To Everyone I Sort of Know

A little word of encouragement as you start your Monday.

Since Thursday I've:

* Put my feet in a very cold spring (does that count for swimming?)
* Gone to a park with good friends.
* Eaten burgers in the rain with new friends.
* Talked all night with old friends.
* Made plans to go to an outdoor movie.
* Made progress on decorating our house.
* Thrifted my way through Hardy, Arkansas.
* Celebrated a birthday.
* Watched a good indie film.
* Cleaned my bedroom.
* Spent more time outside.
* Made a very bad pot of chili.
* Made more time for resting.

The online art journal class is going full-steam ahead with four tutorials up for the making. Many have asked if future classes will be offered and I'm happy to answer a big fat YES. I've been working on a large batch of art journal pages that I'm eager to share over the next four months or as long as you all are eager to take the classes. Each class will showcase 8 new tutorials with a few other bits and pieces changed up or thrown in each month. I'm looking forward to it.

Has anyone else had three member of their immediate family jump out of a perfectly good airplane on the same day? My mom got hers on tape so you can be sure I'll post it once it hits Youtube.

Go get 'em!
~Rachel

Password problem & Solution

*Update*

SteadyHandFaultyHeart is case sensitive, so copy and paste it just like that.
The password is the same password sent via email. If you try that and still have trouble, try closing and re-opening your browser. Then you should (finally) be in.
Have fun! We're off to celebrate my mom's birthday. All she wants is to see Sebastian. We'll try and get to some emails during naptime. Otherwise, enjoy!

Brett

Everyone is having the same problem accessing the site so we're working on it. In the meantime, know that you're not the only one having the problem. We'll resend the correct info again. If you didn't get it the first time, e-mail me to let me know.

Thanks,
Rachel

Online Art Journal Class is in Session!

If you thought about it but didn't sign up, its not too late. You can still purchase a slot for $30 in the RVA etsy shop. Passwords have been sent out to those who completed their transaction through PayPal or personal check. If you didn't receive a password but know you've paid, please e-mail me so we can get your info to you.

I think this is going to be a repeat performance so if you can't join us this time, round two is only a few weeks away!

My husband makes his own laundry detergent.

If thats not a turn on, I'm not sure what is. {:> He did the test load tonight and we seem to have very clean towels. Well, I promised a picture last night and it wouldn't work for me but blogspot seems to be minding its manners tonight. Here it is. The most interesting thing going on in the barnyard. They were making eyes at each other the WHOLE time we were there. Good thing they were tied up.


This is my layout for the Design Experiment challenge blog. Thanks, Emily, for letting me Guest Design this week! I used stuff from our RVKC August Paper Kit.
The prompt was 'When you close your eyes at night or for a brief moment, what do you see?' The journaling pretty much sums it up these days. I'm so thankful for this house and all of the things we're adding to it to make it ours.

Speaking of challenge blogs, Red Velvet Kit Club is sponsoring the challenge at ScrapMojo right now so get over there and check out your competition for 'Say Hello to my little friend!'.

And since we're talking about scrapbooking today, we just relisted the July Paper Kits in the RVKC Etsy Shop for only $22.00! We still have plenty of August Paper Kits left, too.

PonyParty has been updated today with a few of my favorite finds as of late. I came home with a lot of orange this weekend. This pretty set of pumpkin colored cups was a surprise.

And then there was this pretty Japanese fabric...

And the sweetest set of plastic cafeteria trays...

But none of them were quite as exciting as the yellow Vera Neumann cloth napkins...


I've stumbled upon or been approached by some talented Etsy sellers that I've been eager to share with you.

Multiple Personality
I love her soft colors and little girl themes.

xFreshBatteryx
Anything looks sweet when it's embroidered. Even organs.

WonderThunder
I ordered this felt patch for S last week.

ThePeachPit
I have this one.

And then there is my favorite new monkey stationary.

Though summer threatens to leave us, I'm adding things to my list every day to make me feel as though I've DONE summertime. Number 1 was the county fair.



