Buzz Buzz Buzz

That is what the inside if my skull sounds like! I have sooo many plans for the new year both crafty and personal. I can't wait to get started! Here's the rundown.

1. Make more journals! Because I Love to. Especially the custom orders I get here and there. They are my absolute favorite! And I have a new idea for a different type of journal that involves using an entire vintage book for the bones! Then hopefully sending more of my little books out into the world.

2. I was nominated for a Liebster Blog Award by A Ghouls Best Friend!!! More details to follow this weekend! Super fun and exciting. Thanks Sara!!!

3. Complete a journal this year! I love making journals. But I tend to be bad about keeping up with my own. Well not this year!!! I ordered a custom one from Debra over at A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk.  And I haven't opened the package yet but I am dying with anticipation! I know it's going to be absolutely fantastic.

4. The usual. Get healthy!!! Er. This girl is going roller skating for her thirtieth bday in August and I want to be in the best shape of my life for the big 3 0!!!

5. Make money to save money so that eventually we can buy a little house of our own. My dream!!!!!! Gotta convince my hubby to move out of state. CA is sooooo heartbreakingly expensive...

Well I hope everyone else is as excited about 2013 as I am!!! There are a lot of terrible things going in in the world today but I am committed to focusing on the positive!!!

For instance the new Star Trek movie and Oz movie that are do out this year!!!

Cheers!!!!

Merry (insert appropriate Holiday here!)

I hope everyone is having a splendid holiday weekend!!! I am off for the next five glorious days. Ok well that isn't entirely true. Technically I have to go into work for four hours tomorrow. But I'm usually there for nine plus hours so its gonna be A piece of cake!!!

I'm making Strata to take in and share. Have you ever had it?! It is soooooo good. It's basically an Egg Breakfast Casserole. Google it!!! YUM!!!

I've been busy busy making new pretty journal album book hybrid thing-a-ma-jigs!!! Oh and my journals are officially in a Store! The store hasn't opened yet but as soon as it does you better believe i'll be posting pics!!!

Cheers and a Merry Merry to all!

Drumroll Please

Ta Da!
This is what I have been soooo busy doing!  (sorry for the poor picture quality...  my iPhone has gone on to a better place and I haven't received a new one yet...)


Let me start from the beginning. Last Friday morning I was doing my usual morning routine and that included spending a few quiet minutes catching up with the Internet. As I sat down at my hubbies desk I started like usual with visiting my friends and family via Facebook. Well, instead of my Facebook being logged in to my timeline (which it is 95% of the time) I was greeted by my hubbies timeline.

Ok I swear I have a point! In my mind I shrugged my shoulders and figured I'd go ahead and see what some of his friends were saying and doing. That is when I randomly happened across one of his friends liking a page called I Heart Handmade. So of course I was intrigued. I clicked the page to discover that two acquaintances of ours that we went to high school with we're opening they're very own handmade goods store right here in downtown Ventura! And not only that but they were reaching out to local crafters and artists for merchandise!

So I messaged them about my journals and immediately got a response back that they love my little books and would be thrilled to carry them!

MY JOURNALS ARE GOING TO BE CARRIED IN AN ACTUAL STORE!

Can you tell I am super stoked? So I have spent the last four days making 24 new journals. As always I love every new one better then the last.

Isn't it amazing how happy little random accidents can lead to huge amazing opportunities? So neato burrito.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Big Amazing Awesomesauce News

To be announced VERY SOON!!!

Eeep I can't even believe how neato burrito it is.

I'll have a full update posted tomorrow!

CHEERS!!!

I Got Mail!

And I didn't have to pay for it! (Because most of my mail has been Etsy and Amazon shopping lately...). Haha

It's from my pen pal Ashley. We decided to become pen pals in the summer time? And we emailed back and forth a few time about who would write the first letter. So I raised my metaphorical hand and said I would!!! Then life got a little hectic but golly the letter was written and mailed off. Then nothing...

I thought maybe she got my letter and it was terrible! Awful!! Repulsive!! Ok not really but you never know, I can be a gabby weirdo.

Then as I was trudging home from work today I checked my mailbox and found a letter!!! It was wonderfully decorated and from a name I didn't know..... Hmmmm intrigue. Well I was super excited to rip it open and find that it was from Ashley! My letter hadn't been a horrid atrocious mess! Life had just gotten in the way of mail.

Anywho,  I am super excited to write back and thought i'd share a little mail goodness with the maybe one person? Who reads my little blog.

