Miscellaneous Business, Plus Some GREAT News!

So, first off, I want to say thank you so much for all your congratulations on our news! It is definitely exciting for us, and now that I'm feeling better (other than a week-long round of the flu for everyone in the house from which we are finally recovering...), I am in full-on planning mode.

We're going to do some rearranging of bedrooms in the next few weeks, and then I get to decorate a new nursery- fun, fun, fun!!! By the way, can any of you give me recommendations on good fabric websites or brands that sell vintage-inspired children's fabrics (preferably larger scale images as they'll be used for curtains)? I used to have a bunch of links, and then lost them at some point...

Then, I also want to send out a special thank you to Jenny, for this wonderful package she sent me! I won a giveaway on her blog, and she really spoiled me with treasures! Tons of vintage stuff, and some of her adorable cupcake art! You should have seen my kids when I got the package-they thought it was Christmas! I let them help me unwrap everything, and I almost think they were more excited than me!

Here are some of my favorite bits. LOVE these little bunnies!!! I'm not sure yet what I'll do with them- I have a feeling they'll make it into the baby's room though...

I also think these adorable felt animal images will show up in there as well!

And of course, you know where this will go!

And onto other business, I often get questions about whether I teach classes or not. I haven't recently, just because with little kids, I haven't had time to go to any of the great retreats around the country. And, in general, there's not a real big market for my kind of art right around where I live.

However, I'm pleased to announce that I will be teaching an all day workshop on June 20th in Jacksonville, Florida! It is being put on by the public library, which also means that it is completely free (other than perhaps some supplies which will be required)!!! So if you live within a few hours, it may be worth it to make the drive!

It is called "Playing With Blocks", and we will create a piece similar to the one on the left. I don't have all the details yet, but let me know if you think you may be able to attend-space is limited to only 40 students, and I'd love to have some of my blog-readers come!

(And no, this isn't even the really GREAT news yet!)

Now, onto some artwork. The first is a piece in Riley's journal. We recently went to the Monster Truck Jam in town, and my kids LOVED it! Riley particularly liked the truck named GraveDigger, and he is now mildly obsessed, watching the trucks on TV and playing with his own trucks constantly.

I used his actual truck to make tire tracks on the page, and now he frequently requests to sleep with his "GraveDigger tracks"!

The next is a spread in the new baby's book about feeling the baby's first kicks in my belly (referred to as "quickening").

I really like the way these pages turned out!

And now, onto my really GREAT news.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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(drumroll please....)

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Oh my gosh, I am still floating on air about this! I can't believe I am finally having a girl! For those of you who have followed my artwork, you know how desperately I've always wanted a girl. I just couldn't fathom the thought that I may never have someone to share in my love of "girly" things, and honestly, this was my last chance, because three kids is enough!

I probably don't need to tell you that I cried in the ultrasound office when she told us it was girl! So now you know what I mean when I say I'm excited to decorate the nursery- I just can't wait! Not to mention buying all new baby girl clothes-hurray for PINK!!!

The "We did it!" item at the top of the first page is from a card Jason gave me, attached to a bouquet of pink roses!

So, that's everything for right now! My camera's on the fritz right now; otherwise I'd show you a few new vintage/thrift finds I've acquired, but I'll save that for next time. And of course I'll keep you all updated on my nursery decorating progress!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Lots of Photos & Lots of News!

So, first I must apologize for taking so long to update and answer emails, etc., but I have good reason. You see, for the past couple months I felt quite yucky, and just about everything I did made me nauseous, including going on the computer, doing artwork, and (gasp!) even thrift-shopping! Guessed yet?

Yep, that's right! I'm preggers again! Almost four months at this point, (despite the fact that I look about six months!) so I'm finally making my way out of that yucky first trimester and into the easier second trimester, thank goodness! It hasn't been too terrible, but I've really felt no motivation to do anything lately, and I'm hoping that will change soon.

It's been a different pregnancy so far. Riley was still a baby himself when I went through my last one, so it's different having two rambunctious toddlers to care for while pregnant. Also, we're not planning on having any more children after this one, so the whole pregnancy's been a little bittersweet, knowing it will be the last...

Anyway, so that's where I've been- sitting on my couch watching TV, since that's about all I've had the energy for! However, I haven't been completely unproductive during this time. I did manage to work in an album for the new baby, one which I had begun last summer. Here are the pages I've done thus far:

The spread above was done last summer, and just talks about our decision to begin trying for another baby.

The second spread is from the day I learned I was pregnant, which is really a spiritual story for me. It took us about five months to get pregnant, and during that time, I was taking a bible study class. On the first day of the bible study, we were asked to write a letter to God, expressing our greatest desires. We were then to seal the letter and not open it again until the last day of class. One of the things I requested was to become pregnant, or to accept that I shouldn't have more children. I struggled with the ups and downs of trying to conceive during this time, and on the last day of class, we opened the letters and reflected on how our prayers had been answered. Many of the things I had prayed about had improved, but this one issue was still in question. Until the next day, when I took a pregnancy test and it was positive! What timing!

Needless to say, I feel very blessed with this pregnancy, and in this spread, I included the letter I had written in a pocket so that I can always remember the blessing.