I've still got to manage to:

* Go swimming in a river.
* Make fruit smoothies for breakfast.
* Have lemonade and bar-b-q chicken on my front porch.
* Lay out and get sunburnt. (hold your comments, please)
* Make ice cream in a bag!
* Find a dining room table.
* Gather enough lanterns to keep us warm and glowy in the Fall months on our back porch.
* Make a sundress because its still hot enough to wear them through October.
* Read a good book without having to make time for it when I'm on the toilet. (I know I'm not the only one.)
* Go to an outdoor movie at Founder's Park.
* Enjoy my first Art Walk.
* Write a real letter or two to family members to thank them for their kindness.
* Figure out PHOTOSHOP!!!

The best part about the last one is that I'll get to learn it on my new MacBook! Apple is going to replace our old iBook with an upgrade to the latest MacBook just because we have had the same problem with our iBook three times. Thankfully, we purchased Apple Care with our original computer so we were covered every time it broke down. They are throwing in an iPod Nano just for our trouble. Do I really need to say that if I wasn't officially sold on Apple before, I definitely am now. THANKS, APPLE! THANKS, Steve Jobs!

I'm officially caught up on my thoughts. I hope it won't be so long before we can do this again. Thanks for reading!

~Rachel

P.S. I guess staying up late has its benefits. PonyParty was just featured on Poppytalk. Since I don't know how to do a screen shot, its the first listing for August 6th if you'd like to see. Thanks, Poppytalk!

P.S.

A big smooch to everyone who purchased a spot for the Online Art Journal Class. The very secret and exciting password will be sent to everyone's e-mail account on the evening of August 6th. IF your regular e-mail account is DIFFERENT than the one given via your PayPal account, you may have a moment of panic. Never fear, just send me an e-mail and I'll send it to that one.

P.s. I have another post coming today to share an actual scrapbook page that I did for a fun challenge blog.

P.P.S. Our computer crashed for the third time in four months a few days ago. It always waits until right before kits are going out to die. However, we were fortunate enough to be able to borrow another Mac and are getting things out the door today and forevermore.

P.P.S.S. I've got a smashing fairgrounds barnyard shot to share in the promised second post of the day. It will be worth coming back for.

August Kit and Journaling Class Details

The August Paper Kit from Red Velvet Kit Club is up for sale in our Etsy shop for non-subscribers. We are excited to have Jen Geigley as our GD. She contributed her talent to the kit in the form of these fabulous mid-century modern tags. LOVE THEM!



In other news...the response to the art journaling class has been OUTSTANDING! Thank you to everyone who has signed up or wanted to really bad but can't. THANKS! Each of you have contributed to our best friends, Katy and Adam, bringing their first son home from Ethiopia later this month. We are all so excited that its drawing closer and this will only make the last part of the process easier on that sweet new family.

Its not too late to sign up if you're still thinking about it. We'll be accepting spots until August 6th at midnight. The cost is now $30.00 and slots can be purchased HERE. I can't wait to get this class started and see what lovely things come from it.

Happy early weekend. I'm off to the garage sales for a short break before kit packing resumes. PonyParty is being featured in the Etsy mailing list today! It goes out to some 13,000 subscribers daily so I'm excited about the potential new customers coming that way. And I didn't get to share last week but Design*Sponge posted about the makeover I did on Sebastian's shelving unit. Thanks so much lovely, inspiring, generous internet connections!

On a random personal note...I've watched Feist sing '1, 2, 3, 4' on Sesame Street about 30 times this week. Sebastian is in love.

August Online Art Journaling Class!!!

Slots are now available for my online art journaling class for August 7th-18th and beyond. You can get yours HERE.

Slots will be available for purchase until July 31st for $25. After that time, I'll offer another 10 slots for $30.00. Your purchase also enters your name into a drawing to win over $100 worth of Love, Elsie product. The winner will be announced during the week of August 11th.

Whatever else you may have planned for August will still happen. This can fill in the blanks! See Etsy Shop for details.

Eeeny, Meenie, Miney, Mo...

