Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Six Random Things About Me.

I have been tagged by Hoppo Bumpo and since this is my first time being tagged I could not resist playing along.

Here are the rules ...
1. Link to the person who “tagged” you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Below are my 6 random things-
  1. I am afraid to eat chickpeas, there is something about the smell and the way they are shaped I can chew them but not swallow.
  2. Every time I go to use the bathroom I clean the toilet seat, the floor in front of the toilet and the sink, (I like to leave things better than how I found it.)
  3. I met and married my husband all in one month.
  4. I can't cook with dishes in the sink.
  5. I hate watching the news it is way too depressing for me.
  6. My first job was when I was 16 years old, I worked at a marketing research company as a survey interviewer.
And I am going to tag:

Nice-Etc
Sheree's Alchemy
Rubber Slippers in Italy
Hazel's Vintage Pretties
Our Artful Life
Hey Lucy

I hope you are willing to play along!

Marshmallows Not Included!


Campfires have always signified comfort, warmth and fun to me and when I saw this I thought wow this would be a great reminder of the camping trip I never took because I was too prissy to camp outdoors. I was a tomboy who was prissy at the same time. I laugh when I think of my childhood I was one crazy kid. My wish was to have at least one girl to enjoy pink, red and any girly girl activity you can think of. That did not happen instead here I am today with three boys and I have taken an interest in camping, fishing, monster truck shows. One of my sons has taken an interest in art and jewelry making and design. Although I don't have any girls I do enjoy being with my boys and it feels good to teach my son some of my favorite crafts. The campfire tea light can be found at Uncommon Goods.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Brain Teaser Alarm Clock


Okay I get it. I am in my bed sleeping soundly and then my alarm clock goes off. But wait this is not any alarm clock, because instead of just hitting the snooze button and getting a few extra minutes of sleep in I now have to be coordinated enough to put a puzzle together. This is a great idea and of course it can be found at Urban Outfitter . Frankly I don't need a alarm clock like this for myself but I will break down and purchase it for my son. He likes gadgets like this, I however will not be interested in doing anything but tapping the snooze button in a sleepy stupor.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Sweet love is in the air....and under your drink!

Yes, yes if you did not know these are wedding favors. Ask me if I care, I simply don't care a bit because these little gems remind me of MadeByGirl candy colored love posters that I am dying to buy once I decide to stop splurging on beads and fabric. It is a lot of fun for me to explore blogs on the internet. For me it is like taking a journey from one creative world to the next. Check out some of my links to the left you will be so inspired by the creative ladies who own those blogs.

Anyway back to the awesome love coasters, I was doing my blog rounds and I happened to come across the Hostess Blog and her blog led me to Ideal Favors. On my to do list is to order a few of these to place under my iced tea concoctions. You can find these at Ideal Favors.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Cloudy Blue Pendant


As promised here is the pendant that I made to go with my Cumulus Cloud earrings. I placed a bicone crystal with a sterling silver bead, and an antiqued silver flower to compliment the silver foiled glass bead. The largest bead is about 22mm. I get such great joy making jewelry and watching people wear my creations. Next I will try to make something with some colored cord I bought. Look for it and leave a comment to let me know who you are. It's not like i am fishing for comments but I do have a site meter and I know people are visiting my blog.

Actually I have a lot of nerve, but I have to ask you to stop lurking and leave a comment. I can't believe that I am posting this after years of lurking. Just recently this year to be exact I started leaving comments on blogs that I visited. It makes sense to me to leave some sort of comment to the blogger who takes out time to share a part of their life with the public. Just a thought that i wanted to put out there. Take care and leave a comment...(no pressure) :) !

