i realized i never updated about my goals that i wanted to accomplish by the end of april ... i started fundraising for the 3 day walk ($450) and i have gone to services at beth am every WEEK, so i have surpassed the 1x/mo goal, and i think i'll continue to go every week. i HAVE NOT finished the holiday 08 book ... between moving & everything else that's been going on in life i just have completely slacked on it.

goals for end of june:
1. to get my etsy store up and running
2. to take more pictures
3. to maintain a positive & healthy attitude (take mental health days when needed)

pretty things & new goals!

i went on a little shopping spree today at paper tales ... it was fun to get to go on a weekday morning, it was quite nice to get to chat with michelle & diane. i love love love paper tales (& the fabulous girls who work there). i picked up some vintage goodies (a gemstone brooch, some pearl hat pins, etc!) as well as lots of paper: making memories flower patch, pink paislee enchanting & captivating & fascinating, cosmo cricket everafter (something old & something new), sassafras vintage yummy, and LOTS of hambly (mini graph, wings, little circles, all mixed up, hanging heliconias, decor notes) ... it was a good shopping trip! can't wait to have time to play with my new stuff. ok, let's be honest - it's clearly not about having enough TIME, since i'm unemployed and all ... it's about PRINTING PICTURES. which i am SO BAD AT.

also, i think i've come up with some new goals, since i've accomplished the goals i set out to complete by 2/28 (ok so i didn't get a NEW job, but i quit the old one, and that was what i really wanted).

SO, here they are (& there is one more but i'm not yet ready to share it on the internet), to be accomplished by the end of april:

1. start fundraising for the KOMEN BREAST CANCER 3 DAY WALK
2. finish the HOLIDAY 08 book that i started in december
3. find a job
4. go to shabbat services @ beth am 1x/mo (this might be an ongoing goal)

i did this on facebook a few weeks ago and thought i'd post it here.

pics to be posted soon i hope - new art & i refinished my dresser (painted & distressed & added new knobs from anthropology). my new room is coming together nicely (as well as my new creative space) so i'll have to post pics of that too.

lots of new things going on in my world. it's good. stressful and lonely at times, but good.

1. one of my favorite things to do is grocery shop in the middle of the day on weekdays. if people would pay me to do this, i might be the happiest girl on the planet. it's weird the kind of gratification i get from doing this.

2. some days i am so anxious that i can't get dressed. the way clothes feel on my skin send me straight in to a panic attack. i have sensory issues.

3. whenever adults or people that i don't know very well ask me what i want to "be when i grow up" i tell them that i want to get my msw and work with foster kids - most likely in public policy. i think it sounds good, and it's the thing i wish i wanted to do - but i know it's not in my heart & soul.

4. i want to create art with people for the sake of creating. i hate focussing on the end product. it makes me mad that kids are taught early on whether or not they are "good" artists. it should be about the process people!

5. i hate the way i look when i'm not blonde, but i hate that i like being blonde. does this make sense ... no.

6. while my sister was studying in durban, south africa, i checked her blog about a million times a day because i was so proud of what she was doing & how well she wrote. i can think of only one other time/person that i have felt that much pride & amazement for.

7. if you leave out the speech i gave (ok so i had a bit too much to drink), i think i was the best maid of honor ever, and joke about starting a business ... "rent a maid of honor" ... all the great stuff with none of the drama. seriously, i was that good ... ask alana.

8. i am ridiculously picky about the texture of food i eat.

9. i love love love giving gifts/ buying things for people. even when i really can't afford it.

10. i love being in school. if i could grocery shop, make art, and take classes for fun (and they didn't cost $$$) i would be set for life.

11. i decorated my first christmas tree this past christmas and it was probably the most fun day i had had in months. (thank you rob and melinda squared).

12. i am always mangled.

13. i plan to get a tattoo of a leaping conejo on the back of my neck under my hairline to honor my group of friends from high school, "the dark conejos" ... i think it's one of the only things i would never ever regret.

14. i am addicted to buying paper (notebooks, scrapbook paper, stationary, etc). addicted, i tell you.

15. even though i'm not working for martin anymore, i hope one day to still hit the road and go on a real tour.

16. i have a strong desire to always be needed by my friends, so i end up taking on a lot, i like to be helpful and sometimes i think it's too much, but i haven't really found a way to stop doing it and just take care of me.

17. i should probably untag a lot of pictures on facebook ... maybe one day i will get around to it.

18. i am afraid that i'll never accomplish anything because i easily give in to my anxiety & depression. i am working on it.

