Here's to a Grand New Year! 100 Things to look forward to in 2012.

Fare thee well, 2011! This year brought us lots of blessings, one of the most important was the birth of our youngest son, Jericho Vincent.

The whole pregnancy journey yielded practically a whole year of crafty inactivity, i.e., I made diddly squat for my etsy shops or my blog or Flickr for that matter. I simply lost the motivation to make anything. It's probably because all my energy was focused on making this perfect little being in me.

But of course I still visited all the local craft supply stores.
Of course I shopped and clipped coupons.
Of course I got some cool new tools and supplies.
Of course I stocked up.
But now you know what that means. Now I have a workshop filled with organized chaos all beckoning to be made into something wonderful.

And that's what I intend to do in 2012. In the midst of raising 4 kids, no less.

In the spirit of the new year, I thought creating a lofty list of 2,012 things to do in the New Year would be ideal. But then I thought: That's as realistic as making new year's resolutions and sticking to them. One hundred would be good for now and then add to the list as the year goes on. In random order, by no means in order of importance. This is what popped in my head:

1. Take a picture a day

2. Eat oatmeal/breakfast every morning

3. Donate to St. Louis NPR during their yearly drive.

4. Master soldering

5. Clean up my workshop. Finally.

6. Finish my daughter's necklace

7. Write a review about Pinterest and tell them their site rocks but their app stinks

8. Visit the Upcycle Exchange and pick up some cool stuff

9. Attend my 20 year high school reunion in Vegas

10. The inevitable desire after the previous post: lose some weight so I don't look like a fat cow

11. Pay the mortgage

12. Buy diapers for my son at Costco

13. Buy a 7-8 passenger van; or a Chevy Traverse?

14. Reopen the Etsy shops

15. Walk every day

16. Correction: Walk at least 30 mins. a day.

17. Be a healthy example for my kids and be active.

18. Bottle up my youngest's energy

19. Go back to school

20. Research Missouri's 529 MOST plan

21. Schedule Jericho's baptism

22. Read more

23. Write on the blog more regularly.

24. Crochet.

25. Knit.

26. Make some more awesome jewelry.

27. Set up the photo station downstairs.

28. Potty train my son before he turns 1

29. Celebrate being 37.

30. Color the white hair.

31. Ooooh...Facebook timeline. Need to do that.

32. Set up my new computer for business.

33. Practice with my son his multiplication tables

34. Celebrate the hubby being 37. Bwahaha!

35. Bring the kids to the dentist.

36. Celebrate my eldest being 14. Nooooo!!!

37. Do the taxes. Boo.

38. Make sure AT&T U-verse ain't ripping me off in June.

39. Take a picture of Jericho at every monthly anniversary.

40. Donate unused craft stuff to Upcycle Exchange.

41. Eat ribs at Bogarts.

42. Get fresh fruits and veggies in the diet every day.

43. Call Mom & Dad and check on them every other day.

44. Use up the yarn stash before buying new yarn.

45. Re-surface and repaint the outside entryway.

46. Paint the foyer and fix the cracks in the drywall.

47. Rip out the carpet and install wooden flooring. Ideal!

48. Treat the wooden fencing outside.

49. Re-surface and repaint the deck.

50. Change out the back door to one that's more energy efficient

51. Learn how to take better action pictures. Okay. Just better pictures.

52. Spend less.

53. Make a workout diary on the iPod Touch to track my walks

54. Learn a new language

55. Belly laugh more

56. Stop...no, reduce, impulse spending

57. Mail out packages for the sister and parents. C'mon, Christmas 2011 is done.

58. Pick up lowercase metal stamps

59. Save more

60. Attend an outdoor show at the MUNY

61. Drive by the Way of Lights at Our Lady of the Snows this Christmas

62. Vote!

63. Renew our "Do Not Call" numbers on the national registry.

64. RCIA.

65. Ward off hubby's desire to get a third dog for as long as possible

66. Eat less

67. Consume less sugar

68. Use more coupons

69. Shred all junk mail faster so there's no stacks of junk

70. Enroll Jorryn in dance or gymnastic class

71. Try out the Guerrilla Street Food truck (the only Filipino-inspired cuisine in St. Louis City)

72. Disenroll from the Republican Party.  Don't judge. I think their performance in the last 4 years has been shitty.

73. Be more patient and compassionate

74. Be persistent to get things done. Like now. (Wow. This is harder than I thought.)

75. Coordinate FB, Twitter, and Blog when I post something new. There is a way to do that in one shot, right?

76. Exercise the brain with more Words with Friends!

77. Teach kids how to cook; i.e., make a "kid's night" where they decide the dinner

78. Teach my kids a little more independence. Especially Noha.

79. Explore more of St. Louis

