I Can Make That

Just saying

2009-07-18T01:22:00.001-07:00

These are some super super cute kids.
I am getting sick of this Arnie Klein guy acting like maybe he might be the father. If you are picking a person to father your children would you pick this?:
Or, as a friend to the Brando family for over 30 years would you maybe of asked them?
Every time I look at that oldest son I see Brando genes. Look at Tuki Brando he is Cheyanne's son with Dag the man that Christian killed.

Marlon

Tuki

I never brag .....

2009-07-17T12:43:00.001-07:00

so I will just let the picture do it for me. :) My husband and I are heading up to Lake Arrowhead for the weekend. I am so excited. I love the mountains almost as much as I love the beach. I love to go to Lake Arrowhead village and wander around, they have GREAT pizza that I have been dreaming about all week. They also have a Harry and Davids! I live for their chocolate raspberry truffles. YUM!

I am hoping to win the battle with Facebook sometime soon. If I do I will open my Etsy shop back up. If I don't you can always find me on Facebook. :) I would give you a link to find me but I don't have any idea how to do that. I only know how to play games. My user name on Facebook is my name Laura Cole. Good luck with that.
Well I need to get the house cleaned up. I hate coming home to a mess.

Have a great weekend!!

Shhh Don't tell anyone but I don't like .....

2009-07-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

kids and puppies. I know that makes me the devil but so what!
I will explain, all of my life people have been convinced that I LOVE kids. They are wrong! I have herd the sentence " Laura will watch you kids, she loves kids" way to many times. Seriously people I do not love your kids. Now I don't hate them. I just don't want to spend a lot of time with them. I have loved and still love plenty of kids but mostly the ones I am related to.
Reasons I don't like kids:
1. "mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, ya you know that brat at the grocery store who wants something and the mom who thinks we can all tune out her kid.
2. sticky stuff
3. they always move the mirrors in my car
4. baby talk
5. they need attention
I can go on and on and on but I wont. And yes I am sure I would love you kid just not all of the other ones.
Puppies
Yes I am not a fan of puppies they are cute but then so are a lot of kids. Puppies are more work then kids! They pee and poop on the floor, my kid never did that! Then you have to teach them stuff and they don't speak English! At least with my kid they gave me time to teach him to speak before they expected anything of him.
1. Puppies chew my stuff up.
2.they spill water all over the floor
3. they smell bad. ( smell bad can go on both lists)
Keep your puppies I will take them when they are house trained and know how to walk on a leash.

So Facebook still has me in its evil clutches. The devil invented a game called Farm Town and put it on Facebook so if you are ever looking for me try there. I have procrastinated threw another week so my Etsy shop is still closed but hey it gives you all time to save more money to spend when I open back up!!!

I am patting myself on the back for blogging more then once this week. I have low expectations for myself. :)

I am sure I will think of 100 other things I ment to blog about but right now all I can think about is the fact that I left someone harvesting my crop on Farm Town and I wonder if she is done.

One more thing ...... I did start another blog post this morning and I was a good 15 minutes into it when all of a sudden it was gone!!! I was not so happy. So do any of you know where it is?

Have a good one!

Nobody answers the phone anymore!

2009-07-11T11:37:00.001-07:00

From the comments on my last post I guess social anxiety is alive and well. It is nice to know I am not alone. :)
So as far as the phone thing goes I never answer it EVER unless I know who is on the other end. Thank you caller ID.
Here are a few other situations I avoid.
1. I have a little mail phobia. I order stuff on line just to get me to check the mail. If I am not expecting something wonderful the mailbox will fill up.
2. Doctors offices and Dentist offices. I guess I have not been back to post about the dental work I had done. WOW what a horribly embarrassing day that turned into. I will tell you about it.
3. Trips to government offices like to get a license for something or register a car.
4. crowded places. I hate when people crowed around or even worse bump into me.
5. Driving

Ok the whole truth on the oral surgery. First things first. I discovered it was less expensive to have my teeth pulled and replaced then to get the work they needed. So that is what I am doing.
I was to have 3 teeth pulled .... that is a lot right?? well thankfully they are all back teeth and there is this added benefit, I have a little trouble eating as fast or as much so I have lost a few pounds!! That and the pain being gone are the only good things to come from this.
I was nervous and I did not take anything before, you know like a xanex or Valium or anything. I am not going to give you details except to say my dentist actually had to ask this question: "Do you know you are biting me?" Um no I did not know that .... sorry. It went down hill from there. I was crying and shaking so bad that they had to drug me and put me to sleep. It was one of the single most embarrassing moments of my life.

OK now that I have owned that bad behavior I will hopefully never have to speak of it again.

On to other topics!! My 12 year anniversary is tomorrow. Seriously this is a big deal I had family coming out of the woodwork just to see me get married. I am not the easiest of people to get along with and I generally did not go on more then a few dates with any one person because most men annoyed me to quick to give them a chance. So to celebrate this occasion my husband is going to a truck show and I am getting a bunch of stuff done to reopen my etsy shop. ....... What? That's not what you would be doing? It sounds perfect to me. :)

Yes, after weeks and weeks of being closed I am going to open my Etsy shop back up! I am thinking about just listing my Blythe related items for now. They are what has been selling the best and want to concentrate on them for a while. If you are new to my blog here are some pictures of my Blythe stuff.
Blythe Teddy Bears
Blythe pet lambs

Now that I am back to blogging I can think of a ton of stuff to blog about! It is so exciting. But I am guessing most of you do not want to hear about my Shedding dogs or invading ants so for now I will stop.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I am to normal to be dead

2009-07-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

So, I am alive and kicking!! I think famous people are doing the most dying right now. I herd that Oscar Mayer died yesterday. :(
I have a new addiction ....... Facebook
I have no real idea how to use it I just know that it has games. YICKS I play games and then I play more games oh and I throw in a few more games to mix it up. I hope to burn out soon so I can get back to my real life. I have not been very creative in weeks.
I noticed something this morning. I feel kinda cheesy putting this out there but what the hell right? I was watching the news and they showed a picture of Micheal Jackson's beautiful children. So, what I noticed was how much his oldest son reminded me of a Brando. I just happened to glance up at the TV and for a second I thought some Brando kid was standing with the family.
I know my shop on Etsy has been closed way to long I feel the pain of not having that little extra in the bank. But for some odd reason I just am not at all motivated. I keep telling myself I am going to get new pictures taken and list things but I kinda think I am going to wait a little longer. :(
Maybe you can tell from this post .... I am just not that into it right now. Etsy Blogging Twitter ..... none of it. I am not feeling social. Which brings up a point. My son has called me Agoraphobic for years. So the other day I was talking to my sister and I mentioned that Corey calls me that and she said he was right. She told me she has thought this for years. Well here is the thing. I leave my home daily. I do not think I am agoraphobic but now I am wondering if I do have some type of social anxiety.
OK well this seems to be enough blogging for now. I am going to try to get myself back on track over the next week or so. :)
Take Care!!!

Oral Surgery sucks but new soap rocks!!

2009-05-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well I have been complaining for a few weeks about my tooth pain. I have made dentist appointments and not gone to some of them. I have been taking more meds then a person should. And now I have thrown in the towel. Come tomorrow I am having 3 teeth pulled and will probably me MIA for a while.
I need a Xanax for this appointment. I am a big baby about the dentist.

Ok enough about the sucky stuff I got a box in the mail this week and it was full of some yummy smelling soap!! The soap was not the pretty swirl bars you see so often the shapes where all different from one another. BUT the lather is there the scent is there and the love was there.
Let me tell you this soap is a great deal!!

The Soap Seduction

Check it out:
On Etsy
On Art Fire
Follow her blog for 15% off!!

Ok So I will see ya when I see ya! Take care and have a great weekend when it comes.:)

Ramblings of a lazy and crazy girl

2009-05-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

So I guess I am lazy and crazy. I have not listed anything new on etsy in weeks ...... (lazy)
I watch way to much TV ........ (crazy)
I read a incredibly bad book cover to cover ......... (crazy)
I have a lot of laundry building up ......... (lazy)
The list can go on and on
The whole to much TV thing is killing me. I watched twi hours of So You Think You Can Dance last night and I was right I do LOVE LOVE LOVE that show. I am a little freaked out that I am starting to recognize traits in myself that I share with Mary Murphy. I was not moved to tears like she was but I do get excited and maybe even scream not as loud but it is a scream. I also watched that show Glee that came on after American Idol. WOW why did I do that. The show was funny and I liked it. I dont need more shows to like. I have three hours of Criminal Minds waiting for me on my DVR. The most embarassing is the 3 hours a day that ABC soap operas are on my TV. I dont need to watch these I listen to them while I do other things. I sometimes even get exercise running into the room to see what I am hearing. I am coming out of the closet I am a TV lover.
Here is a list of shows I love in no real order:
1. So You Think You Can Dance
2. American Idol
3. Hells Kitchen
4. Criminal Minds
5. All Law and Orders
6. Survivor
7. CSI (only Vegas)
8. Number 1 womans Detective agency
9. Dexter
10. Southland
11. Anything on Discovery or History including Monster Quest
12. Amazing Race
13. TMZ
14. True Blood

I could go on and on. I love ON Demand and DVR's otherwise I might never leave my home.

Yesterday I blogged about American Idol and once before I blogged about Kris. Thinking back on it I find it funny that I never talked much about Adam. I love him!! He is such a theater kid. I always like the theater kids when I was in school. Adam was my favorite. I did not want him to win but only because he is to out of the box for American Idol. I have two American Idol ringtones on my phone and both of them are Adam. (Mad World and Ring of Fire)

I finished the crap book that I have been reading for days. Most of the time I read a book super fast like a book a day. I have always read fast. That book was work and it was crappy work at that. I will run by the library today to see what they have for check out and to buy. My library sells paperbacks for a quarter and hardcovers for a dollar.

Well I better get some stuff done before I need to tune into All My Children. :)
Have a great weekend!

Walmart Sucks So You Think You Can Dance Rocks and Kris Allen Wins!

2009-05-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Green Day released a new album. That's cool Green Day rocks. Here is my problem. The mighty Walmart wont be stocking it on there pristine shelf's. Let me just say, they have that right just like I have the right to never step foot in to a Walmart store. I stopped shopping at Walmart years ago. I hate double standards and the mighty Walmart needs to take a step down off of their high horse. It is so annoying that they wont have a Green Day CD anywhere in the store but a soccer ball hand stitched buy a 6 year olds tiny fingers is ok. I have a long list of business practices that keep me from shopping there. So when they decide what is appropriate for others to listen to it rubs me wrong. Kudos to Green Day for not offering up a censored version for them!!
Walmart T Shirt available in FatAmericans shop on Etsy click here. Check them out I want the Anti Hummer shirt. I think I was the only person I know that instantly despised HumVees.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE So You Think You Can Dance!!!!! Last years winner Joshua Allen was great. I love this show more then I can express. For some reason it makes me happy. I am amazed at what the human body can do. Joshua won with very little training he was more of a "street" dancer then anything but he learned fast and worked hard. It is so much fun to watch the only down fall would have to be the body image thing. You know how when you see a lot of great looking people you start to feel a little ugly, well these people have some of the most amazing bodies in the world they may make you feel, to fat, to thin, to tall, to short ...... the list goes on. I decided that was ok since they work so hard.

Last but not least GOOD FOR YOU KRIS ALLEN!!!!!! I kinda wanted Kris to win. I love Adam and I know his career will be great but I want to see Adam without restrictions that the Idol contract may have put on him. That kid is wild and crazy and I want to enjoy him and all of his glam ways. Kris is a mellow kid his voice is soothing. He sounded great with Keith Urban last night and I would love it if he did the same country that Keith is doing.

Well back to the bad book I am reading. I just need to add a quick note to fiction writers: If you write fiction please know that the story is only part of it!! A good story can be told bad and or stuffy uptight proper English dialog can ruin a good story. They Bad boy should sound like a bad boy not like someones retired English teacher grandmother!!!

