Still Crafting....

I wonder if there's a support group for blog neglect?? I would probably qualify for the president! I really don't know how some people do it - kids, work, housekeeping, husband, craft business, life?? Oh, and maybe a shower once in a while? If anyone has any time management tips/hints/ideas, PLEASE let me know!!!

I just left the Annual Craft Bazaar to raise money for Plymouth Nursery School (where Ella attends preschool). There were lots of handmade items, jewelry, home decor & baked goods for sale. Here are just a few pictures of some of my usual wares, packed in between the Smencils and handmade kids aprons: 

There's Sheela - the supermom of three kids under 5 (arrrghh!!) who put everything together and doesn't seem to need any sleep....(?)

And she still has a smile on her face :) 

 There's still a lot of great stuff available. For my local readers, the bazaar will go on today until 4pm. Anyone interested in purchasing the items shown in the picture, just e-mail me. I can create custom pieces also, so if there's something you'd like in another color, size or theme, just ask me!

If you'd like to attend an upcoming craft class, you can e-mail me here. I'll be doing kids craft classes too!!

Blog Links from Swap-bot

Besides my family & work, the thing taking up the rest of my "free time" these days has been Swap-bot. If you love getting mail the old-fashioned way, you'll love it! Its my first time joining any sort of online swapping group, unless you count Postcrossing (for postcard lovers!)

One of my recent swaps was a blog swap, not only to promote our blogs, but to see what others are doing. I wanted to share some of these blogs with you!

I love to travel & thought Olivia Arrow has a great way to discuss her escapades. Another fellow Swap-botter has not one, but two blogs! I was very impressed with her creative blog, but then I read her other one - Ramble Time - Reinvented - and liked what she had to say even more. (Have a look at her June 24th post.)
Jessica, one of my Swap-bot friends in Italy has a super-cute blog. Check out some of her beautiful creations! Lil' Miss Polkadot has an adorable blog, as well as a shop and one of her items made it to Etsy's front page last month!! She gives me inspiration for the Craft Pad...
Jennifer, at Just Add Water Silly is also very talented, and shows it in her zentangled bookmarks. I'm really into Zentangle lately! Did you know there's such a thing as a CZT?? (certified Zentangle teacher) Who knew?!
Another crafty swapper is Tally; here is just one of her cool ideas on her blog I Could Make That. (I love the name of her blog!) Our Simply Crazy Life is a beautiful & inspiring blog. She has a great idea for posting links that she calls "link love". Why can't I think of these things??
Speaking of great ideas, "cricutcritter" (her Swap-bot name), does things that I never would have imagined you can do with a Cricut! One of the cutest blogs I've found is out of Indonesia, called Sugar Crawler. I can't wait to try salted butter caramel ice cream...YUM!
Finally, a girl after my own shoe-lovin' heart is Soraya, a.k.a. Dissloved Girl. If only I had some place to wear such fabulous footwear....

I'm back.....

Once again, it has taken me way to log to post! This is an on-going struggle within myself. I'm always worried that I don't have anything interesting enough to write about or that people will want to read. Recently I found some blog idea websites that I hope can help me overcome my fear, or lack of motivation. For me, there's a fine line.

I have been somewhat* creative during my silence over the past few months. I've done some spring cleaning (per my husband's request), organized random things around the house and continue to work full-time. I'm also trying to be more engaged and "in the moment" when spending time with my 3 year-old - my other full-time job. For me, that means less time on the internet & getting next-to-nothing else done. I'm sure most other moms reading this know exactly what I'm talking about! And, I'm proud to say that at this very moment my craft room is clean!! I still have quite a bit of organizing to do, but there's room to walk around in there without stepping on several things. I have eliminated the "piles" on the floor, mostly because my husband was claiming it was a fire hazard. (If you ask me, he was exaggerating. But I don't keep anything too flammable in there anyway.)

I'm off to work now, but here are a couple of things I've been working on...

Zentangle for "white-on-black zentangle" swap on Swap-bot.

Paper dress garland. So cute & fun to make!

Cupcake "cake" for Ella's 3rd birthday party.






*I'm only "somewhat" creative because I don't make something everyday. If I was truly creative, I would have hundreds of pictures to post of what I've made. I'm still trying to find out how much caffeine I need to be truly creative.