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Cumulus Cloud Earrings


These are the earrings I made last night. I feel pretty good about how they turned out. The findings are all sterling silver and the pretty blue cloud of a bead is blown glass not murano. It has been my dream to make jewelry from my own designs and for the last two years I have been buying beads, chains and findings from a variety of sources. I only bought things that were appealing to me and inspired from nature. My favorite type of item to work with are flower inspired. The earrings above have a matching necklace and I will try to post that tommorrow. Unfortunately this wont be going in my Etsy shop because I made this as a gift to my neighbor. I just wanted to share what I made and finally post some picture that are taken by me using my Fuji Finepix S3000.
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Friday, July 25, 2008

Gadget Fiend Friday




FYI the gadgets I list may not be new to you but they are new to me. So bear with me.

The is the bamboo. the website is awesome it shows you what this little writer can do. the site is here.

I found this by way of one of my favorite blogs How about Orange.

And because I like to be informed (i.e. informed = nosy) I read her comments and through her comments I found a wonderful blog Hoppo Bumpo.

Now I have found yet another gadget that is on my must have list. As I was viewing the product website I got a lot of ohhs and ahhs from my son. He loves to draw using the paint applications on my computer and he hogs the computer on a regular basis. Soon I am going to get him his own. Which brings me to this question "will I have to buy two of these bamboo writer?" I wonder how durale these are for a 4 year old I know that I will crash and let him use it and from there he will take over like he always does. I hope I am not handicapping him from using a pencil and paper and crayons. Because now he would rather just sit on the computer and draw than use his little tikes easel. I am going to show you his art, his abstracts, I have plans to do a mobile or an art pendant and posters with his work. Look for it soon.

Lost & Found

Today I have been a bit under the weather and I almost missed a day without blogging. I was very busy today looking for a receipt for my light bill. Apparently my last payment was not received. So basically I ransacked my house going through my purses, envelopes and boxes. I found the manual for my camera, a box of paper clips, new notebooks, pencils, lavender ricrac trim, my herbalist audio course and a Dvd titled Beyond the Davinci Code. I really cant complain, I spent my day looking for an receipt which I did not find, but i found a bunch of things I had forgotten about. Sometimes I feel like the Woman of 1000 Hobbies. ( You should really check out her website/blog, very interesting!) I just have some many interests that I get sidetracked and passionate about one thing after another. Is it possible that I could have an attention disorder. I wonder if it is too late to find out. Probably not. Anyway I managed to put all my books and magazines in one box and all my papers in another. I am planning to buy some white bookshelves and magazine files so that I can clear away some of the clutter in my home. I will share some pictures soon.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wired Magazine features Julia Allison

I just received my August 2008 issue of Wired magazine. I just recently subscribed to this magazine, I usually buy my monthly copy at the drugstore or Borders bookstore. Jason Tanz wrote the feature cover article called "....Get Internet Famous ( Even If You're Nobody-Just Ask Julia Allison.) Frankly I did not know who Julia Allison was but she has managed to be famous on the internet. She apparently has a very huge following on Twitter. I have made a mental note to check out her website and see what she is up to on Twitter. As a new blogger I found that there were a load of tips to get some notoriety on the web. You should definitely check the August issue out. I love the ads in this magazine , some of the ads look like articles but they aren't. I can care less about being or trying to be famous. It seems that most celebrities try their best to avoid the public being in every aspect of their lives. So it can't be all that it is cracked up to be, although I must admit being a celebrity does have its perks. My favorite tidbit of advice was about how to deal with haters and personal attacks. If you'd like to read the article just click on the link above and the magazine is only 10 dollars for a yearly subscription plus you get a cool poster. I am not going to just give away the advice because I think more women should read this magazine. I decided to subscribe to this magazine because I just became aware of the Bamboo Writer by Wacom. And I thought to myself where have I been. Actually this is exactly why I love the blogging atmosphere. There are so many people who graciously respond to your comments, share their ideas and creativity. I am a girl who loves gadgets, new technology and I love to take things apart to see how they work or just to see what is inside.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Clafoutis