Take care of yourself!!

2009-05-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

I have been so lazy! I decided not to worry about it. Lazy is ok for now. I have been reading a lot. I have noticed that writers that use proper english bug me. If i am reading fiction i want it to be believable, people dont speak so proper in real life. This is a silly short note because i am to lazy to go to my desk or in get the laptop. So i am texting. That is why my i's are lower case sometimes. Well i am going to go force myself to finish this bad book and make note me the writers name so i never buy one me her books again. Take care!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2009-05-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

What in the hell is this?? What kind of people are we as aworld that we can let something like this happen?
What is the hell is Laura talking about???? I know that is what you were just thinking right??
Well let me tell you, somewhere between California and Japan is a large area of plastic. When I saw large it is because it is shifting and changing and I cant find a good size. It ranges between twice the size of Texas to the size of the continental U.S.

You can find a lot of information on this just type pacific plastic gyre in at Google. Here are some other good links.

Environmental Cleanup Coalition

2009 North Pacific Gyre Exploration

Greenpeace

Daddy's Worm ......... yes this will piss you off

2009-05-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you have kids around please do not watch this video now.
My husband like a lot of men listens to the Howard Stern station on the radio. Last night Bubba the Love Sponge and Howard both talking about this my husband checked it out and showed me the video this morning. No matter what you think about this the bottom line is this little girl is being abused in the worst way. Daddy may be hurting her or mom may be poisoning her mind. I think dad is doing it but that is not for me to decide. Please watch the whole video I never herd her mother or her aunt lead her.

Please visit the website Save Aaliyah make up your own mind. If you feel something needs to be done please spread the word. The website has a lot of links to information about this case. For this little girl please spend a little time.

Aint nothing going on but the rent

2009-05-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

I am suffering from LOST withdrawls already and the season just ended last night. I wont go on and on about it like I want to because that would be boring.
American Idol ..... Well I was watching Lost and forgot to flip over to see who went home. So I looked it up on my phone. I did not care so much but was curious. I think this season was full of some real talent I am sure there will be more record contracts this year then any of the past years. I sometimes wonder if someone like Chris Daughtry did better for not winning then if he would of won.
So I have not listed anything on Etsy for a while now, last time I blogged about this I mentioned that I had not had any sales. Well right after I blogged that I had 3 or 4 but since then it has been dead. That is my own fault. I have not been on Twitter I have not listed anything new. I have not been working much at all. I plan on starting next week off with a bang.
Tonight is the season finally of Hells Kitchen!!!! I love that show. Gordan Ramsey is such an ass in the kitchen I only forgive him of that because he seems genuine and kind out of the kitchen and because when he is being an ass he makes me laugh. Calling someone a doughnut is funny to me.
Ok guess it is painfully obvious that I have nothing going on to blog about. :) So take care and have a great day!

Great Feedback, American Idol and Strong Med.'s

2009-05-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have received some of the nicest feedback in the last couple of weeks. It feels so good to log onto Etsy and find praise from someone. It can make your day. :)
Here are a few of them:

Received my order incredibly quickly, and I think this has to be about the cutest little thing I've ever gotten in the mail! The little bear-in-frog costume is absolutely adorable, and the quality exceeded my expectations. This was a gift for my daughter, who loves getting mail to open... Thank you for a very positive transaction, for taking the time to package it so nicely, and for the beautiful extra hair clip! I will certainly be back to your store in the future. Thank you.

Love, love, LOVE!!! My girls want's more adorable toys like this!!!!! We will be back soon! Thank you, highly recommended!

the cutest teddy i've ever seen for blythe!

Laura is awesome! :-) Thanks so much!

I love being called awesome! Who wouldn't? I like to leave good feedback for people because I know how it can brighten a persons day. I am going to have to start putting more thought into it.

OK, American Idol I am going to open myself up to ridicule here by admitting I watch it every year. Each new year I tell myself I am not going to wast such a big chunk of my life on this show but it keeps sucking me back in. This year has been great. Now I want to be clear I have cut back on my American Idol viewing I never watch the dragged out hour of results night. Please, Lost is on. :) I try to remember to switch over when Lost ends to see who is going home but if I miss it I see in on the news the next morning.
This year I am loving the last three. Adam is amazing. Danny is amazing. Kris is hot! That guy makes me feel like a perverted cougar. What is he like 20 he could be my kid but he makes some seriously sexy faces when he is singing and I just want him to sing to me. :)I think Adam will win Idol this year and that is ok with me I don't care who stays or who leaves they are all super good and will do well after the show.

So my mouth is still hurting but now I have great pain killers helping me. I need to make an appointment for the dentist since I canceled the one I had. But whatever I am a functioning human again and that is what matters.
Have a great day!

2009-05-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

I love text blogging. I am sitting on my bed waiting to watch american idol and texting. I could be sending an update to twitter but them someone will respond to me and i will look like i am ignoring them. Idol is starting! Have a great night!

Shut up already

2009-05-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Donald Trump got it wrong. No not on Celebrity Apprentice I think Joan Rivers is great and he got that right. It is this Miss California stuff he got wrong. Look I don't care about how she answered Perez Hiltons question. I don't care what she thinks about gay marriage. I don't care if she took topless photos. I don't care that she sometimes sounds like her head contains a wind tunnel not a brain. I just want her to shut up. Make her go away! Come on Donald fire her already so I can watch TMZ without hearing about how Miss California's Daddy left her Mommy for another man.

My Face Hurts Friday

2009-05-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ok let me just warn you all. Never Ever tell someone your face hurts, you are only opening yourself up to be the butt of thier stupid jokes.
I am having some dental issues. I can feel it from my ear down my neck. My jaw aches, it is just bad. BUT if you mention to someone that your face hurts they may say "really? Because it is killing me." Nice right. Where is the compassion people???
So I wait for my meds to work and the dentist to fix me. I have no interest in anything. I just want to sleep. :( But I am getting better!
I am working on a custom order but this has slowed me way down and I feel super bad about it. It is real hard to concentrate but it is getting better with the meds.
I want to wish everyone a fantastic weekend!

Music Monday, Wordless Wednesday, and Lazy Laura

2009-05-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am not calling anyone a cheater or anything BUT Music Monday and Wordless Wednesday kinda seem like cheating.... ya know. It is like they are sitting there thinking humm what will I blog about today OH I know I will blog about nothing! So I have come to terms with the fact that sometimes I may feel the need to cheat. Fair warning!!! So on days that I have nothing much to share look out.

Here is what i am thinking, why not change it up a little? Here are some of my ideas.

1. Moody Monday I will talk about what is bugging me.

2. Taco Tuesday I will post a picture of a super good taco or a recipe for a super good taco. Ok so I am stealing taco Tuesday from restaurants so what.

3. Whisky Wednesday I will take a shot of Whiskey and toast to all who read my blog.

4. Thankless Thursday I will pay tribute to someone who has a thankless position in life like the guy who removes dead animals from the road.

5. Fill in the blank Friday i will write something and leave a blank for anyone who reads it to fill in.

Ok so some of those are pretty dumb but what do you want from me I had nothing.

Today is Wednesday maybe I should of stuck with wordless.

100 Posts! and Apparantly I am a Bitch!

2009-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

I wanna go bake a cake and invite everyone to my house! This is my 100th blog post. WOW How did I do that? I know I am a gabby girl most of the time but I was not so sure it would be the same on a blog as it is in real life. In real life I have always thought I was super nice and talked to everyone.

Well that last sentence leads me to this:

My son has informed me that I am a bitch.
Are you shocked? I know I was. My son was shocked as well. It all started last week. I was out of stamps and the little international things you need to stick on international mail.
Me: Corey I need you to go to the post office with me.
Corey: Why?
Me: The guy there is creepy and I don't want to go alone.
Corey: OK

So a little background,

The guy at the post office is 6'4" easy but it is 6'4" of creepy. He mumbles to me and is always looking at me covertly. I know that may seem paranoid but its not. I can handle someone looking at me without getting freaked out, hell the homeless guy who is outside a local market hits on me all the time and it never creeps me out.

So back to me being a bitch,
We get to the post office and as we are walking in who is walking out???? My stalker X boyfriend. Can this day get any worse?? Just asking because I felt the need to look for a gunman on the grassy knoll, things where just going down hill.
I know now I look a little full of myself the post office guy the stalker X boyfriend but I want you to know I am so not full of myself these guys are not Brad Pitt and I am so not Angelina ya know. Go ahead look a few posts back I am there. I am an average girl.

So the X is a stalker in my book for a few reasons. Here is a list
1. When I broke up with him he used to show up unannounced at my house all the time.
2. I once woke up to him in my bedroom at the foot of my bed. He broke in!
3. After I married my husband and moved over 50 miles away this guy moved into a house no more then 5 doors down from us.
There is more but I think I have proven my point.

So it has been a while since I have seen the stalker and he was being nice. We exchanged pleasantries because I think I am a polite and kind person. He is carting loads of box's in and out of the post office and is talking to me the whole time I am there. Corey and I take our place in line and wait. When we are the next in line I cross my fingers and hope that Dora the nice postal employee is done before Lerch the big creepy postal employee. I guess I must of said something to Corey, maybe something like Oh my gosh I hope we get Dora look at Lerch isn't he creepy. I don't know maybe it sounded nastier when I said it. Anyway the sun was now shinning on me Dora was done first and she was able to help me.

As we left the post office Corey looked at me and said " Mom you really are a bitch. I never believed auntie Shelly when she said you could be one." Umm ok what are you supposed to say to that? Me I don't say Corey you are 17 and just called you mom a bitch! I don't pop him in the mouth. I don't even feel indignant. I kinda liked it. So I needed to know what I had done. Apparently my tone was snotty with the X. My body language was snotty with everyone around. I apparently answer with one and two word answers and turn my back on people when I can. And Corey has decided that the creepy post office guy was shy and very nice to everyone he helped. I am like well duh I never said he was not nice he is creepy and nice but the stalker was nice and look where that got me.
So I know this sounds stupid but I was kinda glad that I still had a bit of the bitch in me. When I was a teen I was a little full of myself and probably a real bitch but I have mellowed a lot and have thought of my self as pretty nice maybe to the point of being a bit of a doormat. But I am not a doormat I still have some bitchy backbone left in me. I may need to work on the timing but I am happy to report the a little of the bitch still lives inside of me and has my back.

Well, take care of you! Have a great day!

Just another manic Monday

2009-05-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

I think I need to start taking more vitamines or something because monday sure has a way of kicking my butt.
I had a bunch of stuff to do today and did not get anything completed. I will have to get super busy tonight after my hunny is at work. I got a great pair of overalls in the mail today for Kai ( my Blythe) They are super cute! Here is a picture of them:
That is not Kai wearing them. I took the picture from Etsy. So if you have a Blythe and want some overalls check out Pheisty on etsy you will not be disappointed. :)

I have a few things to list tomorrow and that makes me happy. I have not got a lot done due to a tooth ache from hell. I have this stupid fear of the dentist. I know it is not reasonable and I feel real silly but I will throw up just thinking about going. I had less anxiety over having open heart surgery then I have over getting my teeth cleaned. So I know I need to get to the dentist but It will take me some time and pain to build up the courage. :(

Well as I said in the title it is a manic Monday I need to go get my niece from school get started on feeding the masses and pack lunch for my man. Then I can start laundry and all of the other fun stuff I do at night when he is at work.
Take care and have a great week!!

I have been vindicated

2009-05-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks! I now know I have friends out there, others who like read trash! I have spent hours outside of Starbucks with my book nestled down in my bag just to hide the sexy cover. But no more!! I will read my trash with pride.

Sara I love Linda Howard but have not read the series you mentioned I will check it out. I do love romantic suspense Iris Johansen has some great books.

