If you hate videos of other people's children, look away...

Well, I'm having a hard time with the inbedding process so if you're still interested and have a soft spot for iBooks or sweet little boys named Sebastian, try this.
Thanks for the quick response to those portfolios! They were gone by this afternoon! I've got another batch thats almost ready so I'll be posting about it when they are going up. You girls are the best.

What can I say!!!

I really enjoyed the birthday attention. Thanks to everyone who posted encouraging me to enjoy indulging in some cake. It totally took any guilt away from having two of these! Thanks mom for baking them. Thanks Cheryl and Jamie for the fun cupcake picks!

We enjoyed ourselves immensely yesterday. Sebastian let us all sleep in like a good boy does on his Momma's birthday. We got to work out and had a friend from our church over for coffee. After the boy's nap we went thrifting for a Polaroid camera. We went home with some other fun things but no camera. The search continues! Then came dinner at the Elephant Bar with my family who we left Sebastian with so we could go watch 'Becoming Jane'. Then cupcakes at home! It was, in all, a terrific day.

I got my swap partner's package that afternoon and it was full of fun goodies from France. Brett bought me Sabrina Ward-Harrison's last book. I got a package from my friend, Katy, full of fun bracelets and a gift card. I felt very celebrated. I tried to only check your comments every few hours but they were all individual gifts themselves. Thanks Brett and Elsie for the shout out.

I've posted a few portfolios here. More to come...

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

My favorite blogger is 26 today! She loves reading her comments, so leave her a birthday wish today.
Happy Birthday!

-Brett

I Woke Up to a Dark Room This Morning...

...and when I looked outside, it was...RAINING! I think it was an early birthday gift to make up for the fact that its supposed to be 108 tomorrow. Sebastian almost jumped out of Grandma Mary's arms to play in the 'sprinklers'. I really didn't want him to get struck by lightning (new mom) so we waited until most of the storm had passed before we took our walk. So refreshing.



Then I got cleaned up to make my fourth visit to the dentist in two weeks. I originally went in to get my teeth cleaned because it had been awhile. Unfortunately, I've yet to have the flouride shoved under my gums.

First they had to take a full set of x-rays and make my gums bleed with the sharp instruments. The next trip they filled the two spots on my left side that looked like the starts of cavities. I went home feeling like a stroke victim. Yesterday, I let them stick tools in my open mouth for an hour and a half to get the four spots on the right side. It was more of the Zzzzz..Zzzzz...Zzzzzzzzz and, "Suction". That evening, after I could take a drink without dribbling down my shirt, I realized I couldn't bite down comfortably. Which brings us back to the start of this tangent story.

My latest visit this morning promised to be a quickie but it was the most painful one. No numbing gel this time. That suction tube was relentlessly piercing my gums while the dentist shaved off more of the fillings. Zzzzzz...Zzzzzz...Zzzzzzzzzzzzz and , "Suction".

But check out those babies! No cavities in this mouth.

Thank you, Starbucks, for the incredible dental insurance you've given our family so we never have to wait four years in between cleanings again. Brett, you're next.

Home Gym

If you want a great core workout, stick a small child in a big, plastic laundry basket. Sit on the floor with your legs crossed like you did during storytime in preschool. Set the basket directly in front of you. (Keep the child from crawling out). With arms at each end of the basket, pull to one side of you and then the other at a slow but fluid pace. Sit up as straight as you can while keeping your stomach muscles contracted. (Stop when you've pulled a muscle.)

I should have a six-pack sometime this weekend.

Dreaming of Cooler Weather

I think Summer should start making room for Fall.

These are inspiring me today.

I found this one here.


...this one here.


...and this one here. MMM...Christmas is right around the corner. Better start making presents!

Self-Portraits During Naptime

I was thinking of something new for the RV blog. This is me having a creative block and needing to work my way through it.

Portfolio

I saw the movie 'Mrs. Potter' awhile ago and loved the portfolio she used to carry her illustrations in. So, I tinkered around with the idea last night and came up with this.




