And sometimes I keep my promises...

I bet you thought I was gonna keep that Halloween post up until Christmas, eh? Well, I fooled you. I've plunged back into full work mode after a few days of r&r following the madness of Quilt Market. Full work mode around here pretty much means very little sleep and infrequent blogging, tweeting or talking. I work late into the night, am crabby every morning until I have my caffeine infusion then I work, work, work till the kiddos come home... and then I work some more. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

But what prompted that silly title up there is all these post-market little flip cam videos of me that keep popping up here & there. I always cringe when these come up because, 1. I hate the way I sound on tape and 2. I never know what kind of crazy things I said or promised on video because it's usually all a blur for me.

Case in point, last Spring Market, Ms. Sandi did a quick little flip cam interview of me in which I apparently promised I would do a pattern or a tutorial or something on that lollipop quilt I had hanging up on my booth. Well, as you all probably know, that never happened. Between designing a new fabric line, a whole new slew of patterns, doing a little remodeling, and taking care of household duties it just got pushed aside. And to be perfectly honest, the pattern needed some major tweaking. I did those pinwheel shapes in a hurry and fudged with them until they were right (on fabric, not on paper) but I never really sat down to polish up the pattern and make it sew up right... so that's that.

So, as you can imagine, when this new flip cam video showed up on Boutique Cafe (shot by the lovely Bari J.) I watched with trepidation to see what kind of crazy things I promised this time. Well, I was so pleasantly surprised when I realized I am actually following through on all these promises!!! Yay me!

Check it out... I mentioned doing a pattern for the Hummingbird Quilt (DONE) and a pattern for a Pillow Trio (DONE) and even a pattern for the Mini-Ava (DONE, and more on that later!) All of these patterns and more are part of my January 2010 release. Most are on the way to the testers this week and I couldn't be more ecstatic!

So, see... sometimes I do keep my promises! ;)



Oh, I have so many new things to share with you! We've added a couple of new members to the MODKID team and I will be doing proper introductions here in the next couple of weeks. We've also added a whole new slew of pattern testers that are eager, willing and able (haha). Things are shaping up great for 2010!

And since I'm here now and don't know when I'll get another break to blog again, I thought I'd share some awesome findings from my MODKID Flickr Pool.

I spotted this adorable Nina set yesterday and the sewist, who happens to live in Malaysia, even blogged about it!



Loving these Frida and Sydney sets from Creative Works By Ann:







I seriously gasped when I saw this breathtaking version of my Kyoko pattern by NanaKidBoutique in Abu Dhabi! Add a ruffle here & there and... VOILA!





Mary Abreu of Flourishes posted this fun, colorful version of the Sydney Hooded Tunic modeled by the sweet Miss L.



And last, but certainly not least, check out this super fun Kyoko made by Melanie of Above All Fabric. LOVE IT!! Check out the pattern review she posted on her blog on this Kyoko and on her Sophie 3-Way Pants.



And there are tons and tons more where these came from. Check them out! And please post your own if you want to share with us. :)

Chatty Patty

Jon always says I have the gift of gab, but I think today I've definitely outdone myself! So, if you're not sick of me yet, you can hear me, see me and read me at the following places:

Hear Me: Lori Vanmaanen of Sew Forth Now did a Podcast interview with me last Friday. If you have 41 minutes to spare (and who doesn't?) check this out... I chat about everything from growing up in a third-world country, to how I got into fabric design, to the CPSIA, to working with chopsticks (seriously!) And if you make it till the end of the interview, you'll even get a virtual sneak peek of my new fabric collection, Mezzanine. Nope, no pictures yet, but I do describe it in detail so if you have a good imagination you may be able to conjure up some images. It'll be fun to see how close you get, eh?

Click here for Sew Forth Now podcast

See Me: My dear friend, Daria, of Boutique Café, just posted a fun videocast of her visit with me at Fall Quilt Market. This interview is different from the live videocast I posted a while back. This one actually takes place on location at my booth, so you can get a feel of the space and the sewn items I presented. Please disregard the fact that I was chewing gum through the whole interview (how rude!) and that my name tag was hanging off one string until it finally popped off (eeek!)