Patrice I love a raunchy book and let me tell you I have read some steamy ones.
Corey is a doll and a pretty good kid he is going to be 18 soon, man that is a kick in the ass since I swear I just gave birth a couple years ago.

Jinx Your dad sounds like a super smart man. After yesterdays post I sold the froggy bear. :) I don't understand people who can read such depressing Oprah book club books all the time I bet there is a higher suicide rate in that group then in people who read like I do.

Chrissy I have read some books from both of them! They are both on my Ebay and Amazon shopping lists. Vampire books are super sexy!

Lanee' Please avoid the myspace face!! LOL It is everyplace you look. Every time Corey wants to take my picture I stick my lips out and give him the face. :)

Anyone who likes romance / vampire / paranormal type books I recommend Sherrilyn Kenyon books.

You should all check out each others blogs! I have some great blogging buddies and I think you should all know each other, plus Chrissy blogged about me today. :)

Have a great weekend and remember to try to get your shops filled up!

Oh shoot I forgot the getting to know me stuff ok let me go find some picture to post brb

Ok so I am totally throwing my hunny under the bus here. He is way better looking then this picture shows but I looked pretty good 12 years ago when this was taken. :) So to make things better here is an ok one of him last summer with one of our nieces she is way cute. He is pretty cute too.

Good days Bad Days

2009-04-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

We all have them, good days and bad days. Right now I am having some bad days in my shop. But it is ok when my shop slows down I have fun making a lot more stuff to list. .......... See that was me finding the silver lining. :) the truth is it sucks when you don't have any sales. I like to escape when things suck so I started reading one of my favorite series of books over.
Since on this blog I have admitted to loving Regency romance's and TMZ why not embarrass my self further and admit to a passion for Paranormal romances. So a lot of people will admit to reading Twilight but I have been reading paranormal for years before Twilight came out. My favorite series is the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. before you all think less of me I want you to know I do read books that are deeper then romance and sex and I do sometimes enjoy them but come on, I read to escape the world and its problems not to feel sad and depressed. Nothing makes me smile more then a big sexy dangerous man turning into a puppy dog over a woman.
So anyway back to no sales. :) The bright side to no sales is I now have 131 items listed in my shop and if I dont have any sales in the next week I plan on having over 150 items in my shop. I am working on a special order and it should be done soon so that will free me up to bombard my shop. I am going to challange anyone who reads my blog and has a shop: If you are not having any sales try listing at least one new thing a day for the next week. Build up your stock, set a goal. Good Luck!!!

Something new for my blog:

Since I have come clean about my trashy reading habits and some of my trashy TV habits I guess people are starting to get to know me better. :) So I am going to start posting pictures so you know who or what I am talking about. I dont have many pictures of me but I will get some soon. So here is my cute kid Corey, look at that face is that a myspace face or what? lol

2009-04-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

Heidi and spencer update: TMZ Reports heidi and spencer are now wearing masks in mexico. That is all. Lmao i will sit down and blog for real later today. Take care!

2009-04-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

blogging from my phone again! Since i am not at home and since i am sitting in a waiting room this is the best i can do and it is more entertaining then the old magazines they have in this place. So i am not as worried as i may of sounded about swine flu. What i am more concerned about is how people may catch things from animals. My mind is a wonderful mix of imagination and creativity so the places it travels to are sometimes frightening when i try to figure this out. On another note, i am a huge fan of TMZ i like the web sit and love the show. I laugh out love watchind it. So last night the had heidi and spencer on honeymoon Lmao they went to mexico! They are so fun to laugh at. So until later take care!

I am alive

2009-04-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy needle felting that it has been hard for me to keep up with my blog. I am still living in teddy bear land. They are so cute and it is fun to come up with new ideas. My new favorite is my teddy bear dressed as a frog.

I am having a hard time making myself do other things because it seems like the teddys are helping my shop, business has picked up since I started listing them.

So about Swine flu ....... umm I live in California and Swine flu is here. I DO NOT WANT IT. What did the original person to contract Swine flu have to do to get it? I know you get it from pigs is it a flu that pigs get that people can catch? Do you get it from handling their poo? Are they getting to friendly with their pigs????? So when I dropped my niece off at school she was as well informed as a kindergartener could be about washing her hands and making sure her friends did not cough on her. I am thinking about bleaching my house just to be safe.

Take care,
Wash your hands!!
Cough into the crook of your arm not your hand that you touch things with!!
And please dont get to friendly with your pigs.

2009-04-24T12:14:00.001-07:00

Most days i get on line and read every blog update. I read all my email. I take pictures and list on Etsy. I twitter and flickr. But on other days like yesterday and like today when i dont want to in near the computer. Right now i am sitting outside texting my blog update. My computer is less them fifty feet away but i am not going to touch it. :) i did get on and check my sales i had two. :) so they are packed and mailed. My teddy bears are doing well. My weekend goal is to make ten more. I am working on a teddu skunk right now. :) well in case i dont get back have a wonderfull weekend.

Teddy bears are taking over

2009-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

The teddy bears are taking over my life!! I am always working on or thinking abut teddy bears. I enjoy making them. The only real problems are one I need more brown wool and two they are small so I poke myself more often. My fingers make me look like drunk diabetic.

I have been having fun coming up with new ideas for my teddy bears in costume.

The problem with the bears in costume is they are getting to big. If you notice the ladybug is a good size, it was the first one I made. I started working on the size again on the last one I made, the blue bird. I think I am getting them back to a good size. I am not happy with the bee much so next time you see it it will probably look better I think it needs a little work.

I got some fun pictures this morning.I understand why so many people take pictures of their Blythe dolls. It is fun. I cant wait to get some more clothes for her. I am not buying any right now but I am trading for them. Right now she is wearing Borrowed Barbie clothes. Barbie has a bigger body then Blythe so I had to take a few stitch's to keep the clothes on her.
Well I better go list my new bears on Etsy!

Have a wonderful Earth Day!
Remember to turn off some lights and recycle something. :)

Yesterday was a good day. :)

2009-04-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started out so busy but ended so nice. :)
I listed five teddy bears on Etsy and sold 3 of them. So last night was teddy time. I was felting away. I listed 3 more today but hope to be able to list five more tomorrow. Yesterday was also the day I hit 700 hearts for my Etsy shop. I dont put a lot of stock in the hearts but it is nice that 700 people saw fit to like my shop.

Todays bears !!

Two of the bears I listed today are Undercover Bears. One is a Bumble Bear and the other is a Bunny Bear. I also listed a regular bear.
I love the Bunny Bear she is super cute.
They go with the Ladybug Bear I listed yesterday.

Take care all! I need to get some bears made. :)

Monday Madness

2009-04-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

It is a good thing the word madness works so well with the word Monday. It seems like Monday always brings some madness to my life. I spent a lot of the weekend working I made a lot of new things. You would think that would be weekend madness but no. You see needle felting relaxes me I enjoy it. What comes next is the madness, it is the taking on hundreds of pictures, the looking threw 100's of pictures for a few that are almost good. It is posting pictures to flickr and blogging. It is writing listings for etsy. Monday is full of stuff that needs to be done. Remember that song Manic Monday? That is how I feel today ........ just another manic Monday wish it was Sunday ......
BUT!! I did take some pictures of the work that kept me mellow all weekend. I was working on teddy bears for Blythe.

I also decided on a fun new line! It is teddy bears for blythe or other dolls or people who like small stuff...... or who ever. The new line is Teddy bears in disquise! The first on I am listing is a bear undercover as a ladybug.

I have a few more costumes up my sleave. I am excited about them. I will post some more of them this week.Until later, have a great day!!

2009-04-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

Hope this works. I am texting from my phone. I have been so busy for the last two weeks. I hope to post new pictures soon. I need to hit craigs list for some stuff for my new work space. Well i am not going to keep going on since i am not sure this will work.

New stuff!

2009-04-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of new stuff to take pictures of and to list on Etsy! Some of it took care of yesterday. I took about half of the pictures I need to take and listed about half of the things I took pictures of. :) People seem to like my snails I have a new one that I will list today.

It has been a long while since I have made beads so I made up a bunch and will list them today. Wool beads are very cool, you don't need to make holes in them when you make them so the buyer can add the hole where they want it. A regular sewing needle will go threw a wool bead with no problem.

The newest addition to my shop is larger birds nests. They are much larger then a real bird nest but you would not confuse them with a eagle nest. :) They are 100% wool and I thought they would be a great natural toy or just look pretty sitting on the shelf.

Speaking of natural toys I made a wool ball. I think the ball is a lot like the nests, it can be palyed with or it is pretty enough to sit on a shelf.

Well that is some of what I have been working on. I have a flock of sheep that all got their eyes last night along with a little teddy bear. They all need to have pictures taken. I am still a busy girl. :)
I am also moving my work space....... bla! My sewing machine and all of my crafting tools are in my craft desk in my bedroom. My husband changed shifts a while back and is now sleeping in the day time. Let me tell you he has cramped my style. :) So I have slowly been moving more and more of my stuff to the dining room. It is time to make the move permenent and get it organized. So I will keep busy and that is suposed to be a good thing!

I want to thank everyone for the ideas that you left for me on my giveaway! I have been working on some of them, keep a look out maybe you will see yours!

Giveaway Time

2009-04-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well I was sick last week and have not got much done. I decided to move my giveaway up so I can get it done and get busy on all of the things I have going on. I have so much to take pictures of and to list. I have a lot of projects that are half done and I want to needle felt a dragon so that may take me some time.
Anyway, Lets draw a winner and get this show on the road! Remember if you win I am willing to do custom work as well depending on what you want we can try to keep it within the 20.00.
And the winner is .................................................................................

Congrats! Jinx convo me over in my shop and let me know what you are interested in. :)

Broken washing machine and the blaa's

2009-04-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

So my washing machine took a crap this weekend. We called a repair man, he is this super nice man in his 80's. You would never guess his age if I had to guess I would of said mid sixties but never mid eighties. We always call him since he can fix anything and he is independent. But the problem with calling a one may show is the one man is often busy. Well that was the case with my washer he may be able to squeeze us in tomorrow but tomorrow was not fast enough so I had to go to the laundry mat. The laundry mat is where the bla comes in. BLA! I hate carting my dirty clothes off to wash in a machine that has had other peoples dirty clothes in it. I am not a snob but some people are nasty and you have no idea what has been in those machines. Plus it feels like a scam. It cost us 4.75 to wash one large load and .75 to dry. So while sitting and waiting my husband and I decided that maybe owning a laundry mat is something to aim for. lol

On the crafty side of my life things are going real well I have a bunch of new stuff to take pictures of and list. I will have some pictures up tomorrow. I made a couple of needle felted lambs and a snail. I have a bunch of beads made and I crocheted a couple of hats for Blythe.

A bee has somehow gotten into my house and is buzzing around me so I will end this now and get that thing out of my house!

Remember my giveaway!
The 20.00 prize can be spent on anything in my shop or on custom work!
ENTER HERE!

WOW

2009-04-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend everyone!! Here is a video with some facts that will blow your mind!

REMEMBER MY GIVEAWAY!!
ENTER HERE

10 Little things that make me Happy

2009-04-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

So my friend Patrice from The Soap Seduction posted this list the other day. After I read it I was happy. It seems a lot of the things that make her happy make me happy to.
So here is a list in no real order of 10 small things that make me happy.

1.
A Regency Romance. This could be embarrassing but I refuse to allow it. It all started with Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice and has moved on to Stephanie Laurens and other modern writers.

2.
When my dogs sleep in cute positions. I love when they sleep on their backs or cuddled up next to each other. It always makes me smile.

3.
Handmade soap. Every time I get a new bar I grin all day. I also smell it all day. Try handmade people it is the best!

4.
wool. I love getting new wool I love the way it all feels from the softest to the most coarse.

5.
My Swiffer Wet Jet. That juice you use with it smells so good and that thing is handy!

6.
Hugs. I am not a big hugger except within my family and a hug from a loved one makes me super happy.

7.
Coffee with yummy creamer. My son says that its not real coffee. Corey is 17 and has been drinking coffee longer then I have, he drinks it black. I like lots of yoummy creamer.