1. clafoutis, 2. Le temps des cerises ou les aventures d'un clafoutis, 3. Tarte aux Quetsches, 4. puffed from the oven, 5. cherry clafoutis, 6. C h e s t n u t A p r i c o t C l a f o u t i s, 7. Red Currant and Cherry Clafoutis, 8. clafoutis close up, 9. Cherry Clafoutis, 10. cherry clafoutis, 11. "Clafoutis"... more like cherry cake. Still, it was tasty!, 12. Cherry Clafoutis, 13. clafoutis en cuisson, 14. Strawberry almonds clafoutis, 15. Cherry clafoutis, 16. Peach and cardamom clafoutis I, 17. Strawberry Clafoutis, 18. cherry clafoutis, 19. cherry clafoutis, 20. DSC_8427--Cherry Clafoutis, 21. Strawberry Clafoutis, 22. clafoutis au flamboise, 23. clafoutis aux framboises 2, 24. clafoutis, 25. Strawberry Clafoutis, 26. clafoutis, 27. Cherry and Almond Clafoutis, 28. Traditional Cherry Clafoutis, 29. Blackberry Clafoutis, 30. pear clafoutis, 31. Apricot & Caramelized Banana Clafoutis, 32. Apricot & Caramelized Banana Clafoutis 3, 33. Cherry Clafoutis, 34. Chocolate cherry clafoutis, 35. Quetsche Clafoutis - Plum Clafoutis, 36. clafoutis aux cerises


I went over to Posy Gets Cosy's blog and she had this amazing dessert that I just have to make. It looks awesome and yeah this is my first time hearing of this dessert but not my first time eating it. I know that sounds strange but my grandma called this dessert a tart. anyway I went on Flickr and I decided to find images of clafoutis and then I went to bighugelabs and made a mosaic. I just want to remember to make this and hopeful my family or friend will keep asking me if I made it yet and eventually I will.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Retro Bubble Umbrella




Aren't these umbrella's cute. I am always finding the cutest accessories, toys and gadgets, but I have a confession to make. I don't always share my finds because I don't want the item to be sold out by the time I decide I want to make my purchase. I love to shop and I am a shopaholic, now I just window shop more and I wait a day or two before making a purchase so that I can be sure that I really want and need the item I am trying to buy. Just look at these umbrellas they're so cute I would definitely buy the white clear one that is to the left of this post and get me some paint and make some crazy designs that I would hope that it would not wash away when it rains. The umbrellas can be found here for 18.00 at one of my favorite places to shop Urban Outfitters.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Vandercook SP-15


I can remember using this. You see I went to a Vocational High School in Chicago. Charles Allen Prosser to be exact and I took wood shop, machine shop, body shop, typing and print shop. It was way fun and I learned many techniques and I would be thinking when I was in these classes where will I use this. I am glad I chose that school I was able to learn in many industrial fields. I remember attaching my plate and watching my letter pressed scratch pad come to life. It was fun. I can't remember my shop teacher though and I don't have my yearbook. I believe we called him Mr. P and my graphic arts teacher name was Mr. K. There where about 5 different printing presses that were in that shop. During that semester my hands were covered in ink, but I learned and I loved it. I wonder if they still have that print shop available at that school. (uploaded by The Arm on 25 Jan 08, 6.43PM CDT.)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Ultimate Top


Isn't this a great top. It is called the Aisha. I am always looking for different style because I don't want to have the same shirt on as anybody else. I'm not a clothing snob, I just like variety and mixed up clothing that is like nothing like what everyone else is wearing. Here is the link to Fozaza

Friday, July 18, 2008

Birdy goes condo!


A home for the birdies in your neighborhood, or just as eye candy in your home. I love the turquoise color and the groovy shape. Yeah I said groovy, some words I just like to say. Like yummy, docile, obtuse, nonchalant, facetious. I just like the way the words fall from my lips into the air. Anyway this is from Sprout.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Farmgirl comment @ myaimistrue.com

Hi Amber I don't know if you will read this but I believe my comment was too long so I decided to post it on my blog. I take my writing very seriously when I take time out to write a long comment I want it out there. and I loved your post on Farmgirl and I hope you are loving the married life. May your marriage be a wonderful experience for you full of love, laughter, comfort and babies!