Remember to get mail you must send mail! Cheers to mail!!!

Passion

I can hardly believe its been a week since my last post!  Well finals week is over and I am so excited about a few glorious class work free weeks!!!

Wow do I wish I had discovered my love for making beautiful things with my hands to share with others years ago!!!  I would have taken a completely different path scholastically, but never mind, I must persevere 

This November and going in to December has been truly amazing.  Thanks to the holiday season I have had  more lovely people buying my journals out of my little shop than I think of all time.  Granted that still is just an order a week or so but it is so EXCITING!!!  I absolutely love when someone runs across my little place on Etsy and falls in love with something that I have loved making.

Lets face it.  Even if I never made a single sale I would still be doing what I am doing because I love it and by golly a lot of my friends would be constantly getting surprised gifts in the mail but it just means so much to my little family!  Anywho, sorry this post doesn't really go anywhere or entertain or teach but I was just feeling super grateful, and passionate and blessed and I only hope to continue to grow as a crafter and person.

It's December!!!

Happy Dance.

Here in Southern California we don't get very much rain. Even though I live right on the coast... Pout. But this week has been gloriously soggy!!! It's been drizzling for five days straight now and should for two more. I couldn't be happier!

I LOVE gloomy weather. And a slow paced life. I really should live up North but I digress...

So today I was a good girl and did my first December journal page! It's a simple page, just a bit of actual journaling about my personal goals for this holiday month and a photo sticker of our Christmas Tree.

Is anyone else doing a December journal? I'd love to see pictures!

Happy Saturday!

Where Did November Go?!

I woke up this morning to lovely little reminder from Katie over at Making This Home that tomorrow is December 1! How did that happen?! Where did November go?

Alas it was a happy reminder because tomorrow I, along with I'm sure many others, am starting my Christmas journal!

I usually keep a journal that spans a good amount of the year but for special months like December or my Birthday month I like to keep something that's just for the season itself.  I started doing this a couple of years ago and it's become one of my favorite traditions!

Last year I made a special little journal just for my daughter and for my niece and my two nephews and boy did they have a ton of fun!  Can you imagine three kids all under the age of ten sitting around and  journaling on the living room floor for five hours straight with no fights having a blast?  It was amazing!

So this year I am using one of the four little Holiday journals I made for My Shop and I can't wait to start filling it up!

It'll end up being chock full of Photos. Journaling. Recipes. Memories of previous Decembers. Lists of things I love. A letter to Santa. A thank you list for gifts. Favorite Christmas song lyrics.  I'll try to post pictures often here!

 Cheers!

What I've Been Up To

This had been a really great month for making journals!!! I've been lucky and have gotten to make SIX custom journals for people. I really love making them.

The first was for one of my custom Scrap Album Smash Journal Hybrids. She wanted a complete surprise! So I spied her Etsy favorites to get a sense of what she would like. Just in case she's a blog follower I won't post a pic because she's all the way in Australia and hasn't received her surprise yet.

Then I was asked to make two similar Nautical themed Journals. And I LOVE how they turned out.

The next two were a challenge because I was asked to do regular book binding which always takes longer. One was to be wagon and mason jar themed in blue while the other was to be plantation themed with yellow. Both are Dream journals! I am SUPER happy with how they turned out.  They're so pretty!!!

Finally, I have to get started on a Necronomicon themed book... Should be interesting!

Sheesh this was a long post. I can't wait to get more orders in!!!

It's Monday!

CYBER MONDAY!

OK, so years ago I hated the idea of online shopping because I tend to be very impatient and having to wait for something to be delivered was an act of extreme torture, but I have seen the light.  I LOVE ordering things off line!  The anticipation builds while you wait for that pretty little purchase to arrive and then you have mail!  I love mail.  Anyways I swear I have a point...

Oh YEAH!  So in honor of Cyber Monday if you pop into my Shop and buy yourself or someone else something pretty you get 15% OFF!!!  Just use the code Cyber12.  Have fun shopping!

*Coupon is good through Wednesday!

The "Hip" Bone's Connected To...

Get it? HIP! Lol. I know.

I'm hilarious. It's been a nice lazy sick day spent mostly at home. I picked up some amazing Human Skeleton wrapping paper a few weeks ago and today I turned it into sets of cards and envelopes!

 Hopefully I'll get them all finished and in the Shop before this weekend. I LOVE holiday weekends!

Remember LAURA?!

She is that Awesome chick I told you about who writes Please Deliver To?  The one who I was blog stalking because of her general awesomeness and hilarity?  (Hello she put the Enterprise on an ENVELOPE! How cool is that?!)  Well she just opened up her first ever Etsy Shop!