8.
A sale on Etsy. I love selling things on Etsy it is not so much the money it is the fact that someone thought you worthy of buying from. It is a huge compliment.

9.

Just shaved legs. I love having fresh shaved legs, the problem is shaving my legs would go on a list of things that make me unhappy.

10.
The T.V. show lost. Great twists and turns and good looking men who take off their shirts. More please.

Remember to enter my giveaway!!!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

2009-04-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

I love giveaways so I decided why not have one myself! I could not decide what to giveaway so how about $20.00 to spend in my shop.
All you need to do is check out my shop tell me what you like. I would love it if you could give me your ideas on things I should make.
So here it is:
1 entry for telling me what you like
1 entry for blogging about my giveaway
1 entry if you buy something and leave a comment here
Good Luck!!
The giveaway is open until April 12th and the winner will be announced April 13th!

Guess who is home....

2009-03-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Kai is here!! I was so happy when the mail came and Kai was home. She is so cute!
I have been crocheting like mad I made the hat and scarf she is wearing in the pictures. She is going to need some new clothes but I cant afford to buy to much right now since she took a chunk out of my fun money. :) Any one reading this that makes Blythe Clothes if you want to trade for a needle felted pet or hair clips let me know!
Her name is Kai it rhymes with lie. She has cute freckles and her hair is so pretty. I wanted to take more pictures but it is a little windy and made her hair static. So I will take more pictures soon.
I will be working on my line of Blythe stuff now that I have a model!
Hope everyone has a great day!

I made the front page wow!

2009-03-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made the front page on Etsy. It was not the first time, it is always very cool. This time I happened to see it right when it happened. So I so to watch my views and hearts go up. Boy did they go up! It was so much fun to see. It was my Russian dolls that made it. They got 30 new hearts and my shop got 29. I also got a lot of random hearts in my shop. I even sold two Easter eggs while I was on the front page. I am not sure if that buyer came from the front page or not.

Well I would love to stay and Blog but my son forgot to let the dogs out this morning and someone made a wet spot so I need to go shampoo my carpet. :( I am so thankful for my steam cleaner it makes things so easy when you have kids and dogs.
Hope everyone has a great week!!

Open Letters

2009-03-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok today I got up and was kinda snotty. All kinds of thing where bugging me. So to get them off my chest I am going to write a few open letters.

Dear Ass Hat that hit the Chihuahua yesterday on Perris Blvd.,
I was traveling toward you you where traveling toward me. I saw the Chihuahua in the street from way back, I was so aware of it in fact that I was stopped when you hit it. You never slowed down for the dog even thought you had to of seen it as I did. When it was bouncing around under your car did you even think you should pull over to check on it? I wish I saw your face but see I was so freaked out I closed my eyes.
Just so you know, we tried to check on the dog but it ran onto private property that was fenced and could not get to it.
Shame on you!

Dear stupid irresponsible Chihuahua owner,
Hey self absorbed jerk, your dog got hit by a car! It probably had something to do with the fact that you let it roam the streets. I drive down that street at least 4 times a day and I see it out there all the time. I have even tried to find you but who knows where you are. Are those your kids that I see in the street from time to time?
Do something for me, please remember that those kids don't bounce around under cars like your dog did, they probably wont get up and run off like your dog did. So pay attention!!!

Dear Nasty mean chick who was my sons boss,
I am sorry that your boss hired my son without talking to you about it. But telling him in a room full of people that you would not of hired him makes you look bitter and mean.
Did you know dropping paper on the floor and telling him to pick up the trash proves what a nasty person you are? I will not point out all of your harassment I will just say, you suck! When a kid get their first job and they are excited and ready to work only a sick power hungry bitch would go out of her way to make them miserable.

Wow I do feel a little better.
:)

Introducing The Butt Bunny

2009-03-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well my bunny is done and listed on Etsy! It was a lot of fun working on it and took me more time then most things I make. It is the color of a perfect cup of coffee, well it is a perfect cup of coffee if you are me, if you are like my son and drink it straight from the pot with no goodness added then maybe the color is off a little for you. :)

So my Bunny is called a Butt Bunny, because I did not give it a tail I gave it a butt. I think butts are cuter then tails, what do you think?I also made some more Easter eggs! They are so much fun. I decided last night that I am going to make a seasonal section in my shop and just keep holiday and seasonal items in it year round.

I have not mentioned that my son got his first job a couple of weeks ago and he wants to give notice already. He has no problem with the work but his boss is a bit of a B!@ch. As a mom I want to go up and make her sorry but I know better. I try to explain that he may never find a job where everyone is easy to work with. We gave him our blessing to give notice since he is scared of letting us down. But so far he is sticking it out.
Well I have about 10 more Easter eggs to list so I better go get busy before Easter is over.
Have a great day!

How can it be Tuesday??

2009-03-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

That is what I was asking myself this morning. I haven't blogged since Thursday so you would think that maybe I had something to say. Well not so much.
I have been super busy but aren't we all. I made some more Easter eggs. I did some real basic ones that I can list for a low price.

I made Easter Eggs in Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, and some color blends.

I also made a miniature set of Matryoshka dolls. They are super cute and small!I am working on a bunny it is not an Easter bunny so much. I call it a butt bunny. It is a bunny with a butt not a tail. Its is cute and I hope to finish it tonight. So no pictures yet but maybe tomorrow.
So I still have all of my weekend and Monday Email to read so I better go get busy before everyone thinks I am a ignoring them. Have a great one!

New Easter Eggs

2009-03-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well I was at it again last night. When I make something new it can become an obsession. I just keep making them until I no longer like them. When I was a kid I remember that my Grandpa did not like Malt Balls. I thought he was crazy but he told me he ate to many once and they made him sick so he no longer cared for them. Well sometimes that is how needle felting is for me. I used to make flower ponytail holders but now I hate them. To bad it has never worked with malt balls or cheese. :(
So I have two mare eggs to add to Etsy today plus a critter that has been sitting around waiting for a face. I never did come up with a face but it grew on me without the face so I am listing it too.

It may not have a face but it has a super cute behind. :)

I have two eggs to list one is in a pretty light green Alpaca that I added yellow swirls to. This one took me hours. I planned on making each egg in under an hour so I could keep the price reasonable but the swirl egg took hours .
The last egg has my favorite wool. I have no idea what the wool is but I think it is some kind of blend. The egg is a pretty gray blue sky with a tree.I have two more eggs that I am working on and I am still a little obsessed I am thinking I may need to make some without a spring or Easter theme that way I wont have 2 dozen Easter eggs after Easter.

Why I buy handmade

2009-03-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

When I first fount Etsy it was like a wonderful new world opened up to me. I have always loved handmade items. A whole marketplace full of handmade was wonderful.
I have always loved handmade afghans and quilts but as I started looking at Etsy I began to understand that I could get almost anything I want handmade! What a wonderful thing right?
The economy is in the toilet, the people who put it there are getting millions of dollars is bonuses for putting it there. My own bank was sold so now suddenly my handpicked small/medium sized bank is gone and I bank with Chase.
Keeping all this in mind I decided when I shop I am no longer using my dollars to help corrupt corporate America, I am sending my money to someone like me. I want to support the SAHM, the struggeling artist, the student that needs to buy books.
I may not be able to afford to buy the hand stitched quilt or the original painting but I can aford a coffee cozy or a new pillow for my sofa.
I just read this artical on Try Handmade it is called How You Spend Matters: The Case For Buying Handmade it makes some great points. You should give it a read.

Needle Felted Easter Egg!

2009-03-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I told you about the custom bowl I made. The customer wanted it to display needle felted Easter eggs in. Well since I made the bowl I have made two eggs. The first egg went with the bowl to its new home. I do that a lot with new designs it gives me an idea of what people think before I list them to sell.
So this egg is the second one I started it with a core wool and then added a blend of Orange, Pink, Melon, and yellow. I also added a purple accent. I am thinking of making a couple more and sticking them in my shop. I know I will add this on to Etsy as soon as I am done here.

Needle Felted wool Bowl! Oh My!

2009-03-16T13:00:00.001-07:00

I had a custom order for a bowl larger then the ones I usually make. The buyer has a bunch of needle felted Easter eggs she wants to display in it.
I used a pretty spring color blend and I am happy with it.

The Madness of Three Dogs

2009-03-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have been busy x 2 for the last few days. Just thinking about blogging is enough to give me hives. We now have 3 large dogs at our house. That is 3 large dogs making on average 3 large piles each per day. I get it all cleaned up and the next time I am outside there is at least three new mounds.The dogs also like to rough house. The way they play would scare the crap out of anyone who did not know them. They look like mad dogs, like dogs gone wild, like dogs the police would shoot. The good thing about this is they are great security. Look at Scout! the brown one she looks like a killer! Would you believe she sleeps under the covers and listens to a 5 year old order her around.

look at the wet paw prints and the dirt in the flower beds. Do I need to explain what happens next? Well just in case I do, They all go charging into my house on my floors!
I wanted to get a picture of all three of them together but getting them all to sit together is not an easy task. They all listen and sit on command but getting them to all do that next to each other is not something they understand.
Bailey just ended up confused, you can tell by the look on her face.
And Buster and Scout are looking for their cookie. They know when they sit like that in the kitchen there is usually a treat involved.
And lets all act like my floors look great. I just cleaned then 3 days ago. I have vacuumed them two of the last 3 days. I cant imagine keeping these three outside but it is tempting when I al cleaning up after them.
Three big young dogs in one house is madness I tell you! Then add seven people to the mix and it is close to chaos.

One last thing, Please check out my new Treasury on Etsy. I love this one. :)

Good Times!

2009-03-09T14:27:00.001-07:00

So after I blogged today I have slowly but surely been getting time to check in on the things I check in on daily. LOL You probably know what I am talking about. The things you do on-line every day, Check email, check blogs, If you sell things you check your selling venue. One of the things I check is CraftCult. Craft Cult tells you about any new love you have on Etsy. Well I had a bunch of new love. So I checked the items in my shop and my Matryoshka Russian Dolls had 11 new hearts. So I went quick to see where the love was coming from. I made the front page this morning!

Music Monday I feel Lucky

2009-03-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

I almost put Manic Monday on today but it seemed to easy. So today I chose a song that gets me going when things are crazy, like they are today.
I have a lot to do. I have a house full of people and no time to think. So It is time for me to feel lucky.

Have a great Monday!

Critter With A Cause!!

2009-03-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Helen is a fellow Etsy seller you might know her as Juicybags. Helen's blog is called Triage From Home. Well Helen is raising money for Breast Cancer research. I donated a Critter to Helen to auction off on her blog. Please take the time to check it out maybe place a bid. If you are not interested in the Critter she has a lot of other neat things you can bid on.

Most of us know someone who has had breast cancer and know what a good cause this is.
Critter with a Cause has a pink ribbon on the tushy!!

Please put the word out about the auctions and help Helen reach her goal!!

Have a great Weekend!

Blythe

2009-03-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

A while back I blogged about making things for Blythe. I am fighting a great temptation as far as Blythe is concerned. She is so cute and man people do her up. I want her bad but for now I will be content to make things for her.
I made a few things for JemJoop and she was kind enough to take pictures for me.

Bird nest hair clip.

Bird Nest bobby pin

Bird nest hair clip and Lilly the lamb

Bird nest ponytail holder.

