is thinking he might want to stay home next year to pass out candy, we saw so many families having fun camped out on the porch just enjoying all the people coming by!

Here is the evidence that out of ALL of their haul I only indulged in one tiny fun size Snickers Almond, which I decided to make a diet exception for since I had never had one previously (very tasty!) and the kids really seemed to want to share something with me! Just how IS this former sweet tooth resisting so much sugar and chocolately goodness you may ask? Juicing! Can't wait to tell you more about it! :)

Have a terrific day! It's November!

Boo...!

...Did you miss me?? We have been busy doing fun stuff to get ready for Halloween, plus baseball games and me going to the gym everyday last week (have lost 8 pounds the last few weeks, will share in more detail soon what I have been doing to lose weight and be healthier!) Here are a few photos of our low tech house decorations. William's greeter...

and the kids went a little nuts out front with the fake webs!! I hope we don't get sued from someone getting tangled up trying to come to the door for candy tonight...
...but perhaps Jonathan's sign covers us, that people ARE entering at their own risk! (Pure Luxury Chocolate Brown, with Copics for slime, nails and wood grain!) ;)
Finally I just have to share this next photo because to me it's so unreal, I call this photo....wait for it...


..."The Big Apple" Bwahhhh! It's Honey Crisp (these are delish btw, taste like honey) and it weighed a whopping 1.2 lbs (over 3 bucks!)! I just had to put it on top of these regular sized Pink Ladies, and yes, it really is almost as big as that personal sized watermelon! I think we will be drizzling almond bark and mini chocolate chips over it tonight to eat in sections while we watch a movie after trick or treating...

Hugs, I miss YOU!! hope you have a safe and terrific halloween tonight! Eat, drink and be scary! Tell me below what you'll be doing tonight if you care to share! :) Not sure if I will be dressing up this year or not, I was just having a hard time getting inspired and the kids were nixing all my ideas! Might be resurrecting the pirate costume, or perhaps, just go as an illustrator (jeans, sweats, sneaks) ;)

Easy Canvas Prints (Blog Candy!)

I am thrilled to tell you about a canvas I recently got from Easy Canvas Prints, a company here in Austin, that ships your custom made canvas prints, which you create from a favorite picture, to any location.

The online ordering process couldn't have been simpler. You just upload the desired image and then have the ability to drag it around inside the frame if you want to change the cropping, as well as choosing from different options like an image wrap around the sides etc. (I just went with black, it will go with anything and not need a frame, I love that!) I got an 8"x10", it also shows you how the size you select will look in a mock up room to give you an idea of scale. Here it is, hanging in our master bath!

The hardest part may be selecting the right photo! As long as it's an image that stirs your soul, you will not be disappointed with the finished results, as everything is elevated to high art on a canvas! it doesn't even have to be a photo , you could even create a large inspirational sentiment or scripture, or even some of your child's artwork (ooh, I want to do that next!) just to give you a couple other ideas. If you've been following my blog for awhile now, you may have already seen this image of my boys at the beach, which I changed to black & white in my photo editing program and colorized the little flag they found. I debated about getting a new family portrait done for this project or taking some current pictures of the boys together, but in the end, I just love the two of them hand in hand together, on a little journey exploring the shore. While they have grown a lot since this photo, it has a timeless quality and represents the closeness I want for their relationship all their lives. Throw in helping me remember this trip, as well as their childhood, and that is a picture I could look at all day! :)

Thank you Easy Canvas Prints for helping me turn this moment into something that will last! I definitely recommend using them for home decor and special gifts for family and friends.

Now for the best part, Easy Canvas Prints has offered a free 8x10 canvas print, shipping included, for one of you! Please visit their website, come back here and let me know what photo or type of photo you'd want to turn into canvas art use if you won, that's it! I'll draw a winner from all the comments tomorrow. Be sure I have a way to contact you with the code if you win! Good luck!

My Little Fishy

Well, we are busy busy this summer! (And new stamps arrived for our release later this week, eek!) Just a quick update with a little of what the Muenchingers have been up to! One of my last posts was about William, today I have to brag a little about how well Jonathan is doing with his swimming!
He had his first two meets the past two Saturdays and he took 1st place in all three of the events he swam in at each meet! I was especially proud he was still able to come in first this weekend because the coach signed him up to do a fourth event, (which they never do, limit is three, but they needed a sub to do butterfly in the medley) and he was super tired after the fly and had to compete in his breaststroke right after. I feel a little silly but I actually got teary eyed watching him do butterfly, because I'd never really even seen him do that stroke and I couldn't believe how fast he went! (His medley team only finished 4th but he really did awesome on his lap.)

Pretty exciting for us, he has always been a very strong swimmer and gotten ribbons, but this year I believe we will go ahead and go to the City Meet to compete in a few weeks (anyone can sign up but only the best move on), the winners go on to the regionals in Waco (and with him often winning his races by as much two lengths he really has a great chance!) I remember the first summer I met Gina at CHA after I'd started illustrating when she heard my son was starting swim team she asked if I got zone cuts, I hadn't a clue what that was because he hadn't even done a meet yet LOL! I can understand now how exciting it has been for her to watch her girls have so much success swimming... :)
Another fun thing: the night before the last meet my husband showed Jonathan all of the medals and ribbons he won for swimming as a boy (and there were LOTS, he won several events on the city level but then later stopped swimming to do baseball.) Jonathan was very intrigued with the medals as they've only passed out ribbons so far. Paul said if he could beat his time of 19.06 in the 25 freestyle he earned at the same age, Jonathan could have the medal. We knew he was fast but he hadn't done that event yet this summer since his coach had signed him up for other events. He'd taken first in that event last year coming in at 23.01, which was four seconds faster than the previous summer. Could he shave off another four seconds? Yes he could, I think it really lit a fire under him, because he did it in 18.04, two lengths ahead of the second place finisher! :) (will post a pic of this ancient medal later) ;) So now we need to go get his hair cut to streamline him a little for next weeks meet, he got a pair of Speedo shorts yesterday to wear instead of his baggy trunks, too (but we draw the line at shaving his legs, hee hee!) ;)