80. Attend a show at the Fox Theater

81. Get more active in the local craft show scene

82. Make more awesome jewelry. (Wait. I know I said that earlier.)

83. Visit Chicago and go to Argo Tea. I missed out the last two times we visited!

84. Learn how to make sago with the arnibal base

85. Collect all old cameras and see if I can trade them in before thinking about getting a new point and shoot.

86. Don't wait until Three Kings to take down Christmas decor and lights.

87. Be more well read.

88. Get more active in the kids' school community.

89. Attend an info session at Washington University and/or Maryville University for continuing ed

90. Hmmmm...grad school?

91. Update resume.

92. Help the kids create their own school resumes. Especially Jianna.

93. Finish this stinking list.

94. Make more crafty contacts.

95. Be a better friend.

96. Love more.

97. Thank God every day for all my blessings.

98. Be healthy.

99. Drop a line to the extended family every now and then.

100. Praise God when I finish what I set out to do.

Woohoo! It's a good thing I was realistic. 

Thanks for reading.  Here's to a prosperous and Happy New Year! Ready or not, here we come 2012!

Feature on Etsy Treasury: "Go Green" by Fifth Realm Press

Thank you Fifth Realm Press for a little green love of my Minty Coffee-a-Go-Go Sleeve! Check out their fantastic treasury by clicking on the image below:

 

A Little Political Advice mixed with some Fab Finds on Aloha Friday - 11.05.2010

Turn on the TV or the radio, and there's commentary and analysis of this past week's election results -- to point my sister and I love to call, "Analysis Paralysis."  With this in mind, I thought it would be fun to send handmade advice to all our lawmakers -- Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Tea Party, whatever -- advice straight from crafty folk.

Ready? All righty then.

1:  When Your Heart is Pure, Your Mind is Clear by nattopy
Childlike optimism, yes.  But so true.  Original artwork created with color ink pens.

2:  Keep Calm and Carry On by panona
Because human thought is more rational when one is calm and not governed by emotions. 8.5"x11" original poster.

3:  Ants Work Together by KrazyKutz
Self-explanatory, isn't it? Vinyl decal forMacbook.

4: Help Me Tee by CrazyInk Pink Screen
Following in the same vein as #3.  We all need to help one another.  Original screenprinted t-shirt.

5: Sit Down and Shut Up by WallStickz
Sometimes when we all talk at the same time, we need to sit down, shut up, and listen.  Vinyl decal for your car.

6: Life is a Big Road by thepixelprince
A "motivational spoof" poster with a quotation from Bob Marley.  Makes a lot of sense. 

7:  Opportunity for Compromise Departika Poster by Departika
Another self-explanatory piece of advice.  Original 12" x 18" poster.

8:  Together we Stand by violentgreen
Photographic print to remind us we are one nation. 

Short, sweet, and to the point.  Okay, stepping off my soap box now.  Don't forget to check out the above-listed artisans and support handmade!  Happy Aloha Friday!

That is all.

Happy Halloween and Keeping Up with The Karma...

*Sigh*  Halloween has come and gone.  Pfft!  Just like that.  Here's a taste of our Halloween last night:

Yeah, we had Ninja theme going on...

With the exception of my eldest. I don't know what she had going on for Halloween... hee hee.

My kids have a day off from school today.  They're all sleeping and enjoying their Halloween hangover. I'm taking advantage of the quiet, enjoying a cup of coffee and a slice of coconut cream pie, and listening to Sheryl Crow. 

"If it makes you happy," Sheryl wails.  Yes it does, Sheryl.  It makes me happy to eat pie in peace. Screw the diet. 

I'm doing a little catch up today.  I've been recognizing many creative artisans on this blog for about a year now.  Since karma works in mysterious ways, I too have had a few of my little works of art featured on some fabulous collections on Artfire, more so in the month of October than in recent memory.  I'm posting the collections here to return good karma than has been given me.

First up:
On 9/23/2010, my Scrubbie-Dub-Dub Tawashi got chosen for this cute Artfire Collection entitled "Little Eco Ways" by TieDyeSara. 

On October 17, 2010, LoveandPenguins listed my Coffee-a-Go-Go Sleeve on her lovely collection entitled "It's Not Easy Being Green."

The following day, Susan Sheehan added my 'Forest' Coffee-a-Go-Go Sleeve in her warm collection entitled "My Cozy Cabin".

Following in the desire to keep warm in our chilly weather, LizzieJoe included my 'Pumpkin' Coffee-a-Go-Go Sleeve in her collection, aptly named "Warm and Cozy."

Lastly, but most definitely not least, tinymatchboxstudio curated a Treasury inspired by the lyrics of the Bonnie Raitt song, "Workin' on a Love Letter" and included my Nested Heart Necklace on Etsy. 