Nanner Nanner Nanner I won

2009-03-03T09:21:00.001-08:00

I don't do much blogging on the weekend but I do read the blogs I follow. So, Sunday night I sat down to read a few.
I use iGoogle as my hope page. They have the Google Reader, the Google Reader lists all of the posts for the blogs I follow. I can click on the post and read it right there on iGoogle. If I want to comment on it I click "show original post" and it opens a new tab with that blog on it. This saves a lot of navigation time. After I read the post it changes shades so I know it has been read if I reload iGoogle it removes the post from my list. It is a great way to keep up with everyone.
A few weeks back Jinx1764 posted about a giveaway on her blog Feathered Friends Mementos The Giveaway was another blog she follows called The Soap Seduction. Well anyone who has read my blog knows I have a crush on all soap makers and a serious addiction to soap. So no surprise I went and entered it.
So, back to Sunday night. :) I was reading blogs when I opened The Soap Seduction I was shocked and thrilled to see my name as the winner of the giveaway. But lets be honest here. I had to go back to see if any other Laura had entered the giveaway because lets face it I never win anything. lol But I was the only Laura!! I was super excited because even thought I had been keeping up with her blog I had forgotten about the giveaway. I had even come super close to buying a bar of soap from her the night before. The only thing that stopped me was the 3 bars that I have going in the shower and the 6 bars in my bathroom drawer. Check out her shop on etsy The Soap Seduction she also has a shop on Artfire. She is super nice and cute to boot.
What I won ....... I won a lot! I am getting 3 bars of soap one lotion bar one lip balm and one solid perfume. How luck am I??

Music Monday Give Me One Reason

2009-03-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

Every morning I read blogs. This morning I was reading Arts Afire and Sara posted a video. Sara took the idea from Smilemonsters. The idea as Sara explains it is to post a song, video, lyrics to a song, whatever you want and tell us why that song means something to you! Well I picked Tracy Chapman and Eric Clapton Singing Tracy's song Give Me One Reason.

I have been working on a lot of projects. I think I have five or six things that are half done. I wanted to spend the weekend working but I had company that just showed up. Nice right. My hunny was not home so I had to sit with these people for hours. So now I have all of those hours alone that are lost forever and a ton of work to do. :)

One last thing Janet from Jan's Gems is a long time friend and family. She sent my husband one of the funniest jokes I have herd in a long time.

I think you are one of my kids fathers

A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an
attractive woman waving at him. She says hello.

He's rather taken aback because he can't place
where he knows her from. So he says, "Do you know me?"

To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids."

Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever
been unfaithful to his wife and says, "Are you the stripper from the
bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table with all my buddies
watching while your partner whipped my butt with wet celery???"

She looks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, I'm your son's teacher."

etsystalker.com

2009-02-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

Have you ever herd of Etsystalker? Well I had not. I was checking out the hearts in my shop and that is how I found them.
Taken from their about me page:

About the Stalkers

Welcome to our online museum of Etsy arts and crafts. My name is Beatrice, and I am the head curator here. There are two kinds of people necessary in the arts. First, there are the artists, those who create lasting works that make us take in that deep inhale of breath. Next, there are those of us who appreciate the arts, who want to promote and help professional artists in their life’s passions; both Curator Violet and I fall distinctly into this second category! “Confessions of an Etsy Stalker” was created as a place to highlight some worthy Etsy sellers through interviews and profiles, and share with other lovers of handmade goods some of our curators’ favorite Etsy finds. Please contact me if you are an Etsy seller and would like your work to be considered for this online crafter’s museum!

They featured my Russian dolls along with a lot of other Russian dolls from etsy.

Check them out

ETSYSTALKER.COM

Nice People / What have I bought for me ......

2009-02-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I blogged about needing to drop some pounds, about some life changes I need to make to get that done. So many people responded with encouragement. Thank you all. :)

So today is about something I bought for me. :) Since I needle felt I buy a lot of wool. One of the people I buy wool from is Wind Rose Fiber Studio She is always willing to make up a custom order for you. She is super nice and will go out of her way to help you. Since I know not everyone wants wool like I do I thought I would show you another one of her shops. Wind Rose Art Yarn. She spins some of the prettiest yarn.

For those of you who don't use wool or yarn she has a third shop!!! Wind Rose Boutique in the boutique she sells all of the things you could make if you used wool or yarn. Please check out one or all of her shops. If you buy from her you wont be disappointed.

I need to get back to work I have a lot of felting to do!!

Who has time

2009-02-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

I was just sitting here wondering why I am overweight. Seriously who has time to eat?? I think I might be a sleep eater or something.
You know how some people keep a food diary? Well I was thinking of keeping a photo journal of the food I eat. Maybe I will start another blog devoted to pictures of what I eat.
But back to that who has time thing. I have not had a thing to eat today it is almost 11:00 a.m. this is common for me, I go all day then around 4:00 p.m. I get to feeling bad (due to the coffee and diet cokes I make time for) So I start to snack, you know toast with butter and or peanut butter, cheese-its, a big hunk of Tillamook sharp cheddar....yummm!

Well a few of my fellow bloggers and etsy friends are also blogging about weight loss and giving tips or outlining their plans on their blogs so here is mine.
1. I am going to stop being a late afternoon evening eater.
2. I am going to figure out a way to enjoy oatmeal without half a cube of butter and a quarter cup of brown sugar.
3. I am going to eat that boring oatmeal for breakfast every morning.
4. I am going to go for a walk every day.
5. I am going to stop staying up all night even if it is the only alone time I can get.
7. Since I love salads I am going to eat one most days for lunch.

OK that is it!! I think that is a lot of adjustments and I will not try to do more. oh! except I will ask my dog to keep an eye on me at night and wake me up if he finds me face first in the ice cream.

Before there was Project Runway there was Parsons

2009-02-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Quick question: if you can not comment on my blog for some reason please contact me via etsy and let me know. I think Blogger is having some issues.
:)
Back to my blog:

Long before actually. Parsons School of Design has been around since 1896. I am not going to launch in to the history of Parsons but I am going to brag. :) Yesterday I blogged that I stayed home and Needle Felted all day, well I did but I was able to get out of the house for about an hour. The local VFW was having a rummage sale and I wanted to go check it out. I gave my husband all of my cash that morning so he could tip the car wash guy so when I found stuff I wanted I had to call him and have him bring me some money:)
Since I had time while I was waiting for him I sat down next to a box full of playbills and craft stuff. Most of it was junk in my eyes the playbills where from bad plays at small theaters and even the cover art was not that great. But in this box I found a book of iron on transfers. The book is from 1978 it was the "year book" It seems that Parsons did a different book each year including a coloring cookbook and a Peoples directory desk diary. The book as 46 designs and has not been used. I have no idea it the iron-on's still work but who cares they are fun to look at. I took pictures of the front back and inside covers for you to see. For some reason Blogger turned two of the pictures on their sides. Sorry about that.
I have a few favorites I love the bottom right picture on the cover it was designed by Allison Vliet. I have some more favorites but trying to point them out here will take more time then I have. :)
So I am not sure what I am going to do with this book yet I may end up sticking it on Etsy but for now I will just enjoy it. :)

Busy Weekend Felting away

2009-02-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend I needle felted. I spent all of Saturday needling away and half of Sunday. Sunday we went to see family and that was fun and a good break.
I got so much done!! I have six new listings on Etsy and more to list! So anyway my etsy,blog,twitter friend Jen from Jemjoop was kind enough to send me a link to a needle felted teddy bear for Blythe. For those of you who don't know Blythe Google her. Or check her out here or here or here. So you get the idea Blythe is HOT and her stuff is hot. Well I know why it is so hot it is because a big eyed doll turns most of us back into 13 year olds. Making things for Blythe may become a little bit of an obsession if I am not carefull. I have to be carefull becasue I cant afford the doll or her stuff. So I made a few things for blythe. You can see them here.
I also made another plush her name is Lolly. Lolly has heart shapped bumpy dots. Lolly and Norman are both listed on Etsy. I also listed my set of four Russian dolls. They thankfully have faces now. I still have a lot to do. I have not read any blogs since Friday and that makes me feel bad. I like to know what everyone has been up to. So if I follow your blog I will be there soon I promise. :) For now I need to get a few more things done I need to upload some more pictures on Flickr take some more pictures and do some real life house work.

Introducing Norman

2009-02-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

Like I said yesterday I have been working on a few new projects. One of them is Norman.
My needle felting is moving away from ponytail holders and pins. I am wanting to make funny little critters. Norman is not my first critter as you can see at the top left of my blog. But Norman is the first since I decided to devote more of my time and effort's in that direction.

He still needs some needling but I should have him listed on Etsy Monday.
I ordered some core wool yesterday. I have been using wool I don't like or projects that I gave up on as core's but if I am going to make a lot of these guys I need to have a wool just for the core so I don't waste all of my pretty wool on the inside.
Let me know what you think of Norman.
In case I don't get back around have a great weekend!!

What have I Bought For Me Lately

2009-02-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

O it is another one of those days. I am working on 3 projects and blogging is not one of them. So time to share something I have bought. I got a six pack of soap from Magic Hands.

Her shea butter soaps are wonderful but I have to tell you, if you have never used a salt bar you need to try one. OMG enough said.
Some of my favorite of her soaps in no order are:
1. Maui Sunrise Salt Bar
2. Valencia Shea Butter
3. Arrogant Bastard Beer ( not listed)
4. Avocado (not listed)
I was just looking and I see a few of my favorites are not listed right now but I see some new ones that I want to try.
These are all big creamy bars and I love them. Check them out I am sure you will love them too.

I want a Garden Zombie!!!

2009-02-17T22:38:00.000-08:00

Can you see it? The bratty neighborhood kid kicked his ball in your yard, the super nice but still annoying Mormon kid whats to save you, that neighbor who never has their own sugar, oil, milk, egg ...... one of these people shows up at your door. They look over to your carefully tended flower bed to find this:

What a way to keep away the rif raf!!! Who wants a Garden Zombie????? I do!!

AWARD TIME

2009-02-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

My Blog buddy, Twitter friend and Fellow Etsy seller Glass Identities has nominated me for a Lemonade Award. Check out her shop: Glass Identities

Thanks

here are the rules

1.Put the logo on your blog or post
2.Nominate at least 5 - 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.
3.Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4.Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5.Nominate your favorites and link to your post.

This wonderful honor is now given to the following bloggers (all who sell on Etsy):

Jan's Gems her shop
Kelle's Kitchen her shop
Feathered Friends Momentos her shop
Jemjoop her shop
and
The Felted Chicken her shop

Thank you everyone :)

Coat Racks

2009-02-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

I got tagged. So this is just a warning I am coming after you, well I think it is seven of you. I will be tagging you and writing about it in the next day or two so be ready.

FATTY NEEDS TO WORK OUT

On to my fat. First lets all act like my garage is clean with painted floors and beautiful cabinetry.

We Are the proud owners of about 2500.00 worth of dust collecting coat racks A.K.A. Workout equipment. Above you will see a Bow Flex bench with those spiffy dial up weights they go from 5 lbs to 52 lbs each. Next we have a Bow flex machine seen below. That thing is all tricked out you can row do sit ups bla bla bla .... whatever

And the there is my favorite the elliptical machine. OK I am fibbing I hate that thing I would rather eat sprouts and egg whites for the rest of my life the get on that thing. It is truly the hardest thing I have ever done.

So the question here is why do I need to loose 50 lbs? Well lets face it I am lazy. I would rather buy bigger cloths and sit around needle felting, spinning yarn, crocheting ,knitting, making jewelry out of dog poo whatever I want to do almost anything more then go out in the garage and work out. That said I am now putting it out there to the public that I am going to work out. I am going to get rid of the 50 lbs and I am asking all of you to please call me on it. If I have not up dated my weight please feel free to call me fatty and ask me about the chocolate I am probably eating. Thanks :)

I Got Crafty

2009-02-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Since I was Craft Antsy I went to Google to help me find something new to do. I LOVE Google. At least three or four times a day I tell someone "Google it" But any way ........ I knew I wanted to do something I am proficient at not something new that I have to think to much doing. So I decided to pull out some yarn and crochet. I Googled up some Amigurumi. Amigurumi is a Japanese style of crochet. It is almost all done in one type of stitch (single crochet) it is worked around with no joining the worst part about it is the counting. I do a lot of counting because I have never got in the habit of using stitch markers. I Love amigurumi It is way too cute. You can make anything with this style of crochet. In the past I made a bunny and an octopus so I am still a beginner with amigurumi but not with crochet. Above you can see what I made. I made two acorns but one has a new home already. My son took the doughnut but since his room is next door to mine I was able to get it for the picture.