Here is my comment:

Wow this is a wonderful post and I am a farm girl too, I did not know it until now but I am, I can remember reading a blog where they was a lady who called herself a farmgirl too. Only she lived on a farm an she had an awesome blog that I still can not find again. It reminds me of Soulemama one of my favorite farmgirls. I refrain from going to Target because I know how quick the bill can add up. Instead I try to recycle and repurpose things. Maybe yOu can do what I do. I ask myself how much it might cost for them to make the items they're selling and I try to make it myself instead of giving my money to these companies, I'd rather buy from someone on Etsy or eBay. It is way cooler to go to the thrift store. I wrote my self a list and I said each week I go to the thrift store I am going to buy things all in red, then the next week a new color then a new color. Some or all I will sell or keep. I just need to stop procrastinating and get going. I take my sons and it is a learning experience and I promise myself to only buy 3 items that are not of the color I am shopping on in case it is a really good deal or find. I need to start posting on my blog about that. Anyway...that sounds great and I am going to join plunk...just not today, I am doing my blog rounds :) Love your blog Amber.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Beautiful Murano Glass


These earrings look like neapolitan icecream or layered tiramisu. If you could wear your food this is what it would look like. This is from one of my favorite Etsy sellers Leeski I have not bought anything in a while but it seems that I will have to really soon. I am going to post a few of the items I purchased from her. Her photos of her jewelry and beads are very inspirational.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Marie Claire Idees' & d.Sharp Journal Giveaway


I know this is from Marie Claire Idees but I don't know which issue it is. If you know please leave a comment. And if you have a copy for sale definitely let me know.

If you love giveaways check out this one at the d.Sharp Journal. This gracious blogger has a giveaway for a beautiful Eiffel Tower candy container. Just leave a comment at her blog then mention the giveaway in your blog. You are not done yet now you must go back to her blog and post another comment with a link to your blog about the post on your blog. I hope that was not confusing it is fairly simple. Click here to go to the d.Sharp Journal.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Sex and the City Love Keychain


Yep, there it is the famous L-O-V-E keychain. When I saw the movie I thought , boy is that corny, but it is cute and yes it can be found on my new favorite place to do some online window shopping. Drum roll Please!!
shop.seenon.com Everyone needs some love, doncha know. :)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Rici's Rings



How pretty is this ring it can be found at shop.seenon.com store and it is so cute. I know I have posted a few times about the items they offer and I just want everyone to know that I am not working for them I just love the range of variety they offer on their site. This ring is inspired from the tv series Lipstick Jungle. However the ring is wearable and you will be able to flex your fingers due to the high arcs. Isn't it lovely?

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Candy Ring Bling


This is the prettiest ring that sparkles and shines. This ring can be found at saassytoe.com and it is quickly becoming my favorite acrylic ring. When I go out to the park with my kids I like to wear a piece of jewelry that goes perfect with anything and I wont worry so much if I lose it or a stone falls out. This ring is great for me and 15.95 it is a pretty good buy.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Hot Bookshelves!


This is me I could see myself lounging on these. I would have the perfect place to put these. Right by the window or an imaginary window with drops of rain falling down as I read contently. This was designed by Stanislav Katz go to his website stanislavkatz.com to see more of his beautiful inventive designs.


