my favoritest!

(ok, I KNOW that's not a word!) . . .  but i had to share on of my most favorite releases from CHA this year.  how about these incredible graphic goodies from Hambly!!!??!  can I get a "woooohooo!" ;)  their products have always inspired me to create something unique & i can't wait to see these lovelies in person!

meanwhile, it is snowing up a STORM here, so i guess my attempt at being weatherperson was an utter failure as I said to my friends on Thursday, "I think we'll BARELY get an inch . . . if we see any snow at all!" . . . yeah, whatever!  now i'm betting the kids won't have school on Monday . . . as it is still falling & there's already probably 6-7 inches . . . i guess i'll keep my day job!! 

i feel another one coming on

. . . yes, i do. i feel another cold . . . here it comes! of course, you know me, always ready with my herbal concoctions closeby this cold better not plan on staying for too long! i've been sneezing all day and have the itchy nose thing going, but as my pharma buddies would say, it's just seasonal allergies getting ready to sprout! whatever it is, i'm gonna take something to ward it off and go to bed early tonight (after my usual reward of an episode of AI for a long, hard day!). but, before i go, here's what i've been up to lately:

first, a few weeks ago ian took the initiative and planned an incredible family outing for us to Mt Vernon to sit by the River with the kids and have a picnic Ian-style (i.e. -- there was ice cream involved!). Who cares that Mt Vernon is about an hour from our house w/o traffic . . . and there WAS traffic -- he packed the ice box, and there we sat on the banks of the Potomac w/our sundaes. It was heaven! Here's little Hudson making sure he gets first dibs on the ice cream!

and some other shots of my favorite moments from this much needed escape from the everyday!

(Ian & I . . . he was probably telling some dirty joke, as usual, right before azelin took this shot! But, hey, at least I'm still smiling after 9 years of marriage, right!?!)

WHO can resist these eyes!??! GOTTA love THIS KID!

of course, it wouldn't be a family moment w/o me whippin' out my camera and making everyone pose for a family portrait! these poor people! i'm surprised they don't just hide the batteries for my camera or something! LOL!

then, I headed to scrapdoodles (my lss) for a fun weekend of cropping w/some old and some lovely new friends. had a BLAST with these wild & crazy ladies! gotta give a shout out to my girl, cindy liebel for inviting me . . . THANK YOU!!!

we look goooo-ooood, don't we!! ha ha ha! ;)

then, another scrap-filled weekend for the salem baptist church crop where i ran my first make and take and talked up graphic45 and showed off my latest g45 project ( a wallhanging of my little man's firsts & most favorite things -- pics to come, my friends, don't you worry your pretty little heads about that!)

in the meantime, though, check out the prettiest little cards you've ever seen back at the graphic45 blog. some GREAT inspiration there -- paper, lace, flowers . . . um, hello, it's AMAZING stuff these ladies are doing!!

that's a sneak at my card for the challenge (at the beginning of this post)! i mixed it up with a little Hambly transparency, graphic45, and oh yes, bring on the stickles!

wishing you all sneeze-free days!

much love, natasha

on being grateful

perhaps the hardest thing for me to be is patient. i guess a close second would have to be trying to be grateful for the "process" of things while i'm trying to be patient. i've spent the last 8 years having 4 kids, working full time out and in the home for 5 of the 8 years, and now i REALLY want to go full steam with my art. creating something new at least every other day (allowing for some days off has let me refuel and gain some more inspiration and perspective on projects i sometimes leave unfinished until i come back a day or two later), has become my goal, and so far i've been pretty successful, as long as you count working until 1 or 2 a.m. and little sleep an acceptable sacrifice. i do. in fact, it's sometimes hard for me to sleep with so much creative energy stirring, so i have to purge it before i go to bed as a kind of cleansing. anyway, some goals that i have for 2009 are to follow and apply to any DT calls/contests from manufacturers who i adore, like american crafts, martha stewart, hambly, prima, pink paislee, october afternoon, and unity . . . oh, yeah, and to be published by some mags. another file in my "dream" folder would be to someday be a two peas garden girl, and have a line of product and fabric out that i design. oh, and did i mention that i LOVE to teach?!? so, teaching others art would also top my list. back to being grateful . . . i am grateful for all i have, for art, for design, for the ability to combine both . . . and, for the possibility of a dream come true.

(pictured: my personal 2009 gratitude journal, other versions available at my etsy store http://www.thebetterwifeco.etsy.com/ )

these are a few . . .

of my favorite things! I a currently obsessed with mini albums, embossing (especially in metallics!), and feathers!! here are peeks of two mini albums i did that i just love. the first i took prima flowers and folded them in half and used them as the skirt portion in a Cinderella-themed book about me and my hubby, ian. i also used the text from the actual book as the journaling and called this mini album, My Own Fairytale. I love how the inside just pops with hot pink (thanks to some yummy pink paislee papers) and turquoise (from the gorgeous prima paper flowers). it is a perfect blend of my addiction to clothes and art!

the other mini album, Note to Self, is my first attempt at an acrylic album. it was a challenge, but, if you know me at all, you know i LOVE a challenge and am not afraid to try anything! so, between trips to google to find out what the best adhesive is to use on an acrylic page, dabbling with alcohol inks, embossing on acrylic (it CAN be done, just hold your heat tool a little farther away), and using the see-through quality of acrylic with a ton of clear stickers (hambly) and transparencies (fancy pants/hambly), was too much fun! i'm sure i'll be lovin' me some acrylic again really soon!

holidays

i LOVE the holidays. we celebrate christmas, and this year, probably like everyone else, money is tight. so, i haven't spent NEARLY as much as i do on the kids, and i've felt more of the *christmas spirit* this year than any other. i can't quite put my finger on what it is i'm feeling, but i think spending less on things that don't matter, and spending more time crafting gifts by hand and journaling this special time has imprinted the spirit of giving much more than merely going out and buying a silly little gadget or toy (that will be lost or broken by next christmas, knowing my kids!). so, here's my challenge, go into your craft room/studio tonight and grab some great product like you see in this LO made with pink paislee, hambly, ranger/tim holtz, making memories, and creative cafe, to name a few, and journal something you love about this holiday season. in this LO, i just tried to capture the innocence of a child's spirit during these special times . . . the innocence that lies in all of us when we believe in something greater than ourselves.