And speaking of bloopers...

I was so excited that I got this set finished and wanted to take pictures right away, because I am that impatient when it comes to my work. This is the one that I mentioned before that is my ultimate FAVORITE design (if he actually read my blog, Jon would be cracking up right now, because he says my favorite design is always my newest design... I guess there is some truth to that!) So, it just so happened that Sydney was actually in the mood for pictures yesterday. That is a shot in the dark with that girl because she's so darn moody. She voluntarily put on the outfit and sat quietly while I fixed her hair and smiled sweetly as I cleaned her face and hands with a wipe. I was giddy with excitement. This is too good to be true! I went to the office to get all my gear and check email one last time before heading out to the park for pictures. Sydney headed in the direction of the playroom. I thought, "Well, good, she'll be entertained while I get my stuff ready." I come out to get her and this is what I see >>>>>>>


She immediately burst into tears, not because I reprimanded her in any way but because the look on my face must have been of pure horror. How could you punish a face like this? What you are not seeing in this picture is that the blue marker went all the way up both arms and was covering her feet and legs too. But, surprisingly enough she managed not to get even a tiny spot on the set... believe me I checked!


So, I got her all cleaned up (well, as best as I could) and off we went to the park for pictures. She must have been feeling pretty guilty because this was by far the best photoshoot I have ever had with her. She stood when I told her to stand, sat when I told her to sit, looked this way & that way when I told her to and was just as sweet as could be. Oh, and did I mention how much I looooooove this set? LOL! It is my first pair of decoupage jeans (jeans made from scratch too, not pre-purchased) and I am so in love with them that I have to keep them for Sydney. So, this set will be offered as a custom either today or tomorrow, depending on how quickly I can get my template together. Here are a few of my favorite shots from yesterday's session:


Afterwards, I rewarded her by taking her to the "big playground" and I didn't even make her go through the uncomfortable pain of changing outfits in the car. This is the kind of "rugged" outfit that you can wear to the playground, a picnic or a birthday party, but still looks great as a sweet little portrait set. And the more it is washed, the more character it will get. Here she is enjoying her sweet reward:
This is not up for auction yet, but it will be soon. You can find all of my eBay auctions by clicking here.

The Costa Rica Collection is here!

Well, at least part of it. The "food poisoning" or "flu virus" (or whatever the heck it was) prevented me from getting much done last week, but now that I am back to my old self again I am cranking these out! LOL! I sewed last night as if my life depended on it and the product of it was perhaps my most favorite piece of clothing I have ever created!! Hmmm... maybe I should take long sewing breaks more often so I can come back with super-human energy. I will share a little sneak peek later tonight.

But for now, I just listed 2 items as part of LimeVine's SOLEIL launch and the Children of the World debut launch. These are my first 2 items from The Costa Rica Collection which I've mentioned before here. There will be more listed later this week, so stay tuned!

First, is a 2-piece set ready-made in size 2T-4T. Click here to see the auction:




Secondly, the wonderful lotus flower pin! (brainchild of my friend Maria). Click here to see the auction:




As I mentioned above, more from the collection will be listed later on this week. We had a photoshoot today (and an excellent blooper that I will share with you maybe later tonight!).

Laundry, Vomit and a little Award

No, I did not get an award for washing clothes and puking but I should have, as my body feels like it has gone through a horrible boxing match right about now. Let's just say that my first week back from the Boutique Cafe Girls Getaway Weekend has not been the easiest for me.

First I had to relive the whole experience in tears as I read everyone's blogs and browsed through hundreds of pictures... my throat was in a knot for most of Monday & Tuesday. Then I had to tackle the huge mountains of dirty laundry that had accumulated while I was gone. See, I had been too busy to do anything but pack & prepare the days before the getaway so it had REALLY piled up. I washed non-stop for days... well, until Wednesday evening came around, then I wasn't doing much but hugging my toilet. Let's rewind, shall we? Jon goes out of town on Tuesday for 3 days (work-related). On Wednesday, the girls say they want Happy Meals for lunch. So off we go to McDonald's and I think I'm being good and staying on my diet by ordering one of their Premium Salads and an Unsweetened Iced Tea. Fast forward to 7 or 8 hrs. later as I'm watching huge chunks of lettuce, tomato and whatever the heck else they put in those salads come out of me with a fierce fury. The food poisoning lasted for about 36 hrs. and I was here alone with 2 small children and no one to help. Yep! That's what I should have gotten the award for.

But no. I actually received a Thinking Blogger Award from two of my favorite bloggers of all time. I am so honored... and surprised! First because I didn't think my blog was making anyone think, LOL, and secondly because these two women who I admire greatly actually nominated me. How cool is that? I was nominated first by Sarah (marvellousmouse) and then By Gyl (rhembein). Thanks ladies!! Now I'm supposed to nominate 5 bloggers. And I know it's probably against the rules but I will be nominating you guys back because you blogs really make me think... or I guess muse. hee hee

**UPDATE** I also received a Thinking Blogger nomination from my friend Amelia of SweetFeetBoutique. She has recently made the switch from Blogspot to Typepad and I totally missed it because I was sick for so many days. Thanks, Amelia!!! ***


OK, on to the "rules":

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

OK, so now it's my turn. I will nominate 2 blogs that will probably never see this posting at all because they are just too cool for me (LOL!) but I read them just about every day and they inspire me in so many ways:

1. Dooce: I have been reading her blog for about 3 years now -- way before I ever even dreamt of having a blog of my own. She makes me want to be a better writer and photographer and I am extremely inspired by the fact that she was able to turn blogging into a full-time job. Even her hubby quit his job to help maintain Dooce. WAY TO GO!!

2. HELLO My Name Is Heather: She inspires me to push myself creatively every day and to surround myself with beautiful things. Her blog gives me the visual stimulation I need every day... like a bit of caffeine kick to get me going. Lovely!

3. PortabelloPixie: She got me interested in starting my own blog. Her beautiful photography and design inspired me to get started and I've never looked back. Thanks, Sandi!

4. Rhembein: WOW! What can I say?! She was recently nominated for 5 different Blogger awards and was very deserving of them. Gorgeous photography, interesting stories, beautiful designs. Everything a blog should be wrapped into a sweet package! Thanks for the shout out, Gyl... right back at cha! ;)

5. MarvellousMouse: Sarah is about a genuine as they come. Her posts are heartfelt and humorous and so thought-provoking. Again, thanks for the shout out, Sarah... right back at cha! ;)

Thanks for bearing with me on this long post. It had been a long, long week since I posted so I thought I'd better make it a good one. I want to leave you with a link to a new blog that just started tonight by my good friend Gyl. It is called Boutique Bloopers and the site seriously had me in stitches tonight. I sent in a couple of my own bloopers, but let me tell ya... you don't wanna miss out, so click here to check it out. (I also added a link to it there to the right under Favorite Blogs)

Good night.