Its something I would use for unfinished LO storage or to transport pages with me when I work on them outside of my home.
I used the cardboard packaging from the Love, Elsie Lola papers and a sturdy 12" x 12" cardboard paper protector from a product box for the protective cover. I left about 1 1/2" of space in between the top and bottom pieces and joined them with Love, Elsie fabric paper to make a flexible joint. I cut the fold from the Love, Elsie cardboard packaging and did the same with the fabric tape. Next, I fashioned a fabric cover and added ribbon and buttons for my closure. Once I was finished, I realized it didn't have any protection from slipping out the top or bottom so I sewed on a piece of upholstery fabric that would easily safeguard the edges. It folds over the top and bottom before you cover the portfolio. I love it.
The LO inside is a work in progress but its under wraps for awhile.
Thanks for looking.

_______________ Fill in the blanks.

I finished this LO late last night. It started out as an art journal page but seemed to take over and lean towards a scrapbook page. I love how the colors from the photo showed up in my LO. Elsie took this pic of S and I last October when we were in MO for a wedding. We took a trip to downtown Springfield and had some fun in a vintage/thrift store. S was so small. He's wearing the cutest hat from Oilily that Elsie bought him. Long hair for me and no hair for him. It was raining that day.


And I love this picture that Elsie took of us last month while we were visiting Brett's family in MO. Its such a happy image and I am so thankful to have a friend who loves having her camera with her all the time. She's able to capture moments like this.

Wow!!!!! Um...More Wow!!!!

This is what it felt like to open this pretty package that I found on my doorstep today.








It just kept getting better and better. Leigh-Ann of Freckled Nest had a contest on her blog that I posted a comment on and won. Little did I know how fabulous of a prize would come my way. I've been eyeing these photo booth picture albums for about two weeks because I've become a big fan of this site.
Well, today I opened up this incredibly well-embroidered tote and found one. I couldn't have been a happier girl. Its so perfectly crafted and will be fun to fill up and embellish. So, check out Leigh-Ann's blog and take a peek at her Etsy shop.
Leigh-Ann, thank you for your thoughtfulness!

Window Shopping

Thought I'd share some eye candy today. I've been in the 'winter is coming, grab some layers' mood so putting aside all reality and principle, this is what would be in my shopping cart.
RIng from Urban Outfitters
Credit Card Case from Urban Oufitters
Coat from Forever 21
Boots from Anthropologie
Cap from Forever 21
Sweater from Forever21
Denim from Forever 21
Hair Clip from Etsy.com
Shoes from Etsy.com
Scarf from Etsy.com
Bag from Etsy.com
Necklace from Etsy.com
And these are so hot. Makes me want to have long legs. Ha! Underpinnings
Whats on your window shopping list?

Shop Update!

I updated my Etsy shop with these pretties today. I've been so into houndstooth this month. I think its because of Back to School fever. It makes me want to cozy up into a big Houndstooth coat and go on a trip to the city. So, I made this fun tote to go along. Its got sweet little buttons to dress it up a bit and a pocket on the inside to keep secrets in.
I've also added quilt kits to make the quilts shown above. Once completed, they'd make sweet shower gifts. Mostly these kits involve sewing semi-straight lines and a little ironing and pinning together. Instructions are included.
Elsie and I have been planning this shop update for about a week and I'm so glad she asked me to do it with her because sometimes I need a little goal to get me motivated. I love my girl, Elsie. She's seriously top notch. Go check out her shop today, too! Thanks for looking.
And tell me about your latest trip to the city. I love a good story.

Go On and Get Ya Some!

We're trying to clean house and make room for more kit boxes so we're having a clearance sale over at the Red Velvet Kit Club blog. We're selling them below retail and quantities are limited so get your order in line while you can! There are still some blank books to make into art journals, pretty Love, Elsie product, alphas and tons of paper to fill in your stash. Thanks for checking it out.

We've had a long week in Cali. S has been to the doctor twice, Brett and I both made long overdue trips to the dentist and none of us have been sleeping well. No fun. So, tomorrow, I'm playing catch up and plan on tackling the sewing pile because on THURSDAY, Elsie and I are doing Etsy shop updates! We're trying to keep the plates spinning and both knew it'd been awhile since there had been anything new added. I'm finally going to get some totes in there and maybe some small quilt kits. You'll just have to check in on Thursday and see what shows up, I guess.
Oh, and have you seen the latest Urban Outfitters catalogs? They are inspiring me this week. I'm going to write in mine and doodle all over it. I've got some fun ideas running around in my head and I don't want them to vanish because I don't sleep enough. Elsie and I used to use old Anthropologie catalogs as journals. Who doesn't want to recycle something so pretty! Anyway, the size of this one is what I love. Like a newspaper.