More later, we also went to San Antonio last week, will tell you about that and share a few pics when I can! I got a chance to stamp a bit yesterday and made my first card with my newest set, will peek it to you right here on Thursday before the release party, can't wait, can't wait! (I seriously owe you some "Border Bling" samples , sorry i am behind on my stamping, I had had a lot of projects I'd had to work finish I can't share on the blog at this time.

Hope you are having a great summer! Big hugs!

Full Disclosure

I feel a little disingenuous now, after reading all your sweet, sweet comments about how radiant I looked after giving birth: I have to admit those pics were hours after when we brought Jonathan in to meet him (and all the blood had come back to my face, feeling well enough to touch up my makeup for pics change out of my hospital gown into some silk jammies!) Here I am just a couple minutes after the birth...


I WAS fortunate enough to have a very short labor (3 hours, woo hoo!) in the middle of the day 2 1/2 weeks before he was due, so I'd been awake and already "made up" (makeup) before my water broke. After my first son Jonathan's delivery, I didn't fare so well, looked positively g r e e n ! (and threw up all night)

Here's a recent pic I love of him, from last season's soccer, my little man:



He asked me yesterday after I picked him up from school (I guess he'd spent his birthday morning contemplating his existence, what a little thinker!): "Mama, why did God make me?" My answer: "Because there had never been anyone like you. He made you to be a brother for Jonathan, a joy to me and daddy, a delight to your grandparents and relatives, a friend to everyone you meet, and to do great things in the world with all your gifts and talents and work for God. You are so special!" He was happy with that answer. :)

Thank you again for visiting and your comments! (My voice is almost gone today, so I have a feeling my hosting duties tomorrow at the party will be smile and wave, smile and wave...) Gotta run to pick up the ginormous cake from Costco! Hugs!

6 years ago today...

a little angel named William was born! :)

More about our big day and about William later this weekend, he and I both have such bad colds and I am struggling to improve before the big party Sunday (and we have some gifts form our family party tonight to put together!)

Are you ready for sneak peeks?? They're almost here!

Time to Cowgirl Up

So back in the fall, I thought both boys being at school 35 hours week would mean a very different life for me: one that would allow time to always have a clean house, errands done, stamping finished, PLUS leisure time to learn a new language, pick up an instrument, cook like a Master Chef, write a novel, maybe take an occasional nap, and have a grand adventure at least once a week. (Yeah, right, I know) Well! In reality, not so much. BUT, I DID buy a great Groupon (do you get YOUR Groupon??) in September to Bel Canto Farms for two private riding lessons, it's about a 45 minute drive south of me. I looked at my voucher the other day and whoops! It was going to expire in three weeks!! (Where did the last 6 months ago??) So I had to hightail it down to the farm and cross at least ONE adventure off my list!

Here I am after my lesson with Archie (he looks great, I look super puffy in three layers, it was CHILLY that day!) It was English riding, I had never tried before, so I got to sit on the elegant tiny saddle (no horn) and wear the cute helmet (no cowboy hat today!) Vickie, my teacher, was a great instructor, and, she was REALLY impressed with how well I did, that was just so unexpected and awesome to hear! :) Will be going back next week for round 2!

(I am walking like a cowgirl now too, and was instructed (before the lesson even started!) I would need to take a long hot bath tonight and drink a glass of red wine, gotta do what your teacher says! I like being a good student!!)

What adventures await YOU, I want to know! (I HAVE learned one other new thing, will share soon!) :)

Mega Dose of Cupcakes: Cards and Review!

I hope you will check out this LOVE-ly new issue of Crafts 'n' Things, full of crafts, gifts and cards in plenty of time for Valentines day, plus a huge cupcake section, eek!

I have two cards featured in this issue for their cupcake section, the first using "100% Sweet" and "Sew Pretty".

And here is a card using "Candles on Your Cake" and "Fun Year Round".

There is also an online bonus recipe for a third card I made using "Versatile Verses" and "Fun Year Round". This was such an easy, fun design!

I do hope you will check out this issue, plenty more cupcake projects abound, including recipes and the cutest cupcake jewelry I have ever seen!

Next, if you happen to be about and about in Austin, I highly recommend making a trip to "Lick it, Bite it Or Both", these are NOT your average cupcakes! (and they serve homemade ice cream, too, which my kids gave the thumbs up, that day I just chose to "bite it"!) Check out this beautiful Choco Chris-Mint cupcake I had, perfect for the holidays, topped with crushed peppermint and filled with chocolate sauce! Other pluses: the place is gorgeous in pale aqua blue and brown, with markers and cupcake liners on the tables for you to get creative and decorate their walls!

We enjoyed reading some of the funniest little messages while we ate, like "Teachers love cupcakes (not apples)" etc! I loved how they also tint their vanilla frostings and ice creams this same beautiful shade of blue to match the decor!

Eat something yummy today! Too many fun things to savor this Christmas season to follow the diet too carefully!