19. i almost always fall asleep while watching movies.

20. my dad's ex-girlfriend's grandchildren (did you follow that?) are the three most amazing kids in the world, and i spend a lot of time thinking about how crazy it is that i love them so much, and they aren't even my own - and that must mean that i'm going to love my own even more than that, and it's a little terrifying.

21. i hate beer.

22. i think my two best friends from college are my soul mates. it's true.

23. just over a year ago i witnessed a very terrible car accident on the freeway - a little hatchback holding 4 teenage boys rolled 5 times across all four lanes, landing on it's hood directly in front of me. i was the first person to pull over & made the call to 911. i can't tell you the amount of times i have played the accident over in my mind. all 4 boys survived and i think about them all the time. i wish i knew who they were.

24. i love my name. i worry sometimes about naming my kids because i don't think i can ever come up with a better name than my own.

25. it took me over 10 minutes to figure out how to post a note so i could do this thing.

hello 2009 ...

there's so much i want to accomplish this year.

i want to make so much art this year that my heart wants to explode.
i want to get a new job.
i want to do something brave.
i want to make new friends & keep the old ...
i want to remember to love & cherish & thank my beautiful, amazing, talented, incredible friends.
i want to learn how to edit my photos in photoshop &/or use illustrator. (aka become more computer savvy)
i want to spend less time on facebook stalking people's pictures.
i want to drink more water, eat more fresh fruits & vegetables, and maybe make it to the gym once or twice.
i want to do yoga.
i want to accept my past & find peace at where i am in life.
i want to not freak out when i turn 25 in july.
i want to travel more.
i want to do something nice for someone who deserves it.
i want to have some money in my saving's account & my credit cards completely paid off by the time we ring in 2010.
i want to find some local girls (or boys) to be crafty with.
i want to be thankful.
i want to stay positive.
i want to go the entire year without going back on anti-anxiety / anti-depressant meds.
i want to love. with my whole heart.

i'm happy to report that this man will be our new president

obama_pop_art
Originally uploaded by orangebudd

i can only think of how this day will go down in history ... how in the many years to come, my future kids and grandchildren will ask me where i was when i found out that the first african-american, senator barack obama, was announced as our president elect.

it's the kind of moment that makes me thankful that we live in a nation where our voices can be heard, where anything, anything, is possible. i am also proud to live in a nation that will peacefully (for the most part) turn over hands to a new party. that is what makes america great. that is what we should be proud of. we are living in a place that allows democracy to be true.

there's lots going on today on the online world - facebook updates up the wazhoo, blog posts gone mad, news articles, etc. i think there are some accusations on both sides which are hurtful and immature. i think we should all follow the lead of Senator Mccain and Senator Obama - they both spoke gracefully and genuinely last night. we should start on a new path today, we should be united, we should work to build our country back up, because we have seen far better days.

we have truly witnessed something spectacular.

help me pick a planner!

ok, so i'm a huge dork and am already looking forward to buying a new planner for 2009. i love love love getting a new planner. it's one of my all time favorite moments each year. this year i want something a little more special than the usual ... normally i make a trip to staples and go through each one deciding what format i want, etc. but this year i don't want boring black.

SO, send me links. i'm pretty open to a monthly/weekly/daily format. as long as it has extra pages in the back or something for lists and notes, and is somewhat durable (and can take a bit of a beating).

thanks loves!

thoughts on work

i am kind of regretting not taking paper source up on the offer for the 4th and final itnerview for assistant manager. when i drive to carlsbad, i don't regret it, because i would hate hate hate the commute. it's just TOO far to go. but, i'm seriously, seriously, seriously, in need of a creative job. i can't sit in an office any longer. i need to be interacting with people, inspiring people, making art, around pretty paper and stamps and pens and stickers and cards and stationery. i need to be an idea person. i need to help others make beautiful projects. i need to plan. i need to organize. i need to have the freedom to create. i need to wake up in the morning (most mornings, at least) and be glad that i get to go to work. i am waiting for a new door to open - waiting, praying, hoping - searching. scouring the internet for opportunities, and networking. networking is key.

sigh.

friday i'm in love

i can see this website easily becoming my new addiction: polyvore - i haven't had a chance to play with it, since i'm at work, but i love the concept and can see myself wasting away a lot of time there. check it out if you haven't before.

things that occur inside my mind

i've been thinking a lot lately.

about the healing process. about creating art, making something tangible. the process. cutting paper, strokes of the paint brush. gluing, taping, stapling, sewing. making something out of nothing. making something out of everything.

