What I'm working on

Alright, so it's an older photo, but it's still one of my favorites. Today I used my photo editing skills (thank you Jessica Sprague and Erin Cobb) to clean up this little fellow. Then I created
my own little watermark (so official looking!) It still takes me a while to go through all the steps for printing and preparing for internet, but it is getting faster!

I think on this photo I was very lucky. Most of my photos from 2009 aren't worth editing. I'll try to post some more recent photos soon!

A quick Silver Bella Tour

I know, I know, this post is long coming. I had to work some long shifts immediately upon coming home, then Thanksgiving, then the dull drudgery of Christmas shopping (OK, the shopping was enjoyable ;). First off, you gotta love these adorable top hats made by Cari Kraft :
Most Bellas start their trip by getting a shopping fix at Second Chance Antiques:

I scored a hat for vendor night, an embroidered blue silk with purple velvet:

Always old friends to meet and new friends to make (here with Amy Powers, Heather Buhaj, and Kathi Pilar)

We don't go away hungry, the chef made these special for our last dinner together:

Swaps are a favorite part of the whole Bella event, isn't this bee crown the best?

Did I mention shopping?

And finally, bringing home our precious pieces to display for our families:

Thanks for peeking into my trip!

Itty Bitty Sneak Peek

Leaving for Omaha on Wednesday, and my final swap is finished! These pretty Bella waterlilies are packaged and ready to go. Now I just have to get the rest of me ready!

Scattered

Blogging has been difficult for me on so many levels lately. Generally speaking, work has been taking up too much of my time. Not enough time with my family, let alone creative free time.

Mostly I've just felt guilty. I just don't have the energy or desire to put into creating things for my etsy shoppe. And I know I associate writing here with my creations, therefore I fear I have nothing to share.

But I am not unfulfilled. I have finally dusted off my Photoshop Elements 7 and am attempting to learn digital scrapbooking. So far this is going very slowly. I think I am going to be sidetracked soon into using PSE to edit photos. I have been very enamored with photography lately (desiring so immensly a new Canon-either a used 40D or, in my dreams, a 5DM2) and absolutely drooling over the gorgeous photo actions I've discovered in my new blog travels.

So, alas, my ribbon dying days may be in the past (who knows, though- I've got buckets loads of dye). Perhaps I will come back and share some photos. I still have Silver Bella lined up for November, and just finished my 15 book pages for the Vintage Beach Bella Fat Book. Now that's something I need a photo of!

Just an interesting side note: I love my birthday. It was incredibly cool this year to have it on 10/10 of 2010! And I received some great photography gear to boot!

Blossom Sugar Wafers

Life has been slowly coming back to some semblance of normal. Our computer has suffered a few glitches in the rebuild, then a few days with our U-verse lines down. My work schedule is becoming routine, and I finally feel like my creative soul can peek out once again. While I know I have a few projects planned out (still hoping to do a matching line for Dear Lizzy) I'm mostly starting with whatever moves me, just to get back into the swing of creating. I have a few new Button Blossoms in the shoppe tonight.

Technical Difficulties

What do you get when you add a do-it-yourself-non-techie husband with an infected hard drive? A computer that has been physically removed from my home so that it can be tested at his workplace (where the true techies are) since the beginning of April.

Ugh- I've had no access to documents, downloads, major software, photos and applications for over 5 weeks. I even purchased a new iTouch to replace the iTunes that crashed last November and can't do a thing with it! At least DH has finally admitted defeat (if I hear "just let me try one more thing" one more time I will scream!) and is listening to the so-called techies advice to just reinstall the hard drive.

So, hopefully I will be back in business soon!

Ribbon Rosettes for Spring

Has it really been a month? I must admit that Library of Memories is keeping me busy, but I am still super thrilled with the progress we are making toward better kept memories and stories.
It's been hinted that I needed a few more items up in my shoppe, and the rosettes are still top requested. I hope to have some of these beauties up in the next few days!

Except maybe that last one- it's may be a keeper! I'll see how much more of that ribbon I have left to make more.