And on a lighter note..., this third one is just about how I'm trying to savor every step of the pregnancy, knowing it will be my last.

The first ultrasound. Baby was squirming away in there!

The latest is about the different symptoms I've been having during the pregnancy.

And, because I felt guilty about neglecting my other kids, I also have done a couple pieces in Noah's book:

The first is about how independant and self-sufficient he is. He is going to be a perfect middle child, able to take care of himself with no problem, although I really worry that he may get "lost" in the middle of the chaos, so it's something I definitely need to pay attention to.

And the second is about his two year birthday! Little Noah is already two- I can't believe it!

And despite everything, I did feel well enough for at least a couple trips to the thrift store, where I acquired this bunch of goodies! You can bet that you'll be seeing my ever-growing collection of baby planters in the new nursery I'll be designing!

Okay, well, that's it for me! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy 2009!

I know, I'm a bit late on the new year wishes, but better late than never, right? There's been a lot going on here lately, which makes it difficult to be very productive. But things are getting back to normal finally, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I've got a lot of ideas swirling around in my head lately, but it's just a matter of having the time and energy to take action on them!

One thing I'm doing lately is a little minor rearranging/redecorating. Here is my first project, a new arrangement of artwork on the wall of our great room.

I made the two silhouettes in the arrangement of the two kids. Although more often than not, Riley's is missing from the arrangement because he's minorly obsessed with carrying it around! A little annoying, but cute!

I haven't had time to do much other artwork lately. Just a couple pieces in the kids' journals (and a class sample for an upcoming class I'm teaching-more on that in a future post). The first is from Noah's book. It's about his love of wearing glasses, goggles, hats, necklaces, any sort of accessory!

And the next is from Riley's book. It's about how much he is like me in so many ways, sometimes much to both of our chagrin!

Finally, here are my thrifted/antiqued finds from the last month or so. I just love the birthday candle-it's designed to be lit for every birthday until the child is an adult, and all the ages are still intact! I'd love to actually use it for one of the kids, but I don't think I'll have the heart to actually burn it- it's too sweet as it is!

Well, that's about it for now. I hope you're all having a great start to the new year!

No Explanation Necessary, Part 2

A continuation of last year's Santa photo. This year didn't go much better than last...!

So Much Eye Candy Your Eyeballs Are Gonna Rot!

I know it's been a while, but I hope the abundance of photos will make up for my absence! As you'll see below, I've been extra busy! First, the Christmas decorations:

Here's our mantle and stockings. My mother-in-law cross-stitched the stockings for us. Somehow, I sort of began a vintage reindeer collection this year! I didn't really realize I had accumulated several of them throughout the year, but when I put them all together, they made for the beginning of a really cute collection. So, a couple Ebay auctions later, and I had an even bigger collection, perfect for the mantle!

Here they are in detail:

I decided to make an ornament wreath this year as well! Again, over the year, I've accumulated lots of vintage ornaments, and between those and some vintage-inspired ones, I had enough to make a whole wreath. I love it! Every time I look at it, I smile because the colors are so pretty!

Here is where the wreath hangs. We just bought this piece of furniture. It's on a new wall (more about that later) that you see as you walk in the door, so it's the perfect place for seasonal displays. It's great, because I can display all my vintage Christmas decor behind glass, where the kids can't get to it!

Here are details of some of the little arrangements:

To be honest, I actually acquired probably at least half of the Christmas stuff over the past couple months. I am having the best luck finding vintage "junk-y" Christmas stuff at thrift stores lately! The trick is to find the shops that are smaller and less-frequented, I think.

So, in addition to being busy decorating for Christmas, I've also been busy decorating my new studio- that's right- new studio! If you remember from the past, my studio was above our garage, the only room upstairs in our house. It was difficult to get up there to work unless the kids were pretty occupied. Downstairs, we had a large, open living/dining room in our house that wasn't fully been used, because we don't have a dining room table. So my husband (wonderful, handy guy that he is) added a wall and knocked out an arched doorway to separate the space into two rooms, one of which has become my new studio!

It's great, because it's right off our great room, so I can keep an eye on the kids if I'm in there. The only thing that's going to change is the worktable. Currently I've got my old worktables pushed together to create a workable space, but my husband is planning on making me a new table that's all one piece (did I say how wonderful he is??).

So, here is the tour! This is the doorway he made to get into the studio. Notice the child-gate to keep the kids out!!

It's a strangely shaped room-sort of a triangle, but with a couple extra angles as well.

My husband also made the shelving for the bins at the left side of the photo below. I put all the kids' art supplies in there.

All the "bookcases" are from Ikea.

I have a huge window that looks out to our screened lanai, which is great because I can watch the kids playing.

Above the arched doorway:

Well, there you have it! My new studio! We've only just gotten it all set up, but I can tell that I will be using it much more frequently than my old one. And speaking of that, here's the first piece of art I did in there, a simple piece in Riley's book about his cute dimple:

And also, the first "craft" I did in there! These are from the Wee Wonderfuls monkey pattern- so cute! They're going to be in the boys' stockings on Christmas morning!

Okay, well, that's all I've got for now- that's enough, I'd say! It's probably the most photos I've ever posted on my blog!

It's a busy time, so I probably won't be back until after Christmas, but I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!