I loved making the cupcake. In part because I bought about 100 new skein's of embroidery floss this weekend so I got to add sprinkles to the cupcake and had a lot of colors to pick from.
I plan on making up a bunch of new crochet items to add to my shop over the next week or so. I want to make a cute little bird and needle felt a nest. I also want to make larger amigurumi items.

Getting Craft Antsy

2009-02-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

What in the world? Craft antsy is what I get when I need a new outlet. I have been needle felting with a little crochet thrown in for months. I crocheted five scarfs for Christmas all in the two weeks before Christmas plus a lot of washcloths.
Well I am getting craft antsy. I am thinking of running out and getting an embroidery hoop and a lot of floss it has been years since I have done any stitching and I came across Sublime Stitching check it out. There are some great patterns I will be buying some. It made me want to play with something new.
I also need to work on my drop spindle skills but I just have to say ....... the drop spindle seems like a lot of work for small amounts of yarn. But I know I will never get a spinning wheel if I don't master the drop spindle so there you have it.
Knitting. ....... Well I need to work on that ........ I want to make socks lots and lots of warm cozy socks my dream would be to get super good at spinning so I can spin skinny merino yarn and make socks. But right now I don't even know how to increase or decrease my stitch's but I do know how to drop them. :(
If you have any on the above mentioned skills please feel free to leave me educational links or warnings in the comment section.

What have you bought on etsy

2009-02-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have ever written about anything I have bought on Etsy. Well that is a shame since I have some really great things. So today I am starting something. When I am not feeling up to writing and my brain is dead I am going to do something super easy, I am going to brag about one of my fun purcheses. For today I will start with the last things that came in the mail.

I bought a little fabric ID card holder and a mini wallet.

The shop I bought them from is called Fabric and stuff. Her prices are great and so is her selection. Here is one item from her shop:
Please go check it out you will not be disapointed.

On another topic. I still have no faces on my Russian dolls as it seems my embroidery thread has gone MIA so I need to run up to the store to get some more.

Almost Done

2009-02-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

My Russian stacking dolls are coming along. They need a little more needling and some faces. The tallest one is about 5 1/2 inch's the smallest is about 3 1/2 inch's. They have a core of wool I was not going to use and are finished in Merino. If you have never needle felted you may not know that Merino wool is one of the nicest wools to touch and the worst to work with a needle. It takes a lot of work to get Merino to felt but it is worth it for some things. Here is a picture I snapped this morning.

The picture came out pretty good considering the only dry place outside to take it was a wooden spool in a bad light location. I think I will list them on Etsy this week sometime. I need to get busy on some new things for 1000Markets. I have plan's to add some kids things to 1000Markets but I am still a little scared of CPSIA.
So onto something that has made me so mad that posting about it without cursing is difficult. Salma Hayek was in Sierra Leone with Nightline. While there she met a baby born on the same day as her own. this baby's mother could not feed it. Salma breast fed the baby. Wet nurses have been around since forever. Why are people acting like this is a crime or a freak of nature??? I just have to say Good for you Salma not only are you beautiful on the outside but you are obviously beautiful on the inside to.

But I blogged yesterday....

2009-02-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

That was my thought this morning when I clicked my Blogger link. But here I am because I am a trooper I will blog because there is no reason not to. I have been working on some Russian dolls for the past few days.
The set I am working on now will have four dolls and be in pinks and lavender I love making these dolls. I have not decided where I am going to list them yet. I have been thinking of trying Ebay but I like Etsy so much more. I am also selling on 1000Markets now but all I have listed there is bowls. I have not taken any pictures of the new ones but I will. I need to build a light box. It is raining in California so pretty sun lit pictures are out of the question.

Take Care and have a great day!

Bad Weekend Blogger

2009-02-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

Keeping a blog has turned in to a strange thing. I notice things during my day and think oh wow I can blog about that. Like my last post about Salvation army. Or during our yard sale when I ran into the house for my camera because a winter yard sale is blog worthy ....... yes it is!
I have kind of decided I will not blog on weekends but I am still not putting that decision in stone. Until I decide I will blog or not blog at my own Whim. For today you get a joke I got in my email. Most of the time I don't even read them but I read this one and it made me laugh.

I had lunch with 2 of my unmarried friends. One is engaged, one is a mistress, and of course I have been married for 20+ years. We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by wearing a black leather bra, stiletto heels and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes.

Here's how it all went:

My engaged friend: The other night my boyfriend came over and found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, “You are the woman of my dreams. I love you.” Then we made love all night long.

The mistress : Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing the leather bodice, heels and mask over my eyes and a raincoat. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but we had wild sex all night.

Then I had to share my story: When my husband came home I was wearing the leather bodice, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. As soon as he came in the door and saw me he said, "What's for dinner, Batman?"

Shopping at the Salvation Army

2009-02-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

So I am running late today but I have a good excuse. I was shopping at the Salvation Army. We have a huge store here. It is a distribution center and has a rehab home. We call it Sally for short. I go check things out there a lot mostly for books. Today they had a huge sale everything in the store was 50% off. Well needless to say it was crowded. So I spent way more time in line then I did shopping. I am not going to talk about the cashiers except to say they probably never worked a register before. I got a lot of books and 2 sweaters. While I was standing in line I spotted the state of the art security camera and pulled out my cell phone to snap a picture. I wanted to share it with someone so my blog seemed like as good of place as any.

For those of you who are under 40 that is a camcorder old school baby. You stick a VHS tape in that sucker and are set. Next please notice the two straps holding it in place oh wait did I say straps those are belts.

I am tagging this post with handmade because well that is a clever little handmade security system.

Have a great day!

Scale Doll House Miniatures

2009-02-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

I left my math brain back in high school. I know I cant be the only on to have done this. It is embarrassing when I need to do a simple math problem to get to the answer it takes time to get back into that corner of my brain where all things high school are stuffed in a dusty box.
Because of this math thing I wonder if making anything to scale is right for me. Wont I have to spend time working out the size?? If you have ever worked with wool you know size is never guaranteed as it is. Then outside of the math thing there is the fact that needle felting turns dangerous the smaller the item you are making. Needle felting needles are super sharp and if you are not paying close attention the whole time you can stick your self. I know this because I do it all of the time. I like to needle felt at night while I watch TV not the smartest way to do things.
So anyway JemJoop makes scale doll house things they are great look at this bowl of chips. Jen at JemJoop bought a bowl from me so I decided to make her a little birds nest to try my hand at tiny things. Well that nest got me thinking and I made a couple more that are smaller then the one I sent her.
My next efforts came out a little better even if I did just stop in the middle of this post to go in to Photoshop and lighten the pictures. I started this post 45 minutes ago. Anyway back to the subject.
These nests are so small! I hade to search my needles to find one small enough to sew the beads in.

The two nests fit on a dime together, now that is small right. I am happy to report that no blood was drawn during the making of these nests. :) I am still contemplating making tiny little doll house items but I did have fum working no the nests.

Who wants a Hedgehog??

2009-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

I do!!! Ok well I did for years. I think they are illegal in California or some other nonsense. Well I have two dogs and a teenage boy so I will hold off on another critter that may smell bad. But laws and smells cant stop me when it comes to cute little hedgehog thing that I can buy. I searched Hedgehog on etsy. 1312 results!!

This CUTE Birthday card was made by Adore by Nat. I love the whimsy do you think when I do some day get a hedgehog I can teach it to play the violin?? Because that would be so cool.

Felted wool hedgehogs OH MY!! Beneath The Rowan Tree is one of my felting hero's. Her shop is wonderful.

This Hedgehog friend print is super cute. you can find it
In The Black Apple shop on Etsy. She has wonderful prints and
if you are lucky you may find one of her dolls.

I am short on time right now

2009-02-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

But I need to blog so here is one of my latest creations.

Needle Felted bowl

And here is Buster the wonder dog.

I love this dog so much. :)

Busy Weekend in Southern California

2009-02-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

As most of America is snowed in those of us who live in warmer places get to do things like have a yard sale. That is what was going on at my house on Saturday. We had a one day yard sale. So at six a.m. the garage door was opened and we started dragging the crap opps I meant to say we started to carefully place the priceless antiques and vintage finds out on the driveway and into the yard.

Friends, family, and strangers started showing up and the quarter exchanges began. Did you know people will actually steal from yard sales???? I lost a few little girl dress's and I found one lady with a purse she wanted to buy that had stuff hiding in it. I wanted to tell he to leave instead I charged her more then I would of charged a nice person.

Morgan was up and outside to help by 8:00 I am not sure if she was helping so much or just looking cute for the first hour. But by the end of the day she was just like her dad. Yelling at passing cars that they forgot their stuff and to come back. Waving like the Rose parade princess.

Corey dragged himself out about a hour later but my camera did not catch him. He helped by pointing out our security cameras over and over when he thought to many people where around and they might start to steal stuff.

We got rid of a lot of stuff and then like the super smart people we are we loaded the left overs up into the truck and brought them to a neighbor so they could have a yard sale with out leftovers.

There was no yard sale on Sunday because of the Superbowl. Wow that is a story better left untold except this question: Have you ever been the only sober person in a large group of drunks?

HAPPY DAY!!! re: CPSIA

2009-01-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS

The CPSIA Mandatory Testing & Certification Has Been Suspended for a Year

A little about me...

2009-01-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

So I love reading peoples blogs. If you follow me or leave a comment on my blog I will probably follow you back because I am nosy. As a teen I loved to sit in the mall and watch people. I have this need to try to figure out people .... what makes them tick. So that said heres the thing not all of us give away that much information about who we are in our blogs and I have noticed that I don't.

So here is a list of facts about me:
1. My name is Laura
2. I am ..... 41 I hate typing that number because I swear I feel no more grown up then when I was in high school I feel way younger.
3. I am married
4. I have one son and two step daughters Corey 17, Morgan 17, Kodi 16 they rock
5. I live in California
6. I love Mexican food
7. My dream is to live on a farm with furry animals
8. I read ....... a lot and I love trashy books
9. I love all things vampire
10. We have 2 dogs and they live in the house and sleep on the couch ........ so there
11. I am left handed
12. I do not have a "job"
13. I am a handmade soapaholic
14. I had a huge hole in my heart and had to have open heart surgery a few years ago
15. I drink way to much diet coke
16. I do not drink much alcohol but I do like a rum and diet coke on occasion
17. I do not smoke marijuana I did a couple of times I was younger but I also could eat a whole cake afterward so getting high was a very bad idea.
18. I love long hot baths but I don't have a tub :(
19. My desk looks like hell most of the time.
20. I forgot that I was going to blog about the CPSIA today and just now remembered ...... poop
21. I forget 90% of what I want to remember.
22. I am incredibly loyal to my good friends and family
23. I can walk on my toes you know curl them up and walk on the knuckles.
24. I hate summer
25. I want to go to Disneyland

Ok your turn you should tell people a little more about you!

People who need to be slapped and then some

2009-01-29T11:23:00.000-08:00

So today I was thinking about the esteemed Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. What a guy, right? I don't even need to tell you why this guy should no, needs to get slapped. Here is today's reason. Well Blago got me thinking of all the wonderfully self centered egotistical people who hold office or very high positions in America. People with real power and apperantly very rarley have to answer for anything they do. I think it needs to be pointed out here that if some of these guys moms would of gave them a smack when they where bratty 8 year olds instead of told them how wonderfull they where our country might be in a better position.
So I want to point out a few names of these winners and why they deserve to stand in line for a slap.
1. &2. go together like ..... well like sludge and slug
John Thain and Ken Lewis I will just point out that Ken Lewis could buy 5 or 6 homes on my street for what he paid to redecorate his office ............ enough said. John Thain of Merrill Lynch asked for a bonus last year .... well he changed his tune but went on to loose 15 BILLION in the forth quarter and give out bonuses to other employees.
3. Bernard Ebbers What a guy!
4. Bernard Madoff any one notice a trend starting???? Mothers don't name your small babies Bernie!!! I am getting sick just making the list so I am going to stop.