Click here for Boutique Cafe videocast

Read Me: And finally, the nice folks at Quilt Home emailed me today to tell me that they just received the entire Andalucia line in their store and that they are featuring me on their most recent member newsletter. Oh, and to top it all off, they are offering a 20% discount on Andalucia purchases using the coupon code below... but hurry this offer ends on January 31st!


And since I'm in a chatty mood, I wanted to thank you all for the pattern love. So thrilled you all like Lil' Chef and Frida. Thanks so much for the suggestions on what sort of accessory to offer with Frida. An overwhelming majority voted for a head scarf (kerchief) so I got to work on a fun tutorial for it and it turned out super cute. Plus, I decided at the last minute to add a 3rd version to the pattern, so now it'll have Version A, B & C plus the kerchief! Fun, fun, fun! My next post will have some fun pictures of our day trip to Indianapolis in which Sydney wore her Frida dress and matching kerchief... it was a sure hit!

CPSIA and how it will affect YOU, the consumer

If you read my blog chances are you also read other craft-related blogs out there and are probably sick of seeing the acronym CPSIA all over the web. I hope you don't turn away when you see the title of this post because you think this is some sort of industry-related stuff that does not pertain to you, the consumer, the buyer. Just give me a couple of minutes to explain how this law will also affect you, if it indeed goes into effect on February 10th, 2009.

If you think the internet is saturated with CPSIA rants that is because February 10th is right around the corner and people are finally starting to realize that it's too close for comfort.

Here are a few questions I'd like to ask you:

• Have you purchased handmade, or "boutique," clothes or accessories for your kids in the past?
• Have you ever gone into your local family-owned toy shop in search of unique toys for your children? Something perhaps you can't find at Walmart or Toys R Us?
• Have you ever received a handmade quilt, baby blanket or pillow for your child?
• Have you ever purchased anything for your child at a local arts & craft fair? or at your school? or at your church?
• Have you ever commissioned a special piece of furniture (crib, rocking chair, high chair, doll house) from a local artisan?
  
• Have you purchased anything on Etsy, and I mean anything (jewelry, shoes, toys, clothes, hairbows, bibs, burp cloths, blankets, booties, books) for your kids in the past?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this law will affect you too. (But even if you prefer to buy from large toy & clothing manufacturers, this law will still affect you... read on.) As a little background, the CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, and it was written after high levels of lead were found in toys and other children products manufactured in China. I'm sure most of you remember that mess a few months ago! Well, we are all in favor of protecting our children from dangerous substances, that is not the issue here. The issue is that the way this law is written the only items on the shelves that will be available for children will be coming from these large manufacturers that created the problem in the first place, because they are the only ones who will be able to afford the very costly third-party testing for lead and phthalates as mandated by this law.

And just to clarify, we are not asking for this law to be obliterated. We all care about the safety of our children. We are just asking for it to be amended to protect innocent small businesses across America which mostly started as a result of wanting to give parents and children a safer alternative to mass-produced toys & clothes.

What does this mean for our economy? If this law goes into effect, hundreds of thousands of indie designers, seamstresses & crafters will have to cease producing their adorable handmade goods because they won't be able to afford the cost of testing and certification (and if you're wondering just how costly these tests are, check out this comprehensive article written by Happy Panda. She has done extensive research on this matter!). It also means that hundreds of thousands of children's boutiques, indie bookstores and privately-owned toy stores across the nation will have to close their doors because their vendors will be gone and they won't be able to afford testing of their own. No wonder they are calling February 10th, 2009 "National Bankruptcy Day"!