Thursday, July 10, 2008

My favorite movie


"The Lake House" is my favorite movie. It is a remake of the Korean film Il Mare. I enjoy a good chick flick and "P.S. I Love You" almost knocked this movie off the top of the list. P.S. I love you just made me cry and it was not a cry of happiness but a sad cry. Don't get me wrong it is a great movie. Which leaves me to "Hancock", I loved it, it was unexpected. I thought I had the movie plot down but it threw me for a loop. There should be a sequel in my opinion. Which brings me to the rotten tomatoe factor. Why is it that every movie I like is a rotten tomatoe? I never listen to the critics because obviously if all the movies I like are often rotten tomatoes we can't have the same level of appreciation for a film. Did anyone see "Run Fat Boy Run" it was hilarious and a movie that I would watch over and over again. My next movie of choice that I want to see is "Brodeueses." Yeah I like foreign films as well even though the last one I saw was "Amelie." Does anyone else share my taste of films? If so leave a comment.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Look at what I found!




Aren't these pillow beautiful I saw these on the autreshop.com they're so beautifully done. I just love the rosy faced Russian doll. I discovered this shop by exploring blogs, which is something I try to do on a daily basis. So if you have or know of a great blog about fashion, design, shopping or crafts leave me a comment and share someones or your own blog. Oh and the blog that showcased this shopping site of eye candy was Haus Maus. You can look in my blog link list to find her.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I forgot to buy this........cloud :(


Okay, okay.....now you are all sold out and I can't buy you. I was browsing on the net and I went to see what Urban Outfitter had to offer because I read something on the internet and I got side tracked like I always do and I forgot and I just remembered. I love rain! This bank would have been better off with me. Maybe someone will put one up on eBay and I can go and buy it there. Meanwhile I am shutting down my computer and I am going to pull out my crayons and draw pretty blue billowy clouds. And then I will make my own bank...maybe not. I will just wait for my cloud themed surprise to arrive. I will share that with you later. Much later. *sigh*

Monday, July 7, 2008


I have been looking for a table like this and I have found it at Walmart of all places. I am not much of a furniture snob but I like my furniture sturdy. This table will be used as a work table to pour fragrances into containers and for art and writing. Here is the site www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7679712
Sorry for the long address but I have not mastered the linky thing that most bloggers do that say click here. I don't know what kind of barstools I will buy so for now I will just purchase the table and paint it the way Heather Bullard painted her urn you can view her antique painting technique here at this site http://heatherbullard.typepad.com/heather_bullard_collectio/page/2/ . I just hope this table is not too flimsy I just might buy the 99 dollar Belfast table instead of the one pictured above which only cost 60 doll.ars. The table I really want is 300 dollar more but I don't want to make larger purchases until we move somewhere permanently.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Hey Lucy




I just discovered a new blog by checking out Liquid Sky Art Link list. The name of the blog is Hey Lucy you can see that I added her blog to my blog love list. She takes two Old Navy shirts and she cuts up one to make appliques for the other tee. When I saw what she did it just brought back memories of how I would cut up and reinvent my clothes when I was a teenager. I would take a skirt and make shorts out of it and I made a vest out of an old house dress of my grandmother. Designs were all packed in my head and I would frantically sketch in notebooks. I look back and I think " wow I had a load of potential" I( am grateful that I can pursue my passion once again. And the T-shirt you see on the right is the shirt I will be tinkering with.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Rainy Day Recollection


You might thing wow a blog about rain! No this blog isn't solely about rain, rather I am a girl who loves rain. What do I like about it? I love the sound of it, the smell of it, how it looks and I like rain gear. You know what I mean...wellies, rain hats rain coats umbrellas. I also love puddles. Yes!!!! Puddles. I like to splash in puddles. I have had some fond memories of rain in my life. I can remember standing at the front door of my Grandma Callie's house and watching the rain fall for a few seconds and her telling me to close the door before the floor got wet. I can remember opening the door and looking out of it after the rain had ended. It was a beautiful sight to see. The air was dewy and the grass was so green that I thought that at any moment the grass would exhale a sigh of relief and fullness. If I close my eyes sometimes I can see the vivid color of how rain washes the earth and purifies it. The view was so calming, I am going to try and paint the color of that day and share it with you.