Blogger Marcy said...

Just last week I picked up some locker baskets and a globe!!! I've been looking for those for so long!!

So, Blogger Marcy Penner is the winner. HA. Even your name rhymes. Send me your addy and your three favorite things from the shop and I'll surprise you with one of them! Oh, and has anyone seen the photography of her kids on her blog? So beautiful.

Its been a deliriously long week, ya'all. Make that two months. But, I keep telling Brett how happy I am to be here, in this town, in this house, in this 'job'. Well, now its 'jobs'. Bring on the tired eyes, the weary mind, the short temper...I digress. I've been fortunate to have a patient AND good-looking husband.

I went to a flea market with my Katy friend this afternoon and bought the COOLEST lamp (which I'm keeping) and the second coolest carafes (which I'm selling in the shop next week). I've never seen these before.



On to more fun! I'm teaching an online journaling/mini class that starts August 7th. I'll be putting up more details on Sunday but the cost is $25 and I'll be selling slots in my RVA Etsy shop (Sunday). Its going to include eight tutorials, access to a TON of my old art journals, and a few other surprises which may or may not include an appearance from a dear friend of mine who happens to now be about 1 mile away. And she scrapbooks. And she has great sunglasses. And she makes the best chili ever. EVER. So, check back on Sunday!

Ta!

R

Grand Opening!

Welcome to PonyParty.

I'll be updating the shop every day for the rest of the week and will take a break on the weekends. A girl's got to go shopping sometime, right? Thanks for all of your excitement and suspense. I hope it was worth the wait. If you don't see something you MUST HAVE today, check back with us later. I've been saving some special items for later this week once the shop is well under way. Many of you have asked about the colored lotus bowl set and I'm still talking Brett into letting go of them. IF I do put them up, I'll let you know in advance.

To celebrate our Grand Opening, I'll be doing a few give aways. All you have to do is list your favorite thrift store finds in the comments section below before Saturday and you'll get a chance to win one of three thrifted items of your choice. ALSO, if you mention our store and link up to us on your blog this week, let me know and I'll give you %20 off your first purchase. Make sure to e-mail your blog post URL and full name to our new shop address. Aponyparty (@) gmail (dot) com.

Back to work. You guys are the best!

~Rachel

Its So Close...

Its so dark in here that little bugs are walking across my monitor. I'm keeping them company. I've been on the couch, which I love having, all day with my ruler and a steady stream of iTunes listing items in my vintage shop. I want to make sure its nice and full for the Grand Opening so I'm not giving away the shop name just yet but I DID make my first sale tonight whilst listing! I have a good feeling that I'll be ready to unveil on Wednesday mid morning so check back soon.

We had a great time in Arkansas on Sunday despite leaving the house without any extra diapers, wipes, a change of clothing or the pacifier needed for naptime. Sebastian played with the chickens and picked out their eggs for us to take home. Brett's grandparents know how to keep a boy from wanting to go home! Lots of ice cream and bubbles seem to do it for him.





And don't you know you're supposed to wear pink flats to see chickens!

See you Wednesday!!!

A Lovely, Happy, Melty Kind of Weekend

No more long distance phone calls for us.

I just spent the day with two of my favorite people in the whole world. The best part is that I can do it all over again next week!

Katy and her mom have been providing us with easy entertainment and farmer's market produce this week. They love a good treasure hunt and have taught Sebastian how to sign for 'train'.

Elsie knows the best sushi restaurants in town and also indulges me in visits to local flea markets and coffee shops.

I was pinching myself this afternoon after a full day with these two incredible friends to make sure all this goodness was real. I haven't been so excited about living somewhere in a long time. I love it here. I love being so close to people who have known me for as long as it matters. Close to the art and culture of an exciting downtown atmosphere. Close to easy, Midwestern people and the comfort of balmy evenings full of lightning bugs and the sound of pick-up trucks. We belong here.

Sebastian and I have discovered a park only two blocks from our doorstep. Ironically, Elsie and I did an art camp there for the neighborhood children about four summers ago. Happy memories met us on the swings.