And what does this mean for you, the consumer? It pretty much means that if this law goes into effect, you will no longer be able to buy gorgeous handmade clothes, shoes or accessories for your children. It also means that you will not find small-run, handmade, unique toys at your local privately-owned toy store and you will probably never see children's products sold a Craft Fairs across the country again. But if you do happen to see any of these products available after February 10th, they will now bear overinflated prices because their makers will have to add on the cost of testing and certification. Be prepared to pay $800 - $1000 for a custom boutique outfit that used to only cost $100 - $200. And speaking of over-inflated prices, you will see these on mass-produced children's items from large manufacturers too as these companies will incur the high costs of testing as well.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just as I was writing this post, I came across this article (via Boutique Cafe) that states that "[CPSC Spokesperson, Patti Davis] said hand-made, one-of-a-kind items likely will be exempt, which would allow small-time crafters and seamstresses of children’s products to continue making and selling original products.” This is a promising assertion, but unfortunately is not an official ruling at this point (note the use of the word "likely"). I hope we can make it official.

So, what can you do to help? There are several ways you can make your opinion be heard:

• Sign this petition to repeal the CPSIA
• Vote for this idea on Change.org to be presented to President Elect Obama on inauguration day
• If you feel so inclined, contact your Senator and Congressman/woman regarding this issue
• Spread the word! The more people that are aware of this the better.

Thanks for staying with me through this long and grueling post. I can't stress enough how important this issue is. If I find out any updates I will post them here.

P.S. I do want to add that because this law was so poorly written, it has been interpreted differently by just about everyone out there. I was just chatting today with some business owners that I have gotten to know well over the years and everyone seems to have a different opinion as to whether this law will affect them or not, and also whether the law is retroactive. If anything comes out of all this publicity, I will hope at least it will force the law-makers to take a closer look at how the law is written and make any necessary exemptions and clarifications before it is too late.

**Getting off my soap box now**

best surprise ever!!

I was just about to jump off the computer and make dinner tonight as I had heard Jon come through the door, when an email popped up from the beautiful, talented and always fabulous Daria of Boutique Cafe and it was titled, SURPRISE Patty!! XOXO. Well, how could I not open and email like that?! Especially when it comes with hugs AND kisses right on the subject line. To my utter surprise and amazement, Daria had featured my ModGreetings website on her weekly podcast today! WOOOHOOO! How sweet is that?! I love you, Daria!

Pop on over to Boutique Cafe when you get a chance and listen to the podcast and leave a comment in the show notes to be entered to win a Variety 10-Pack from my store.



On another note, thank you all for all the encouraging comments and weight loss suggestions. It's so funny to see how everyone's got a different method that works for them. Many of you suggested Atkins or South Beach, but I gotta tell you right now that it ain't gonna happen. Anyone or anything that makes me not eat bread for longer than a few hours is not a friend of Patty. I am Hispanic... bread is in my blood. I know it's not the best for me but I just cannot cut something like that out of my diet. I would be be a major "crabby patty." ;)

I am happy to report though that I've taken up walking on the treadmill and I don't totally hate it. I walked for 30 minutes last night while watching Project Runway on my DVR. I burned 162 calories and felt great afterwards. I plan to increase my time & speed on the treadmill every day until I can do 1 hr. without dying. I've also been forcing myself to drink more water. You may remember the i hate water post from a few weeks back. Well, lots of lemon & lime slices (and occasionally cucumbers too) are making water drinkable for me right now -- still not up to the 8-glasses-a-day level... that would be a Patty Record for sure, but I'm probably guzzling down about 3 or 4. Baby steps, right?

Also, I did not forget about the favor boxes template/tutorial. I am working on it. I took a ton of pictures of the step-by-step process so I need to cut them down to a manageable amount and edit them and put together the whole tutorial thingy. It'll be up in a couple of days. Thanks to all who commented on it. :)

Now, go, go, go listen to that podcast.

Fashion Forward Challenge... What's in Your Bag?

First and foremost I want to wish you all a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! And what is more girlie, in this girliest of all girlie holidays, than sharing the contents of your purse? My dear friend Daria of Boutique Cafe has dared me to dump out my bag and blog about it so here it goes...