It is chock full of amazing and unique envelopes for all of your quirky mailing needs...  So what are you waiting for?  Go check it out!

Yayee for MAIL!!!

I LOVE Gloomy Weather

I am soooo excited for this week!!! I love extra days off from my day job to spend with the family.

We always drive down to San Diego for Thanksgiving and it is so fun! It's always whirl wind trip. Down and back in one day. It's exhausting but very emotionally satisfying.

Is it weird that I like to be stuck in a car for three hours at a time with my loved ones?! We always have such great conversations.

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is getting together with the family and chatting and helping out in the kitchen.

I especially love taking photos of the family and spending time catching up.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Outgoing!!!

Just some Twi mail going out this early Fall morning. I sure hope that even though this is the last movie and all of the books have been written that we continue these exchanges! Regular mail exchanges are OH SO FUN!!

Ps I promise a mute interesting blog post later!!! Nikon J1 anyone?

Christmas Had Come Early!

OK I am just so happy with how these four little memory keepers came out!!!  Here are pictures of the covers of the four new little Christmas Journals that are now in the SHOP!

Reindeers and Santa and Candy Canes Oh My!

See where I've been? In a Winter Wonderland!!! I've been busy putting together four little Xmas Hybrid Journals for the Shop! Or just for me. Haha.

They are turning out wonderfully!!! They're a mixture of classic Christmas aesthetics and the newer modern holiday jazz. They pretty much follow my standard practice. They have about 20 pages so 40 front and back. Some envelopes for tucking away goodies. Lightweight chip board covers. I can't wait to decorate the covers! It's my favorite part.

What's everyone else busy making in anticipation for the holiday season?!

Networking and Christmas

First of all. It is 90 degrees here in southern CA!!! Doesn't Mother Nature know its November?! Who says Global Warming isn't real...

I want to make Winter Wonderland Christmas themed smashbooks, journal hybrids for my Shop. But is there any point? Lately I feel like I'm just going to end up with a room filled with pretty paper goodies that no one wants... Very sad.

This leads me to networking. How in the heck can I get better at it? I really truly admire those women and favorite Bloggers of mine that are lucky enough to work from home and make a living doing what they enjoy so much. I sure wish I could figure out how to do it for myself!!!

Oh we'll. I guess I'll just keep writing this blog and making crafty fun for myself. La. Di. Da. Cheers!

It's Feeling Like A Crafty Day

Or is it feeling like a sneezy day...  A sneezy crafty day?  I know I am a native Southern Californian and those (2?) of you reading my silly little Blog most likely aren't but I hate/love these Santa Ana winds!!!

I hate them because it gets waaaaarrrrrm. I hate warm weather and it gets so FRAKING windy!!!  My nose has danced between stuffy, runny and sneezy for three days.  I am pretty sure there are a few more Nose Dwarfs in there somewhere and it is ANNOYING!!!

So why do I also love our Santa Ana winds you ask? Because this means Fall and Winter in southern CA. We don't get chilly crisp weather and snow. No sir we get warm crazy blow you down the street windy weather!  And to us in Southern California it means Christmas will be here sooner than any of us are prepared for. So I guess today will be a snotty, sneezy, teary craft loving day!!!

So I Went a Little Crazy

On Amazon this week...

 And ordered FIVE prompt journals!!! I just couldn't help myself. Hello my name is Sara and I am a journal-a-holic. But they are sooooo neat!!!

 The first is Keri Smith's Wreck This Journal which I discovered a few years go and thanks to YouTube became re-acquainted and re-obsessed with. Check out her website!!!  Keri Smith. It is a super great idea for a journal. Every page has a crazy prompt that involves writing, drawing, painting or in some way destroying.

The second is also by Keri and is called This Is Not A Book. It has you do things like make a mark for every time you enter a new room. Disguise the book to be something else or leave this book somewhere over night. Keri's prompts are amazing and funny and way out of left field. Love her!!!

Then I bought This Book Will Change Your Life which is 365 daily prompts that make you think and do things you would never think to do. Like break the law of your choice day. Kiss someone somewhere you wouldn't normally and subtext day where you read between the lines of what people say to you and document it.

Finally I got the Memo Random Journal.  Which is basically a huge book of lists!!!

All our are so exciting and wonderfully illustrated. I can't wait to get started on all four. I seriously suggest checking them all out.

It's a Leafy

Kind of day!