i believe that art heals. i have faith in art, i have faith in the creative process.


i went to college intending to study art therapy. halfway through i got restless - i felt stuck, i felt unhappy, i felt like i needed change - and so, i made a decision to change my major. just like that. since then, i've realized this is a pattern in my life. when my depression sneaks back in to my life, i don't recognize it right away. it just feel like an itch to make change - something's not right, so i just go ahead and decide to fix something without really figuring out what needs to be fixed first. so i tend to make decisions that i might not otherwise make.

i believe in art therapy more than i believe in anything else in my life. i've been feeling so strange lately - because i'm starting to see that i should have stuck it out - i should have fought through the urge for change - i should have graduated with a degree in art therapy. it's in my blood. it's the only thing i'm sure of. art is truth. it's the only truth i know, and i'm feeling such a strong pull back to my roots. back to the one thing that makes me feel whole. i am so glad that i'm continuing to create, continuing to heal and tell my story.

but ... what do i do now? where do i go from here? what do i do "with my life"? (aside from create). i don't think i'll ever feel fulfilled in a 9 to 5. but right now, i have to find a way to make it work. i have a mortgage to pay, school loans, bills, a life to live. so boring job it is for now. for now.

i have to remember that.

this is only temporary.

alright blog world, thanks for letting me get that out. it's been a hard monday morning.

I have loved Rachel's Art Journal class. It's been nice to work on something different - and in a lot of ways it's more up my alley than traditional scrapbooking. Guess it's that inner Art Therapist in me. I wish wish wish I had a camera to take pics of the pages I've done, even though most aren't complete yet since I don't have pictures to use! It's kind of hard a)not having a camera (other than a polaroid) and b)having lost all of my pictures when my harddrive crashed. SO, i'm hoping i can borrow a camera soon so I can finish the prompts - though the ones without pictures I've finished, and I've worked on the backgrounds and journaling for those that do need pictures. She's offering up a new set of prompts - on sale now at her etsy shop, here. I'll be signing up, of course.

I finished the mini book for my sister to take to South Africa (just in time, she leaves next week!) It turned out cute. Used mostly Heather Bailey's line. Super adorable. I hope it doesn't get trashed in her travels - a little worn is ok, of course, it adds character.

I have decided that I want to look more seriously in to opening a business. Not next week, not next month, maybe not next year. But in the next 5, I'd like to open up a shop. I know I have it in me - and I know that I want so badly to create a space that mixes the things I love - art, stationery, home decorating. A little botique of beautiful accessories, artsy touches, some jewelry, some bath products perhaps. I really want my friend Carrie to do this with me - she's an interior designer and has a great eye, I think it'd be fun and rewarding. And it's just something that's in me - I've tried to run away from it, but I really know that at the end of the day I want to have a business. We'll see, it's a long long way off.

Alright for now, back to the day job - perhaps a flickr inspiration post later tonight! Need to get some color on this blog!

xox, dain

9 minutes left at work ...

caught up a little on some blogs during my lunch hour ... so sad what an effect it's had on me not read up on my lovely blog reads!

i also got a chance to print the prompts for rachel's class - so i'm determined to work on them this week. gotta get some of this creative energy out - i think i'm in a funk - can't seem to express myself lately.

today is a special day. it's mine & my boy's 6 year anniversary. crazy. i think i need to do some reflecting on the past 6 years, maybe that will inspire a layout or mini book or journal entry, or something!!!

hope you are all well. xox.

RIP dear macbook

my macbook's hardrive crashed. don't know why. it happened sometime btwn wednesday night at bedtime & thursday morning when i woke up. i lost everything. it's my own fault, i know, and i don't want to hear about it - god, i cried in the apple store. i should have had it backed up, yada yada, seriously, how many freaking people have told that to me ... i know. i know. i'm seriously devestated. it's so silly, to be so upset - but god to think about the amount of photos, documents, music - all lost. to the computer heavens. and worst of all is i haven't had internet access at home since then, and i won't for 3-5 more days, so i haven't had any chance to read blogs & work on the journal class that Miss Rachel Denbow is hosting. SO PISSED. grrrrrrrrrrr. so i'm updating from work, real quick. no blogging, no facebook, no myspace, no email at home for a few more days ... so so sad.