We found a couch today. We sold our table. We're still gathering and sending out and making it just right. Soon we'll have something pretty to show you.

Off to Arkansas to see Brett's grandparents and peruse the local flea markets.

Have a lovely Sunday.
~R

Coming Soon!

I'm opening a vintage store to share my finds with those who appreciate them. Its officially opening next week as I get all the information organized and stored and added to the shop so I'll be back with a Grand Opening announcement soon!

I've been inspired by the insides of people's homes on flickr and apartmenttherapy.com since we've been creating our own home environment on a budget and some of the greatest resources have been second hand. Seeing how others have used items with great potential and given them a makeover have helped fill space in my home without sacrificing aesthetics. Wandering through so many flea markets, thrift stores, and front yards on a Saturday morning has been a small thrill these last few weeks because I'm discovering bits and pieces that are bright and cheerful and ready to make their debut in my store.

I hope some of you are as excited to see them as I was.

We broke 100,000!

I offer you each an award of loveliness.

I enjoy that you all stop in from day to day or time to time. It probably means more to me than it should but I appreciate it, nevertheless. Your comments are special and your interest in art/sewing/scrapbooking/kids, etc. is what makes this online place a place that I want to come back to again and again.

I made something yesterday that I posted about HERE.

Here is a shot of another Craigslist score.

And one for the ladies...


Our mice are moving out, the mosquitos were sprayed, and we have pretty flowers on our porch.

Its getting better.

~Rachel

Please keep arms and legs in the cart at all times.

Monday afternoon, we'll land in Springfield (again) and embrace a messy, lovely home and an extended to-do list. I've got big plans for the rest of July so WATCH OUT WORLD!

We left our house a mess on the 2nd of July, got in the car on a whim, and drove to Oklahoma to surprise my parents and grandma who weren't expecting us until the next day. Part of the need to dash was to escape the chaos that our sweet house was in. I had forgotten how out of sorts you can feel when you can't find your drinking glasses, that brown skirt that goes with everything, or the small drill bit that you need to hang anything on your plaster walls. We had packed so well and even remembered to put the bedding, trash bags and interior shower curtain in the same box so we wouldn't have to dig for hours upon arrival. However, the piles and piles and piles of stuff made me terribly anxious. I needed order. I needed it right away.

We weren't able to get into our home until 9 p.m. on the night of July 1st but with the help of some great friends, we cleared enough space out of our bedroom where everything had been stacked and stored for two weeks so that we could climb into bed. That night was Sebastian's first night in his own room and his toddler bed. What should've been a welcome change of pace had me awake with worry most of the night. What if he fell out of bed? What if he woke up and didn't know where to find us? I was a mess.

We all got up at 6:30 the next morning and dragged ourselves through the to do list. Brett ran errands with Sebastian while I unpacked more boxes. We both felt like dropping dead by noon. If ever there was a time to get a babysitter, it was this day.

As cranky as I was on the 2nd, I am thrilled that we have this space to make our own. I'll post pictures of corners of our home as they are put in place this month but first on our to-do list is getting the July kits sent out. After supplies for July are ordered, I've got plans for an online class for the end of the month! (More details to follow.) THEN, another surprise for the first week of August! There will be a lot of action in the working half of our dining room so I'm sure that will be the first space to be sorted out.

Thank you to everyone who is still reading the sporadic posts on this blog. I appreciate each comment and all the well wishes in our new town. I can't wait to bring you a visual representation of our new life in the coming weeks.

Oh, and I'd LOVE to hear your moving stories. How long did it take you to unpack? How long did it take until you loved your space? How many times did you rearrange that first month?

~Rachel

Happy Birthday, Baby!

This man turns two today. He couldn't be any more my favorite small person in the whole world and I'm thankful every day that he's mine.

We're packing the day full of family time and celebrations in Oklahoma. We are officially moved into our unpacked house but we'll save that for another post.

Happy Fourth of July to you all, American and British alike!

(thanks, KT, for this great photo!)