Fun Workshop and a walk in Redondo Beach

Today I went to a workshop at Robin's...we had alot of fun! She had lots of yummy food, mimosa's, cheesecake and fun projects for us all to do. We tried out the new Big Shot from Stampin' Up, that puppy is cool! It is a die cut machine that even cuts plastic and wood! Above is a little hanger that I bought from her, I love it!

On another note: I have been taking my camera during lunch and photographing houses that I love...It has been hazy down at the beach lately and some of the pics didn't come out so well but here are a couple:
This pretty porch is right down the block from the school where I work...Just add some pumpkins and some cozy cushions to those chairs and I would be a happy camper!

And this little gingerbread house would make an awesome haunted house...We don't see many victorians in Calif. and I found this beauty the other day and thought it would be fun to show you...
I was across the street and I don't have a wonderful camera so I tried to get a close up of some of the gingerbreading....(is that a real word?)

They have some goblins on the porch...hmmm maybe it is haunted!

Well that's all for today! Hope your weekend is wonderful! karen....

My vintage finds from last week

I told you I would post pictures of my goodies and then I came down with a cold! So, I guess better late than never! Here are the fun finds from the antique fair last week. I found a lady who carries all kinds of vintage party supplies and her prices were a bit high but I had to have some of the halloween goodies and the nut cup was to die for!

The noisemakers were from a friend who sells there and the framed pieces are charming scenes of winter with victorian ladies all decked out in their beautiful winter finery. I just love these, they are matted in fabric and the large one has a little water damage so I am going to add a flat millinery flower in that corner...I want to save the beautiful matting.

I also got a couple of Santa scraps and a cute little photo...fun fun!

Here is a frozen charlotte that had to come home with me (sorry for the pitiful photo!)

And then the best find of the day! 2 vintage crinolines! I was so excited to find these! I will probably keep one and put one on etsy but for now I am enjoying their girly frilli-ness... Someone will have to pry them out of my crafty little hands first!
I can't wait to show you the goodies for Jenny for the Sweet and Sinister Swap, that will be next but I want her to get them first and we both arranged to ship today so here is a little sneek peek:

I am off the go blow my nose again! Hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

thanks for stopping by my little world! karen.....

Gratitude and a mean heat wave!!!

It is blazing hot here in Southern California! And...most of us don't have air conditioning (usually don't need it!) It makes one grumpy (okay, okay! I mean it makes me grumpy!) Nothing like being a 40 something, way too fluffy person chasing after toddlers for 6 hours a day in a heat wave.... Uggh!

Now where, you ask, is the gratitude???? I just needed to get that out of my system and now I will share my gratitude!

I have had the blues lately...alot going on in my world at home, at work, as a parent...the kind of stuff that isn't fun most of the time...It has been hard and sometimes you just don't know if you are gonna get past it or is this your life....

This morning, while blog hopping before work I read a funny saying on Four Sisters in a Cottage blog. "You can't outstink a manure pile" I love this! It just cracked me up and I can apply it to one particular person in my working world... Well, a laugh was what I needed to snap me out of it a little...I have always tried to find one little something to be grateful for in my day even when my day was poopy. So I thought I would share with you a couple of things that have given me a smile lately:

Stamp Club...went last night and took Robin a Birthday/halloween crown and some apple pie ala mode...Here she is being silly with her crown on:

And here is the awesome project we did: A Brazen Hussy's Victorian Halloween Book...fun,fun,fun!

Robin always has the best projects for us to do!

Another thing to be giddy about: I won this beauty from Amy at InspireCo.
Thank you Amy! I love it and can't wait to put pictures of my kids in this little paper bag album!

Hope you can find something to be grateful for in your day too!

xoxo karen....

My New Blog Header

I don't know if any of you noticed my new blog header for the spooky season. I just love her...kinda goth, kinda spooky and still darling! I know she is not everyone's cup o' tea but I wanted to let you know where I got her and also tell you that Mary has many wonderful designs to choose from and is wonderful to work with...she is very patient for any techno-phobes (hello! my name is karen and I am lame at computers!)

And...she is very reasonable and will work with you if you are looking for something special...

So go visit her! Isabella's closet - Mary You won't be sorry!

Isabellascloset.blogspot.com she will guide you to her flicker site with her already made designs....

Also, remember when I told you about Lisa's Altered Art on etsy? Well, she visited my blog after I placed an order with her, saw our little Oreo and now our goofy pup is a fairy in one of her collage sheets! How cool is that!