They all need a slap and I would love to point out something. When a man walks into a convience store with a gun intending to rob the place at least he is being honest about his intentions. These men are worse then that man these are men hiding behind titles and power who are not holding up the convience store they are robbing America and it is criminal.

I am that girl.......

2009-01-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

You know the on who slows down on the freeway to look at a accident. I watch high speed chases on T.V. my heart rate goes up when the news reports a hostage situation. I watch wild fires spread across my state never leaving my T.V.. I know this is a flaw in my character.
Last night I watched another high speed chase on the California freeway's, as soon as the guy exited the freeway and hit the city streets I stood up and walked closer the the T.V. you see I grew up in the L.A. basin and I know that at 5:30 in the afternoon street's are way to crowded for him to get to far. This guy is weaving in and out of traffic using the wrong side of the road and going over 60 mph. I know whats coming but do I turn away?? Hell no I get excited then it happens ass hat hits a car in the intersection. Seems like everyone is ok but it's not over yet. The runaway guy gets out of the car and runs. He jumps a fence into some unsuspecting peoples back yard. But what it seems like they aren't unsuspecting at all like me they must have been watching this unfold. A woman walks out the front door to flag down the police while in the back yard three men are making signs with there arms that look a lot like "hey ass hat get the hell out of our yard" This guy is in the open door of one of thier cars but they are not having any of it they direct the ass hat out of thier yard not threw the back like he wants but back out the way he came in. Right into the arms of the police. And so goes another day in Southern California.

So I never believed ....

2009-01-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

People who sell things on-line always say you need to have a presence. You should post in forums, blog, twitter, add new stuff to your shop and any other pimping you can do on line do it. Well I like doing most of those things better then I like washing dish's so I do them. Last week I was sick and I did nothing. My sales dropped to zero. I even had a mention on a blog that more then doubled my traffic and still zero.
So today I am blogging, I will Twitter, I have new stuff that I took pictures of this morning so I will add them to my shop. I may even go to the etsy forums .... man I hate the forums people are so nasty.
Here are some of the new items I am adding. Notice the new washcloths I decided I do more then needle felt so I should sell more then needle felted items.

This is a ring I made. It is a Finders Keepers nest. I call in Finders Keepers because the idea is birds like pretty things so the find them and keep them. :)

This bowl is so cute. I needle felted it and added glass beads. I love bowls. Not just needle felted bowls I love all bowls. The are a strange addiction of mine. I will stop at the most ghetto of yard sales if I see something that looks like a vintage pyrex. I have to work on this.

Now the washcloths!! I love these washcloths. I have made them for myself for a while now. I have always hated the size of standard washcloths so I made my own. The large one fits my hand perfect for washing me. The smaller one is for washing your face. I like these sizes because you feel like you have way more control.
I crocheted them with cotton yarn and I love them. You would probably love them to!
***** Janet I will make you a set and send them over with Morgan next time she is here.*****

One of those days

2009-01-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Or maybe one of those weeks. My niece was sick last week so I avoided the little cutie. I walked out of a room when she walked in, if I touched her or her belongings I washed my hands. I was so careful! Did it help? Hell no the snotty little devil got me sick. So I have been a slug my brain is muddled my movements are slow and I think of nothing but my bed.
I have neglected my blog my Twitter and both of my shops. I keep thinking "tomorrow I will ..... do whatever but when tomorrow arrives I am still sick. So maybe tomorrow I will have more to blog about more interesting things to Twitter about. Maybe tomorrow I will add things to my Etsy shop and my 1000 Markets shop. Maybe tomorrow I will feel like me.

Back to one of my Favorite topics

2009-01-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know I am a little obsessive about this but I just love up-cycling. Today I was doing my thing checking out stuff on Etsy and I found more to love! This FANTASTIC cheese board was once a wine bottle it was made by CDChilds.

This would be a great gift every time I look at it I think of My Dad and Step mom but since they are keeping away from the cheese right now I wont buy it for them ........ yet.

I don't drink alcohol much. I like a Rum and diet coke on occasion. A little Whiskey on ice every now and again but I can go months without a drink. So I am not sure what I am digging about the recycled alcohol bottles except for the fact that they are just plain cool looking. The Rolling Rock glasses are made by

nickpaul his shop is full of great recycled bottles check it out.

A quick search for recycled glass bottles brought up 697 results. Have fun checking them out, I know I did.

Boring

2009-01-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

I guess I am boring. I never get board mind you but when I sit down to blog and think about what I can share I start to see that I have very little going on. I have always told people that say they are bored that it was because the are boring. I am starting to rethink that.
I have been needle felting and crocheting a lot. I am going to be listing some new stuff in the next few days. I have been teaching my self to knit and think I am doing ok with that except for the fact that it still feels super awkward.
I am not working on wool covered soap because I fell down like a dork and cut up my hand. Nobody want soap that a wounded hand made because that's just nasty. I did notice people have some misconceptions of the wool covered soap. There is no strange wet dog smell. The wool has been processed very well and the smell of the soap is all you get. The other thing it it is not at all rough or scratchy. I covered on bar with the roughest wool I had for exfoliation and even that was ok. Merino wool is super soft. But I get it wool in the shower is a strange concept. I wish I could see how many people buy it more then once. I prefer selling something that will bring me repeat customers. Right now repeats make up a large amount of my customer base and I would like to continue that trend.
If you commented on the last thread about the wool soap I may contact you to sample a bar. I am thinking more opinions are needed.

Soap in a Sweater ..... Felted Soap ..... Wool Covered Soap

2009-01-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

I have been checking this out for some time now. Maybe you have seen this or even bought a bar. It is taking a bar of soap and some wool then by using the soap and hot water You shrink the wool over the bar of soap.
The whole idea as interesting to me. I have used a few different types of wool. I have made a lot of bars so far and have come to a few conclusions. The first conclusion is merino wool works the best. I thought I would like a rougher wool but nope not the case. The rougher wools felted to the soap fine but they don't lather aw well and you spend more time working up the lather then you do washing with it. I hated the rougher wool so much I had to rescue my handmade bar of soap I had to cut the wool from the soap.
Next you don't want to use a lot of wool. If you use to much the soap gets soft and never gets dry. You have to remember the wool keeps shrinking with use so it gets thicker as you use it.
Now the thing I am having the hardest time with, you might think it is weird. I wore a dark sweater one day, when I took a shower that night I guess little fibers from the sweater where still on my body so now they are in the wool. The soap I am using is covered in a creamy white and a light pink wool but now that dark bits from my sweater are stuck to it it looks dingy. I know it is not dingy but I still don't like it.
So now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I love handmade soap and I love wool. It would seem making felted soap would be a given right. The thing is I don't know if I like wool covered soap. So I guess I will wait for feedback from the people I have given felted soap to.
Maybe you have tried felted soap maybe you have wondered about it. If so please leave me some comments I would love some feedback on it.

Another commercial that I love

2009-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

So I have a lot to do today. I need to do laundry, vacuum, shampoo carpets, replace the flushy kit on a toilet, clean out my closet ...... you get the idea. So instead of blogging I thought I would share something that makes me happy. Every time I see this commercial I smile, it gives me hope that I will enjoy old age.

Do you love it as much as I do?

So today I have no urge to blog.

2009-01-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

I will share my favorite commercials ...... You know you love them!

So when my husband went out of town .......

2009-01-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

He left his laptop at home. So?
Well since the laptop was at home I can use it right? Seriously who wouldn't. I have a desktop so the idea of laying in bed watching TV and playing on Twitter at the same time appealed to me. No big deal he lets me use the laptop all the time but when he is home I feel it is rude to use his computer while laying in bed next to him and appearing to ignore him, ya know.
So last night I watched TV and played around on line while in my bed, it was great. Our bed is a California king it is huge so when I was done I shut it down moved it into my husbands spot and went to sleep. I know now you are thinking I must sleep like a wild woman and I must of broke his computer in my sleep. Well you are wrong I sleep calmly the computer was fine when I woke up. It was great I didn't even need to get out of bed to check my email.
I had a little fun checking Etsy and 1000markets then I got up and got dressed for the day. Well here is where the problems start. Last night I was looking threw my supplies and left the tote I keep them in on my hunnies side of the bed. So when I grabbed the tote this morning it was stuck under the leg of the tray. The laptop went flying! The screen hit the corner of the tray. Yup busted.I have no pictures to share with you. I was traumatized, snapping a picture never entered my mind. My only thought was to find the warranty and get to Best Buy. Well It was covered it will take two to three weeks to fix but they will fix it. Just knowing they covered the damage was enough to keep me from being truly annoyed with the kid helping me, it seems he found amusement in a fractured screen on a laptop belonging to my out of town husband. Ya asshole whatever.

What good is an old sweater

2009-01-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

So a couple of day's ago I blogged about up-cycling and that got me thinking. Then today my mother in law called me, she was at a thrift store that had a lot of great old sweaters. She wanted to know if I could use them for anything. Well ya.
Don't think a thrift store sweater can amount to much? Do you think I have lost my mind? How about Max .....................................................

Max is up-cycled from a gray lambs wool sweater.
Are you going to tell him he is not worth it? Well I'm not telling him because I think is worth more then the sweater ever was.
Max was made by Heart of Wool her shop is a dream come true for lovers of up-cycling.

Look at this beautiful brooch. It was made by TheJuneBride I love this pin. It is so pretty. I can find no flaw in this flower no neon sign that says "Hey I was a old sweater" :)

These five hearts come from KoboH
has a lot of wonderful creations she has made from old wool sweaters. I love these little hearts they are a touch of whimsy for any decor.

So the next time you see a great old wool sweater for a buck are you going to be able to pass it up?

WOW just WOW

2009-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

That is what I think when I look at my desk. It is such a mess, I have not cleaned it off since before Thanksgiving. It is so bad that a picture of it would make me blush so please use your imagination and then add more crap on top.
Today's goal is to clean it up and out. How long do I need to keep paper when I have all of the same stuff stored on my computer? I find that I rarely need to go back and look for any of the information so today all that paper will be purged. I was thinking of making some scratch pad's or throwing it into my paper making blender but that sounds like extra work. I will probably put it all in a box in the garage until inspiration hits.
I have a ton of books stacked up on the desk I need to go threw them and see what I have not read. The rest will go to the friends of the library book sale since they probably came from there in the first place. I am looking at my desk for inspiration and just realized my mouse pad is from September 2001. I remember that because I bought it at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. I left D.C. a week before Sept 11th. Anyway my mouse pad is Rosie the Riveter "WE CAN DO IT" well she has for a few years but now she is just plain sad. So as a treat for a clean desk I will buy a new mouse pad on etsy.
So my top choices for a new mouse pad are as follows:
Mirrorgirl Tea for Two Hedgehog
EyeCandy1 Birds On A Wire
Mirrorgirl Rock On

I am still looking but those are so cute I might need to get two. :) Off to clean my desk so I can shop.

Sales, Clearance, and Reduced prices OH MY

2009-01-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

I love getting a deal!! So I have been searching some of my favorite words on Etsy. A quick search of the word sale pulled up 81050 results. WOW!! Next I added the word shirt. I wanted to find a t-shirt for my son. I found a great shirt from Communitea. For 6.00 plus shipping I got this shirt for my son. He is wearing it right now. I tried the same search with the word soap. If you don't know me then you are not aware of the fact that soap is like an addiction to me. I will use every oppertunity I can to buy more. So in my soap sale search I found Dennis Anderson was having a sale. Now if you are looking for soap Dennis has some wonderful soaps to choose from. My husband scored on this search. He got two bars of soaps and I only spent 5.50 plus tax and shipping. Bummer about the tax but since we both have the good taste to live in California it could not be helped. My hunny now has a bar of Leaf and Bud Hemp soap and a bar of Bay Rum Shea butter. Dennis Anderson runs some great deals so keep an eye out for them.
I love getting a deal so I will keep searching for the great words you should give it a try! Here I will help you out ....... How about some cute pony tail holders I have free shipping for a limmited time if you buy three or more items!!!