quilting

i posted a few more pics up on flickr, including some of the queen size quilt that i designed & quilted (with the help of my mom) for our bed. the story of the quilt - last may when i moved home after graduating from college, i decided i needed a project. i had made a quilt in 6th grade during summer camp at quilt-in-a-day, and since then, it's been my cherished bedspread. anyway, my mom has been in to quilting off and on for a while, she's such a perfectionist so she loves sewing perfect corners and all of that, haha. so anyway, we went up to quilt in a day and i started picking out all this pretty fabric, and then of course i had to pick a pattern to make. well, me being me, picks a quilt that's hanging up on the wall that is the one quilt in the whole damn place that they don't have an instruction book on, and no one even really knows what the deal is with it. well, i INSIST that it's what i want to make. the one hanging was a lap quilt. i wanted to make a queen. so, i ask for some graph paper, and with my neck straining up to 30 feet high, i draw out the pattern and then mathematically figure out how to expand it into a queen, how much fabric i'll need, how many different patterns of fabric, etc. it was seriously intense, everyone thought i was absolutely crazy. but i did it. and then, slowly over the past year, i cut all the pieces, sewed all the pieces, etc. then, it sat unattended to in my closet at my mom's house for months. and then finally we went to a quilt workshop that's offered through the community colleges and got advice from some serious quilters on how to finish it, and now it's done, and on out bed, and i love it. i love that greg & i sleep every night under the blanket that i made. it's so special. i love it.

home sweet sweet sweet home

lately i've been getting the urge to work on the house.  the living room wall / eat in kitchen wall is HUGE, and i'm talking HUGE ... 20-25 feetish high.  so in the living room part i want to make a "frame" out of crown molding for some awesome wallpaper in a 105in X 77in rectangle behind the couch.  i got the idea from the pic above on flickr (thank you homebug)

so, if you have wallpaper suggestions, post them!! (ok, i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to just slap tons of hambly on the wall, BUT i don't know if that's practical?  any input?) 

ok, the craft room needs a lot of work,  i can't even see the floor right now because there are piles after piles after piles of stuff. paper, magazines, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, paint, beads, embellishments, stickers.  i need shelving, or something.  DESPERATELY.  

i think those are my two top priorities, craft room and wallpapering the living room, because i think whatever wall paper i fall in love with will determine the rest of the living room - since i can't seem to make up my mind about the color scheme / theme of the room.  

so overall, i just need some awesome home inspiration.  i need to go thrifting / garage sale-ing bad,  any san diego peeps want to go this weekend? 

adventures in babysitting ...

well, sunday marked the beginning of caring for 3 children for the next 16 days. the parents are off to a land far far away (israel) and have left me in charge. a just graduated high school 18 year old girl, a 16 year old girl, and a 12 year old boy. i have my hands full. within the first, yes, FIRST, five hours of them being in my care the oldest two each had a new hole in their bodies. the 18 year old with one in her tongue, the 16 year old with one in her nose. i was not pleased. i don't think their parents will be either. i handled the situation well, as always.

hopefully the rest of the days will go more smoothly now that they know they can't get away with the kind of behavior. seriously, i mean, i remember being a teenager - but seriously?!?

anyway, today i want to cool scrapbook stuff in poway and got a few things - hambly of course (bamboo overlay, some more woodgrain (duhhhh), mod circles) ... some thickers, and some felt letters. i brought over my "travel" scrapbook kit - meaning a shoe box and a 12 x 12 box ... filled with random stuff to work on. haven't yet, but i intend to - gotta work on the book for my sister and just gotta CREATE, since it's been a few days.

alright, gotta take the kiddos to souplantation. wish me luck, i might need it!

an update, in list form.

i'm proving to be unreliable with this whole photo thing.  i'll work on it, i promise.  i've been so busy this past week! 

1. i got a new job, phew.  working as a case manager for the ymca child resource service. wow- a job in the field that i think i want to go in to (social work)! go me.

2. the day i accepted the new job i also got a phone call from paper source for a 2nd interview, very exciting.  that's on friday.  i don't have my hopes up, but i'm still going to do it, what the heck.

3. i started on a mini-book for my sister to take with her to south africa when she studies there in the fall.  she wants to bring an album of pictures to share with her host family etc, about her life here in the states.  so i'm putting it together all scrapbook-y and cute. 

4. i just ate an eclair and it was delicious. yummm.

5. i did not do as much art as i wanted to this past week.  i have received rachel's book kit and while i've marveled over the loveliness of it, i've yet to make it, it's sitting on the living room floor in the pile of craftiness that will eventually be made in to several mini books.  why on the living room floor you ask, when i have a perfectly good craft ROOM, yes and entire ROOM of crafty goodness?  well, i have a perfectly good explanation for that - the craft room is a complete DISASTROUS MESS and there's no way i can work up there.  this leads me to number 6.

