extreme makeover...

the not-so-real-edition. we did a little redo of the girls room. cleaned things up. purged. organized. painted (a little). created a "nook" with a padded toy box/bench. new curtains. new bedspreads. new beanbag chairs. new rug.

joe & tara sue...

and here's the reason we spent the weekend in pittsburgh. to take pics of these two fantastic people. my cousin and his fiance... joe & tara sue. i love, love, love these two. did i say that already? i think so. but i can't say it enough. joe means so much to me...and by association, so does tara. :0) they've been together for over 10 years and they are a HOOT! here are some of my favorite pics from their engagement shoot:

pitt...

a couple weekends ago, the hubby and i got to travel to pittsburgh to take some engagement shots of my cousin and his fiance. i was soooo excited to do this for a few reasons... 1. i don't get out of ohio much. hardly ever. 2. i LOVE these two....love, love, love them! i mean this guy gave me away at my own wedding. i was dying to spend time with them. 3. i got to play photographer for the weekend. here' s a little taste of pittsburgh:

jen's college.
university of pittsburgh.

stunning.

let me tell you about pamela's. it's this amazingly cute retro diner that is ridiculously popluar. i mean...gobs of people lined up inside and out waiting for a table. once you get inside and try out their amazing crepe-style pancakes, you realize it's totally worth the wait. and a note on pittsburgh food in general...it's BIG. LARGE. ENORMOUS. i mean the portions are ridiculous! our first night in, we ordered in some calzones. they came in PIZZA BOXES because they were so huge. crazy

market district.

the incline. two trolley cars that travel up and down the side of the hill. very cool spot for pictures and the touristy thing to do.

resolution #1...

my first resolution was to quit being inspired and be inspiring.

well, here are some fun valentine pretties i made. it's been a while since i've made anything just for me or just for fun. (scrapping aside, of course.)

these were super simple.

some vintage crepe paper, glass gitter, paper scraps (punched in circles), and velvet hearts & letter stickers to embellish.

i haven't exactly decided what to do with these yet.

maybe string them together for a garland?

what do you think?

ice ice baby

it is day 3 of our major winter storm.
it started rolling in monday night.
woke up tuesday to about 1/4 inch of ice.
on EVERYTHING.
had a decent "break" tuesday morning/afternoon.
it started back up again tuesday night.
went to bed with close to an inch of ice.
last night was INSANE! couldn't sleep at all.
sounded like we were under attack...every time a branch swayed,
the ice shattered into a bajillion pieces and rained down on the roof.
the girls even woke up because they thought it was thundering.
now it's just snow and crazy wind...
and a waiting game on whether the power stays on or not.

my sidewalk? unpassable.
my driveway? an ice rink.
my street? don't even get me started.

thinking of taking up curling. or shooting the girls over to the neighbors in a garbage can lid.

anyway....it's given me a couple days off. MUCH-NEEDED days off.

here are some of my favorite shots of our "natural disICEster".

scrapiness...

so, one of my resolutions was to scrap at least 1 page a week.
well, lookie here.

i can't honestly say that i've done exactly 1 page per week, but here are the layouts i completed in january.

and here are few i did back in december...

now that i've decided to close my etsy shop, i should have lots more time to scrap and craft. so i think i need to set up one of those white boxes to shoot layouts in. i also need to take a bit more time to take close-up pics of some of the fun details.

it's time...

i've made the decision to close my etsy shop.

after some thought, i've decided that it takes quite a bit of time, and right now, i need to put that time back into my family.

i have listed everything that i have available...all my labels, cards, and fabri-scrapped chipboard words.

i haven't selected a final closing date, but i'm thinking around MARCH 1st.
but when it's gone, it's gone.

all orders ship for $1.

the repeat customers, features on amazing blogs, and excellent feedback have kept me going this long. i can't express how grateful i am to those who have supported me.

thank you.

resolutions...

i'm a list maker.
i make lists of the lists i need to make.
i've even put things on my "to do" list that are almost finished so i'll have more things to cross off sooner.
crazy, right???

if i don't write things down, i don't remember them. i have no follow-through.

so, i thought it'd be a good idea to put my resolutions on paper (so to speak).

here they are:

1. quit being inspired and be inspiring - yes, if you follow it, you know this is on my fat-girl blog, too. i spend hours upon hours looking through books, magazines, and websites. looking at and for beautiful things that spark my creative interest. but do i do or make any of them??? nope. sure don't. time for that to change. this year i want to spend less time hoarding craft supplies and more time using them.

2. finish projects - this kind of piggy-backs on #1. i have lots of things i've started that i've never finished because i get too busy/distracted/overwhelmed. 2011 is going to be the "year of completion".

3. be consistent - this is a mom/teacher goal. i make a lot of statements to encourage/discipline my kids (my actual kids and my school kids). then, i give them another chance. this year, i'm working hard on only saying what i mean....only saying things i can/will follow through on.

4. institute family night - i've managed to organize a ladies' night once a month for the past year. why can't i do the same for my family? at least once a month, it's family-driven fun. movies, games, the girls' choice of meals, visiting someone's house...whatever. spending time together has to become more of a priority for me.

5. save $$$ - i am baaaaaaaaad at saving $$. so my goal this year is to get into the habit of putting a little bit back each paycheck. i'm not sure i can set a specific amount because, let's face it, i'm one of the millions of "working poor". we make ends meet, but it's paycheck to paycheck...every penny counts. some weeks, i might only be able to put aside $10...some weeks $50. whatever it is, it will all add up in the end.

6. scrap 1 page a week - i am absolutely, completely, totally, 100%, certifiably addicted to scrapbooking and all of the amazing and fun supplies created for this craft. too bad i only use them about once every few months. i even have a scrapbook room! too bad i'm hardly ever in it. not any more folks. this year, i resolve to scrap at least 1 page a week. with a space devoted to my craft where i can leave things lay if they're not finished, i should have no problem completing one page a week. i hope...

i do have a few more resolutions, but those are all over on my fat girl blog.
it seems like a lot, but i think it's something i'll be able to accomplish.

here's to an inspiring, project-finishing, consistent, family-night-filled, money-saving, scrapping New Year!