Well, enough advertising, I am off to bed but will be back soon with pictures of some of my loot from the antique fair yesterday and maybe a little teaser of what my sweet and sinister partner will be getting soon!

Hope this week finds you all enjoying the start of fall! karen....

Halloween on the Brain!

I know I have confessed my love of halloween before.... It has mellowed with age but the passion for it is still in my heart!

When I was a little girl, my best friend and I were inseparable. We were so connected that our grade school put us in different classes because they said we were like twins! We fooled them! We started our own sign language so that when Phyllis was benched (which was often) I could converse with her out of the window of my class!

Well...we were the oldest in the neighborhood along with 2 other girls from the next block with lots of younger girls to play with so we decided we would make a haunted house for them. It started out as a ride....I do live in Calif. and Disneyland was a dream! But the wagon just didn't cut it and we had a playroom in my house that was perfect and the wagon wouldn't fit into our haunted room so it became a walk-thru. We hung thread from the ceiling for spider webs, my friend hid in the window seat "coffin" and imerged as they came through, another friend was dead on the bed with dead roses in her hand..we had a wig head and grey wig that became another dead person, spooky haunted sounds on the record player.... You get the idea!

Fun, fun fun! Those silly haunted houses went on for years, we never tired of them!

I also loved being in the halloween parade...my mom made most of my costumes and one year I won! The prize was a herman munster puppet(tells you how old I am!)....I still have it and when I pull out all my halloween goodies I will show you....

I have many other great halloween memories, this is why I am so excited to be in the Sweet and Sinister Swap, a way to keep up the fun memories I have for the season and make more. Today my tutorial for the swap blog has been posted so I also wanted to have some cute images for anyone who would like them to use so feel free to copy these halloween images for your projects!

I hope this finds you having a boo-tiful weekend...I am off to go make more goodies for my swap partner...

Talk to you soon! karen....

Just Sitting Down with a cup of Joe....

Today I have actually had a moment here and there to think...what a blessing!
The last two weeks have been crazy! The busy-ness still hasn't stopped but at least it has slowed somewhat.
I have been really trying to make a go at this etsy thing and have done okay so far but now that I am back at work it is harder to get everything done...I really love putting the sets together and also love making things so it is my cup o' tea as they say, just harder with a job too.
We picked the remainder of our garden (except a bunch of carrots and 4 zucchini). The colors were so pretty, I took a picture to share with you:

I wanted some new images to use for the sweet and sinister swap and found them at Lisa's Altered Art on etsy. Please don't judge her stuff by my picture...the color saturation is all wrong and I am not a techie-- The colors are much richer in person. But I wanted to share these cute collage sheets and Patty-the proprietor is very sweet and easy to deal with. Go visit her!

Don't you just love those cute little munchkins dressed up like witches, elves and fairies?

I know I have whined about how crazy-busy life has been lately. Obviously it shows that I am really in need of some serenity! So...I took a picture of my favorite angel to give you an idea of what makes me feel happy and more serene!

Isn't she pretty? My mom and Marissa don't really like her but I think she is perfectly tattered....and speaks calm to me...

Hope you have a Calm, fun and productive week! xoxo karen....

Getting back in the Groove!

Yesterday this sweet girl started her first day of High School. Why, you ask, is she so somber? Well....she had the first day jitters and mom wanting to take a picture of her was not high on her list... She met up with her friends and has been fairly satisfied with her classes so I think all will be well.
I have been running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to get my son in his new school but he still isn't enrolled so no new pics of him.
I also started back yesterday...A mixed bag for me... I love those cute babies but I have had alot of "stuff" that is hard to do from work-looking out for my mom is one of them and it is hard to balance it all. I am just realistic that I can't do it all!
On a good note! I have been creating again and have added more goodies to my halloween shoppe! Here is a little Pumpkin head Doorhanger:

And here are my matchbox ornies....I love to make these!

Open and closed. Decorated inside and out!

Here is another one!

Fun to add to a halloween tree, branches in a vase, a small door knob... Or give as a gift:

I tried Martha' s fine black glitter, ooooo la la! I love this stuff! It doesn't really show in the pics but it is so pretty! And....a nice blogger told me it is on sale this week-25% off! Well worth the extra moola!

I am happy to be creative again! I hope you are doing what makes you happy! Talk to you soon! karen......