Thank you so much, everyone!  Please visit the above links and peruse some handmade goodness, will you?  :) Happy 1st of November!

Happily Homegrown in St. Louis: Fab Finds on Aloha Friday - 10.22.2010

I was jonesing for some good coffee beans the other day.  My daughter and I stopped over at our neighborhood organic vegetable market, The Green House .  They carry a wide variety of locally produced goods, including fruits and vegetables, breads, honey, coffees, and teas.  We visited a few times before and were very impressed by their selection and more importantly, their genuine warmth and hospitality every time we visited the store.  By far, my favorite item is the Mississippi Mud Coffee they carry; and I wanted some.

When we walked in, we were happily greeted by one of the owners, Christine, who surprised me by saying she read my blog that morning and loved the pumpkin selection for my Fab Finds on Aloha Friday (10/8/2010).  Wow! Obviously, I was elated to hear she read my blog.  I couldn't get over it and was smiling from ear to ear.  It's terrific to know that in this vast expanse that is the internet, lovely people like yourself are reading. :) 

A few days later, I read on Facebook The Green House has just celebrated their 7-month anniversary.  Awesome!  In this struggling economy, I believe it's very important to support local businesses and entrepreneurs.  I am proud to support The Green House and the local businesses they support in turn.  So today, I wanted to tailor a special Fab Finds on Aloha Friday in honor of their 7-month anniversary, featuring artisan goods in and around the St. Louis, Missouri area with the color green as the motif. 
Enjoy!

1: Green Print Tote by flychicks

A stylish bag to tote all your goodies around town.  Fashionable!

2: Daydream Handmade Olive Oil Soap by BellaLunaCrafts
Bergamot?  Lemon?  Orange peel? I can smell the goodness of this soap created with citrus-y essential oils from over here. 

3: Little Apples Stationery, Set of 6 by pspapergoods
While e-mail is certainly quick, it lacks personality.   This very cute stationery gives you some style while you keep letter-writing from going the way of the dinosaurs.

4: Elfin Apron by Gingerly Garnished
The bold pattern on this handmade apron is fabulous.  I can totally see a girl elf wearing this apron while baking cookies for her Elfin husband. :)

5: Hot Apple Pie 6 oz Soy Candle by candlekitty
The smell of hot apple pie filling the air in your home?  Yum.  This unique candle does just that and in such a cute package, too!

6: Art Deco Rose Platter by Amanda Moon's Sunfire Shop
In going with the green motif, this little Rose Platter by pixiechick1 is absolutely cute to adorn your kitchen.

7: Jeweltone Holly Green Upcycled Neckwarmer by iheartmisslemon
With temperatures dipping down to the 40s at night, 'tis the season for warmth.  This fab upcycled scarf can help you keep warm while looking cool.

8: Birdhouse for Baggins by angelsgourden
Organic and artfully painted, this gourd is a rocking home for the birds visiting your garden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you to Christine and her daughter at The Green House for being my inspiration for today's Fab Finds on Aloha Friday.  Happy anniversary!  I wish you the best!

And to you, my lovely reader, Happy Aloha Friday.

Mod Podge Rocks. That is all.

So we've only got a couple months before Christmas, right? We've started to receive the Christmas toy catalogs from the likes of Toys 'R' Us, Target, and such -- thick, glorious, full-color, pamphlets filled with toys my children love to covet.  Well, my 4 year old happens to spy a Disney Princesses' kitchen, complete with the happy smiling faces of a few little girls playing with it. 

"Mommy, I want THAT!  Can we buy that today?"

"Uh, no, honey, you already have a play kitchen."

"But Mommy, it's blue and that's only for boys." 

"What?  Who told you blue was only for boys?"

"But I like the pink one, it's for girls."

"No, honey, you already have a kitchen.  I'm not going to buy a new one because it's pink. I'm not made of money."

Obviously, she was not happy with my response and she gave me the saddest, puppy-dog look I've ever seen.  In my defense, I bought her a way cool play kitchen from Target 3 years ago.  Yes, it is blue and red, and white.  But she never had a problem with it before. 

I was bummed to see her long face.  So, I told her, "Honey, why don't we pretty up your kitchen so it looks like the one in the picture?  We could add lots of pink." This piqued her interest.  "You could also help me spruce it up."  A big smile spread across her face. 

I got her attention. 

So, we went into my fabric stash, grabbed the Mod-Podge, foam brush, scissors, and blade and we went to work.  We added a foam clock and some hooks for her apron and other accessories.  So now her "blah" little boy's kitchen (as she characterized it) turned into this:

So, it's not a "Disney Princesses" kitchen.  So what.  She was happy with it and proud she helped to redo it.  And, it has quite a bit of pink.

She also learned a new word for the day: "Decoupage."  And perhaps the value of improving on what you've already got.