In my red bag I have... (clockwise from top left)
• a large red wallet that contains lots and lots of credit cards, receipts, business cards, but rarely any cash
• a clear SEPHORA cosmetics bag that contains anything a girl would need to make herself purdy
• an ALTOIDS tin (because sometimes you need curiously strong help)
• my DKNY shades
• my cell phone
• my iPod
• my keys
• a CLINIQUE pink comb



Inside the clear SEPHORA cosmetics bag, I have:
• DUWOP Lip Venom (to make my lips big & luscious in a pinch!)
• FRESH Orange Chocolate Shae Butter (for soft hands)
• LORAC Lipstick
• CLINIQUE Lipstick
• Chapstick (I use this the most!)
• LAURA MERCIER Mascara
• LANCOME Liquid Eyeliner
• Pill box (since I'm old I need to carry headache, pain and allergy medications wherever I go in case of emergencies)
• Dental floss (I wouldn't want to have spinach in my teeth in case I run into Jude Law)
• CLINIQUE lip gloss
(did I ever mention I was a product junkie?!)

So, that's it. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my personal life. Let's see yours!!! :)
(sorry this was short & sweet... gotta run out to Sophie's school V-Day party! fun, fun, fun!)

Busy with Craftiness...

Our dear friends, Todd and Paula, from Florida, had a baby boy in December and I knew immediately that I wanted to make something for them, a special gift that could be a keepsake of sorts. But since I don't do boy clothes -- and wouldn't even know where to begin -- I figured a baby blankie would be the best route to go in. As soon as I saw pictures of Everett's nursery, I knew right away what kind of blankie I would make. Well, fast forward a few weeks and VOILA! I was so pleased with the result that I just had to share...





Ooooh... and yes, my little appliqued animals have all sorts of stitching running through their ears, feet and what not to give them a puffy, quilted look. :)





I enjoyed making this so much that I wanted to keep it .. hee hee... but since I don't have an Everett around here, that would be kinda silly ... so I think I might make a few more to keep. :)

Secondly, I wanted to share a couple of "prizes" I recently completed for some MODKID contest winners. Last month I did a podcast interview with the lovely Daria from Boutique Café. Well, Daria ran a contest on her site and gave away one of my appliqued tees, and I ran one consecutively here on my blog. Cassi, of Tiger Lily Boutique, was the winner of the Boutique Cafe contest and Amber, of Emma Cakes, was the winner here on my blog.

I made this sweet tee using Oilily fabric in "decoupage" style and embellished with colorful decorative buttons for Cassie.



She has received it already and blogged about it. :) Check out the picture of her beautiful daughter, wearing her MODKID:

Then, I made this one for Amber's adorable baby daughter, Emma. She has decided to add a few extra pieces to the set, so I will be shipping it all together when it's all complete, but I wanted to share her tee which I finished a couple of days ago...



If you like the look of these funky-deco-Oilily tees, keep your eye out for a couple of new MODKID auctions going up this week on eBay. ;)

So... you wanna hear my voice?

Or perhaps just snicker at my goofy accent? (I swear, just when I think I have successfully gotten rid of it, I hear myself on a recording and go... DOH!) Then, head on over to Boutique Café and check out today's podcast.

I had the absolute honor of being DAY #8 of Boutique Café's "The 12 Days of Christmas." The beautiful, lovely and talented Daria interviewed me for this show and despite my utter embarrassment for the way I sound (and the many times I said "ya know," UGH!) I would love to share this joyous moment with you. :)

Just click on this banner to go to the site and then click on the "Listen to the Show" link below the article:



My interview will be the fourth and last one on this show, so you will hear 3 other talented ladies (and WAHMs) talk about their successful home-based businesses before you get to mine.

But that's not all... if you leave a comment on Boutique Cafe's post about this show you will be entered to win a myriad of awesome prizes including a totally customizable girls appliqued tee made by yours truly. And since I am feeling generous during this season of giving, leave a comment here under this post to be entered to win the same prize!!! So, sometime in January I will be making 2 totally customizable appliqued tees for 2 lucky winners... so go ahead leave a comment here and there and double your chances of winning!