UP-CYCLE

2009-01-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

I just did a search on Etsy for the word upcycle and got 22760 results. What Wikipedia has to say about it: Upcycling is a component of sustainability in which waste materials are used to provide new products. It is generally a reinvestment in the environment. "Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value."
I love the idea of recycling in my own home. It makes you feel better then just sorting the trash and rinsing the milk jug.
So anyway back to the 22760 results I got on Etsy. Now if you are not familiar you might think upcycled things look like old crap made in to new crap that looks old but not so! Check out a few things that I found among the 22760.

This briefcase and handbag combo are recycled material they where made by:

Garbagebag

everything in her shop is upcycled.

How about this pretty brooch. Would you believe it used to be Fresh and Easy plastic shopping bags? Check out jewelera makes you look at plastic bags in a whole new light.

Here are some arm warmers made from a wool sweater. milocreativestudios is the place to find these arm warmers and more.

Makes you look at old crap with new eyes right? That was 3 things out of thousands. Makes you wonder what wonderful things all of your crap could be.

Blog?

2009-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

What??? I am supposed to blog more them once every few months??? Come see me in real life I never shut up. I am witty and entertaining but blogging is not real life. I think the grammar police are reading this and judging me unworthy. The marketing gurus have decided I am clueless at promoting my own work. My friends and family are wondering who is writing this as it surely in not the Laura they know and adore. I read other peoples blogs and they seem so smart they always come up with some interesting thing to say some funny link that they are smart enough to to make clickable.
Well here I am new year new effort:
My goals for the new year seem simple enough 1. I want to learn to knit. I have started this with the help of youtube (notice youtube is not clickable I am not that good) Youtube is a fantastic place to find tutorials. I can cast on so I guess I am on the right path. I find the needles awkward but I am hoping with time I get the hang of it. Goal number 2. I want to spin my own yarn. I bought a drop spindle and have been working on this. I would love to wake up one morning and find that the spinning fairies have left me a spinning wheel since that probably will not happen I have checked youtube for drop spindle tutorials, they have them! They are not all that great but it is better then nothing. Maybe when I am a pro I will make some videos. So I have no goals that have to do with walking more or eating less because those goals are no fun I have a vauge idea in my head that next year I will wear a size 7 jeans again but I have no plan on how this is to be accomplished.
So here is some of what I have been up to over the last few months:

First thins first I made it to the front page on Etsy!!
I was included in this treasury~~~~~~>
Pretty cool right?

I made some Russian dolls. I have had the idea to make them for a while now. I kept a watch on Etsy and did not see any needle felted ones listed so I made a couple of sets. Well now there are a lot of them listed and of coarse the others are selling. Mine cost more then the others but I put a lot of work into them and I think they are the cutest so whatever. :)

I have been Needle Felting bowls a lot. I like them a lot. You see a lot of felted bowls on etsy but most of them are crocheted then felted. There are other sellers who needle felt them but not a lot. They are a great thing. I use mine when I am working you can keep buttons and beads in them and use it as a pin cushion it is handy. Here are a couple of the ones I have made.

Today I will blog

2008-10-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

That is what I kept telling myself. Today I will blog. Well I don't want to blog. I have a cold and a messy house. Today I want to sleep or maybe take a lot of medicine and vacuum but blogging sounds like a lot of work. So I have been needle felting like mad I have a bunch of new listings on Etsy I feel pretty good about that.
I also feel pretty good about Nyquil so I think for today I have done enough. I am going to bed. I blogged dammit!!

Dry windy suck day!

2008-10-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

It is October. In Southern California October is when it starts to cool down but it also is when the Santa Ana winds start to blow in YUCK. The Santa Ana's are dreaded every year. They are a strong extremely dry off shore wind. They can bring with them very hot dry weather. The Santa Ana's suck all moisture out of everything, plants dry up and wild fires are a given. They also suck your skin dry.
So one a more fun note I made a Treasury on Etsy and today it made it to the front page. Here is a screen shot of it.

OMG she wants to make the gifts?

2008-10-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

That was my thought yesterday when my husband informed me that his mom thought the adults should make our Christmas gifts. What? Make them? I should of started that like two months ago not now. I had all of these wonderful plans for handmade gifts just not handmade by me. I have been digging threw page after page on Etsy searching for the perfect gifts. Now to satisfy my Etsy shopping fetish I am going to have to search for supplies, maybe some hand spun yarns. I bought a drop spindle maybe I could spin my own yarn then crochet nice gifts from that. ........ LMAO ok I wont even attempt that.

Book Tag

2008-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Book Tag

Here are the "rules":

Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal/blog along with these instructions. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST. Tag five other people to do the same.

OK the book is : The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

"I took somepin to eat," said Casey. "I took a pair a pants when mine was wore out, an' a ol' pair a shoes when I was walkin' through to the groun', but it wasn't like when I had the tent. Some days there I'd take in ten or twenty dollars. Wasen't happy that-a-way, so I gave her up, an' for a time I was happy.

Well there you have it. I have just typed more sentences from this book then I have read. I have had the book for years since I loved the movie I just know the book will be better. Maybe I will read it next week.......

Peeves

2008-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

So we all have peeves most are trivial and embarrassing to admit to. So I decided to make a list of some of my peeves.

1. The four way stop idiots. This happens at least once a day. When I am at a four way stop and want to make a left why is it that the guy across from me whats me to go first??? I always suspect they are going to wave me threw then go and blame the accident on me for turning in front of them. Another thing at four way stops ..... when did it become a stand off just go all ready!!

2. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get off of the phone!! I swear every time I go to the library someones phone rings and they answer it, then talk in a normal voice. When you are at the store on the phone please put it down when you are checking out you look like a ass.

3. Just because we are friend you can not fart around me all of the time. A slip is one thing but damn.

4. I do not I repeat do not want to know all about every aspect of your life and I am going to guess that neither do the other people who happen across your myspace or facebook. Some things do not need to be told to the world especially when you are a mother.

5. Litterbug stop being such nasty critters. Keep the cup in the car until you get home ass hole. It is your fault the city looks like a dump.

6. Stop digging in my trash looking for cans! It is rude and I don't know you how do I know you aren't looking for my social security number or something. Besides that is my recycle can the city makes a profit from it and that keeps my trash bill low.

7. a. Shopping cart abuser Do you think you can leave the cart at the store it belongs to?

7.b. How about returning the cart when you are done cart returns are conveniently located every few feet so you wont strain yourself.

8. Please and Thank you ....... are these new words?

9. I have to fight the urge to slap any and every adult that has the nerve to say the following: No fair....or...... that's not fair Hello how did you become a adult thinking life was fair??

What in the hell is needle felting????

2008-10-16T09:29:00.001-07:00

Glad you asked, Needle felting has been around since the 80's. Not the 1780's no not the 1880's. Since the 1980's. The needle used in needle felting has been around much longer. The needle is the same as what is used in commercial felting machines. The felting needles have small, downward barbs that tangle the wool fibers together. It is from this process that industrial felt is made the kind you find in the craft store.
So with a little wool and a needle you can just about any soft sculpture.

Back to business

2008-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

OK I got my I can't stand Sarah Palin rent out of the way. I have been doing a lot of thinking about selling wholesale. I have been kinda looking for a job without having one fall into my lap. I need money so looking at growing Made By Laura seems like a natural step. I am super clueless so now I need to research, build up some stock and maybe find some stores to sell to. I may open a website with the mail focus being wholesale orders. I need to get busy doing the research .... thank God for Google.

Sarah Palin, I wont vote for McCain just because you are a woman.

2008-10-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Why would women vote for a woman just because she is a woman?? Here are a few things that make me as a woman scared of Sarah.

1. As mayor of Wasilla she asked the library how she could go about banning books," because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them.

2. Palin wants creationism taught in schools.

3. Palin filed suit against the Bush administration over the federal listing of polar bears as threatened, saying that her opposition was based on a "comprehensive scientific review." But when asked to release the scientific review, she refused. The document, later obtained by the public (from the federal government), clearly shows that, contrary to Palin's assertions, the state of Alaska's marine mammal scientists agreed with the federal conclusions that the polar bears are in serious trouble because of global warming and loss of their sea ice habitat, and that they would be gone from Alaska by 2050.

4.Predator control. Palin approved and expanded the state's aerial predator control program, where wolves are shot from aircraft and bears hunted from aircraft and killed upon landing.

5.Pebble mine. Palin aggressively opposed the "clean water initiative" on the August ballot in Alaska (which then failed), favoring instead foreign mining company desires for fewer government regulations controlling their toxic effluent into salmon streams.

6. Exxon Valdez oil spill damages. Palin refuses to push Exxon to pay the government for the unanticipated environmental injuries from the disastrous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Almost 20 years later, the private case is still unresolved and the governments likewise have yet to collect full payment from Exxon. Shortly before Palin took office in 2006, the governments presented Exxon with a demand to pay $92 million for this additional environmental damage, but her administration has since not pressed the issue nor taken Exxon to court to collect the money. Meanwhile, Exxon reaps record profits from Alaska.

7. Palin quote I told the Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere. Palin visited the town of Ketchikan to promise action on the bridge. She “said the bridge was essential for the town’s prosperity,” and that “she could feel the town’s pain at being derided as a ‘nowhere’ by prominent politicians.” She said the time to secure the funding was now, “while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.”
7. a. During her 1.5, 2 years as Governor, Alaska continued to get more federal money for pork-barrel projects per capita than any state in the country and…she supported the Bridge to Nowhere. And it was only after the federal government dropped it out, killed it, the Congress killed it that she then opposed it. And in fact she still got the money for the approach, the ramp to the Bridge to Nowhere.

8. On abortion Sara Palin declared that she would not support an abortion for her own daughter even if she had been raped.

So sorry Sarah the only thing we have in common in a vagina. You did not help McCain get my vote I was more likley to vote for him before he picked you.

Another day another blog attempt

2008-10-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

So today is a good day. I got a wholesale request (my first) I am making Finders Keepers nest pins and Butterfly pins for a shop in Liverpool England. I feel extra cool right now.
I have been thinking about having my own website. It seems like you can get one from Big Daddy or someplace for very little then use Big Cartel to make a store with a shopping cart. Right now it is just a thought.
I have a ton of needle felting to do if I want to get this order in the mail to England in the next day or two. So I will have to do a better update later.
Cheers!!

I went missing......

2008-10-10T09:39:00.001-07:00

So I get a message a couple of days ago asking when I was going to blog. Well I guess it has been a long time. oops. In that time I was lucky enough to have my babymaker removed thank God. I was looking at 20 more years before that thing gave out and since my husband has been shooting blanks for over 10 years it was a wasted part.
I have avoided listing on Etsy for all that time Halloween sales opportunities came and went with me no where to be found .... bummer.
I am going to work on some Christmas things this weekend and get them in my shop.

Ok enough blogging for today I will be back tomorrow with something to say. Maybe I will put up some pictures of the cute puppy we saved from a life in a concrete backyard.

Blogging

2008-07-07T14:23:00.001-07:00

I have nothing to say. I could tell you about some great new stuff I have bought. Check out http://www.HelloCrafty.etsy.com or http://www.blsoaps.etsy.com/ They have great soap.

But anyway since I have nothing to write about I will send you to one of the funniest blogs I have ever seen. http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com/ Sit down when you have some time because you will want to keep reading. Enjoy!