Have to share!

I've been busy working on some design projects and finally got a chance to post today.  (Can you tell one of my projects was to redesign my blog? Let me know what you think??)

I also really need to share this in case you missed these fabulous happenings over at GCD Studios.

This giveaway is phenomenal.  I'm so jealous I can't enter this contest. I SO would like to go to the Brave Girl Camp!! What could be better than time in the mountains with Melody Ross creating and being a brave girl?

 

Here is a sneak peak inside Brave Girl's Camp.

And here's another fabulous thing to consider.  The search for new designers for GCD Studios is under way.  We'd love to have you join the team.  There's still time.  Click on the image below for the details.

Last year...

Saturday, was our Emily's 12th birthday.  It's really so hard to grasp that this is the last year before she becomes a full fledged teenager.  I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that she's not this little girl anymore.

Or this little girl.

Or even this one.

We began the morning like we do each year on birthdays.  We always wake the kids to the "Happy Birthday" song.  Emily being more of an early riser like Richard, has learned to just play possum in recent years.  (If you know how much I'm a not a morning person, you'll know that while I treasure this tradition, it was not instituted by yours truly.)

Before she left for her basketball game, we surprised her with a cellphone gift card. (Her main gift, and it's turned out to be quite a big gift, was to redecorate her room.) She was quite shocked with the phone as she figured she wouldn't be getting one until next year, because that's when Miles got one. Richard took her to pick one out after the game.  Not surprisingly, she came home with a neon green phone!

Later, she had 6 of her friends over for a sleepover birthday party.  And I just have to share this photo because it totally cracks me up! 

Smarty pants here blew with all her might right down the center of her cake. You can see she realizes what she's done, that the candles are on the outside. She took the laughter well and proceeded to blow them out on each side!

As if I didn't know it before, we realized just how noisy tween girls can be. Lots of squealing, screaming and running around!!  But they are a great group of girls and if the noises were any indication, I know they had a fun time. :)

I'll share photos of Emily's room makeover soon.  I even painted 2 large canvases with flowers to match her bedspread.  Before and after room shots are in order for sure. With several, fun projects that have been keeping me busy, I have lots to share. :)

I think this post receives "the longest time in draft mode" award.  I began writing it on Monday, but put on hold for some freelance design work and then got hit with a really nasty stomach bug Wednesday night. Despite feeling much better this morning, I quickly discovered, as I started to attack the mountain of dirty clothes looming in the laundry room, that I need to take it slower today than I had initially thought.

Looking forward to a sunny and healthy weekend!!

Blizzard of a post

Okay, I've got a lot to share today so hunker down!

For the previous 3 winters in Missouri, we've had a few snowfalls each season, all safely under a foot. People always talked about the winter before we came, how they had a ton of snow and the city was shut down for days. Well, we can now say we survived our first true blizzard.

We bundled up in complete snow gear and made an attempt at shoveling yesterday morning.  I was thinking we'd try and stay on top of the shoveling, so it would not be a daunting of a task once it finally stopped snowing. We quickly discovered shoveling was completely futile because there is a really nice layer of ice under the snow.

The children made the best of it and started "body sledding" down the driveway.  We had lots of laughs. 

 In fact, here is a video where you can listen to me laugh at their antics. :)

Miles and I both shoveled a path for the Tucker in the backyard and twice the wind just blew it away, leaving no trace of the work we had done.

Needless to say, I'm thinking we'll be here for a while.  Our driveway really is too steep for safe driving.  I might, might be able to just slip down, but coming back up would be an impossible task with the amount of ice under the snow.

I also wanted to finally share the layouts I created for GCD Studios booth at CHA.  The new lines are really fun. I can't wait to get our next set of assignments.  All of my layouts were created with only the paper. (The embellishments, which are truly the some of the best, weren't ready for the shipments to the designers.)

I was asked to create layouts for the Soul Food, Animal Crackers for Boys and Great Outdoors lines.

I asked Heidi to add some fabulous words and embellishment pieces to this one.

If you are loving the new lines, Heidi just posted a call for 9 new designers.  I've gotten little hints of the things to come and I'm super excited and honored to be coming back as a designer for GCD Studios for another year. Join us!!

And lastly, contrary to my past beliefs about snow days, where I imagined I could get so many projects accomplished because we would have to stay home.  I've discovered it's like the snow also collects in my brain.  :) I really have a hard time actually completing a task, but in between drying the dog and the swirl of commotion with the kids home, I'm not as nearly as productive as I thought I'd be.

My goal today is to paint two canvases for Emily's room. Her birthday is next week and we are redecorating her room. We had the best time shopping and bargain hunting for new stuff. I'm still hunting for an old wing back chair to recover for a reading corner.  I'll share photos when I get the painting done.

And as I type this post, Emily walks in and starts telling me I need to organize my studio better. (I do have too many Studio Calico kits on the floor under my window.) She suggests totally rearranging my closet, which she offers to help me do, starts moving things around and then leaves to eat lunch. Now I have to put it all back together.  See what I'm up against!! Ugh!