Thanks for checking it out!!!

Marieliz Creations matches
"The Costa Rica Collection"!

I have mentioned before that my mother, who is a wonderful designer and amazing seamstress, recently branched out on her own and started selling her handmade purses on eBay under the id marielizcreations. Well, she has just created 3 new purses to match The Costa Rica Collection! These purses have the boldest of colors... perfect for Summer, and have lots of sweet little features! I had the pleasure of seeing these for myself and photographing them a couple of weeks ago when she was up for a visit from Florida... they are immaculately made! Check them out for yourself.

The first one is a generously sized purse, with lots of pockets and zipper closure. I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it. It is truly striking! Click here for the auction.



The second one is a bucket-style purse with a sweet little yoyo button closure and fabric handles. Click here for the auction.



And last, but not least, a relist. I have one very similar to this one that I use as my everyday purse and I took it with me to our Boutique Cafe Getaway in Salt Lake City. Those of you who saw me there will probably remember this one! Click here for the auction.



She will be listing a few more purses tomorrow, but just wanted to give you a little taste of what she's got to offer. To see all of MarielizCreations auctions, click here.

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.

We Painted Salt Lake City PINK!!!

I am back from my Girls Getaway Weekend with the fabulous ladies from Boutique Cafe and about 40 or so designers from the eBay children's boutique community. It was an absolute blast and definitely not long enough. For those of you who were there... guess what? I am still drinking FIJI water!!! LOL! For those of you who didn't "get that," FIJI water was one of our many sponsors of the event and they sent out dozens of cases of water bottles to keep us hydrated throughout the weekend... it was wonderful. By the end of the conference we had soooo much water left that everyone took some home with them. I didn't think I'd be able to fit any in my suitcase after the long day of shopping and all the wonderful giveaways, but I managed to squeeze in one of their 9-packs! Love you, FIJI!!

I also surprisingly won two of the best prizes there (well, in my opinion, at least, hee hee). I first won an original Amy Butler purse (sent in by the fabric diva herself!) and later on I won an outfit of my choice from GreggyGirl. I will let Sophia pick it out on her own tonight. :) Again, thanks to our wonderful sponsors.

I had an absolute blast chatting with the girls and hearing their stories. I am still chuckling to myself as I try to picture Dayna's marathon sewing days or when I remember Megan telling a half-naked guy who rode in the elevator with us that he was "Blinded by our hotness" LOL! OMG, the poor guy was a blubbering idiot and dripping wet from head to toe (he had just gotten out of the pool) as he rode in the elevator with, what?, like 6 or 7 of us. He missed his floor because he was too busy staring and not pushing buttons. Too funny.

Anyway, I have like 30 pictures posted on my website but here are a couple of teaser shots. Click HERE if you'd like to see the rest of the pictures from the event.

Below is a group shot (no, this was not all of us... only about half!)


Here is me sitting with a few of my favorite ladies! Sandi (portabellopixie) is the queen of blog, Eva (freshandvintage) our fearless LimeVine leader and the always beautiful and talented Amelia (sweetfeetboutique).



Last, but not least, I could not leave out of the sneak peek this super cute picture of me and Daria... her smile and laugh were contagious, to say the least!!!



OK, if you missed the link above, here is its again... the rest of my 30 or so pictures are HERE!!

Oh, and if you'd like to read Emily's awesome account of the event, click HERE. She's a much better writer than I am, so you're in for a treat! :)

Can't wait for the next Girls Getaway!!!

Insomnia

So I have to be up in about 4 hours so that I can get my entire family ready and in the car so that we can take a 2+ hour drive to Chicago's O'Hare Airport so that I can take a 3.5 hour flight to Salt Lake City to meet 40 or so eBay children's boutique designers. You'd think I'd want to get as much rest as possible, and my body would agree with you, but my mind begs to differ. I am as awake as could be but my body feels like it's about to collapse!

I have been up all day doing laundry, packing, getting last-minute things for my trip. Not to mention checking emails, sending newsletters and... as if that wasn't enough, updating my blog!

For those of you who are not aware, I am taking part in the very first Girls Getaway Weekend hosted by none other than the fabulous Daria and Megan of Boutique Cafe. We are spending 3 days in Salt Lake City, getting to know each other, listening to key note speakers, conducting interviews for future Boutique Cafe shows, shopping, dining, etc., etc., etc.

I am very excited to get to meet the ladies that I have been chatting with for almost an entire year!! This is gonna be a blast!

So, since it's 2 a.m. and I am feeling giddy and silly, I thought I'd share with you the project that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. On May 1st, I will unveil The Costa Rica Collection, a line of children's clothing and boutique accessories inspired by the colors & textures of the Costa Rican rain forest. I grew up in that beautiful Central American country so this collection is very dear to my heart. Below is the logo I came up with . This will give you an idea of the colors I will be using as well as the imagery I used as a source of inspiration.




Here are a couple of sneak peeks from this collection. To the right you will see one of several sets I will be offering. The fabrics I will be using are rich in color and each design will be purely original and unique. Pieces will mix & match perfectly and there will even be some accessories offer that will compliment the pieces perfectly and can be worn by mother & child. Below is a sample of one of the fabric lotus pins that will be offered.


My friend Maria, of buddha*belly*babies, has an eBook on You Can Make This with easy-to-follow instructions on how to make this gorgeous fabric flower pin. She was so sweet to have shared this with me so I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. You can purchase her eBook here.

So that's it! I will chat with everyone when I get back from SLC!! Have a great weekend! :)

Who's Complaining?

I guess I am, because I have been tagged to stop complaining for 21 days straight! Anyone who knows me is probably thinking "Good Luck with that!" but I actually think I could do it! It's amazing what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it. Daria from Boutique Cafe has tagged me, and I thought this was just a funny little thing among us crazy boutique chicks, but it turns out it's a nationwide movement started by Oprah herself! WHOA! Ok, then!

There's a movement right now to help create a Complaint Free World. Can YOU do it? Can you go without complaining for 21 days? Scientists say it takes 21 days to break a habit and create a new one. So can you? Here's what you need to do.
1. Click on Beki's blog to order a free purple Complaint Free bracelet.

2. Tag at least 3 people and spread the word. Challenge them to participate.

3. Sign the Mr. Linky On Beki's Blog so we can see how far this goes!

4. The final step, and most important. STOP COMPLAINING! You put your bracelet on and any time you catch yourself complaining you must switch it to the opposite wrist. The goal is to go 21 days without switching it. If you switch it, your 21 days starts all over again.

Alright now to the fun part of this...tagging three other people! I'm tagging Sandi, Sarah and Becky. Stop complaining, girls! ;)

I won, I won! OMG!

Daria, from Boutique Cafe, emailed me last night to tell me the good news that I was selected as the winner for the Svan Scooter. I almost fell out of my chair reading that! I never win anything. And this was one of those things that, when I first saw it, I though, "That is soooo cool, but so unnattainable!" And now it's mine!!! WOOHOO! I still can't believe it. This morning, I got the email from the company asking for my mailing address... so it's true, I didn't dream it! LOL!

How did I win it? Well, I logged on to Boutique Cafe as I normally do, and they were having one of those "Clicking Spree" contests. This day, if you left a comment on the thread that presented the Svan Scooter, you would be entered in a contest to win one. So I did, and I said something about how much I love Scandinavian design and how my home is filled with Scan Design and IKEA furnishings (if you've read the rest of my blog, you will have known that already). And VOILA! I won!

These are just some stock photos, but when I get that baby here, I will be taking my own pictures of Sydney on her brand new free Svan Scooter... I already promised Daria some cool photos! :) Thank you, Boutique Cafe! You guys are the coolest!!!