6. i have yet to be home for a period of time long enough to clean anything in the house.  i just tackled the pile of dishes that had been piling up in the sink for days. there are piles everywhere that need to be put away.  i'm just so tired by the time i get home, and waking up at 5 am has proven more difficult than i imagined.  i'm waiting for a whole weekend of nothingness so i can put our home back together. 

7. i spent part of last week in la with my best friend, alana, and her husband, sam.  alana and i went to the skyy vodka (aids benefit) vip pre-screening of sex and the city on THURSDAY (a day before it was out) in hollywood.  it was fabulous.  absofuckinglutely lovely.  after the showing there was a q&a with michael patrick king and the one and only kristin davis (aka charlotte york).  she looked stunning, and is, honest to god, the cutest little thing.  i loved the movie, and loved spending some quality time with alana.  we also went to the skirball museum and saw the exhibit on bob dylan.  it was good, but i wasn't super impressed.  oh, and how can i forget, we also ate not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4, yes, 4, cupcakes at sprinkles.  ok, it wasn't that bad, three of us shared 4 cupcakes.  they are so good.  we got chai latte, pumpkin, red velvet, and black & white.  if you go to the site, be prepared to drooooool all over your keyboard. no joke.

8. i feel like i had so much more to write about, but i'm kind of drawing a blank. 

i've had a productive sunday morning.  i woke up at the ungodly hour of 6am ... couldn't fall back asleep, the cats were crying for attention at the closed bedroom door, which was peculiar since they had plenty of food and water.  anyway, i read until about 8 when i managed to roll out of bed and clean up around the house.  greg & i finally remembered to get the special stove top cleaner when we were doing errands yesterday - so i cleaned the stove and put away the new kitchen things that we brought over from my moms.  the house is looking more and more unpacked, which is a good thing, considering it's been ... eeek, going on  month 5 since i "unofficially" moved in, and going on month 4 since greg's been out here.  i just want the house to be DONE, but i know that it's going to take quite a bit more time - i have furniture to paint, furniture to buy, art to put up, kitchen stuff to purchase, linens & all that stuff to purchase.  the mixture of hand-me-downs and things i'd purchased over the past few years in anticipation of having a place that was TRULY my (our) own is definitely nice, but i dream of the day that everything in our house is something i've picked out because i LOVE it not because it was free. 

oh, i can dream.

tomorrow the goal is to FINALLY post some more pictures of the craft room and things i've been working on ...

hope you are having a good 3-day weekend! xox.

destiny.

does anyone else get excited when people comment on their blogs?  it seriously makes my day, so thanks! 

well, i had a phone interview today for paper source.  FIRST, let me tell you, my lovely fellow san diegans, that paper source will be opening in SEPTEMBER in carlsbad at the forum. yey for us, right?! the forum is also home to anthropologie, zgallerie, and a bunch of other places ... some "mainstream" stores and some boutiques ... for those of you who have never been there. i also hear that free people is opening ... which would be really exciting.  anthro + free people + z gal + paper source, what more could i want?!  by the way my interior decorator friend carrie is the visuals girl at zgal at the forum so if you go there, say hi, haha, she's fabulous! 

anyway, my interview ... so, i have BARELY any retail / management experience.  ya, i minored in small business mgmt in college, and had an internship.  that's about the extent of it.  so i'm clearly not qualified to be the assistant manager of paper source.  i knew that.  but i thought, what the heck, i have nothing to lose.  the lady who interviewed me was a doll, and we had a nice chat and she seemed optimistic about my lack of experience.  she said that other things make up for it, and, worse comes to worse, would i be interested in a shift supervisor position instead.  seriously, i just want to work at paper source.  at this point, i'd be willing to freaking scrub the floor with a tooth brush (oh god, not really). a sample of how the convo went:

paper source lady: so what about the craigslist ad made you decide you'd want to work at paper source? (or something like that)

me: well, actually, i've wanted to work at paper source for forever, and in fact, i often joked about moving to la just so i could work there, even though i hate la with a passion.  gosh, i mean, how could i not want to work in a place that was filled with so much paper and prettiness? it really just makes sense, i mean, i hoard paper.  all kinds of it.  (but it didn't end there, i rambled on for like 10 more minutes about how much i love paper and how the stars and moon and sun must be alined perfectly and it's fate that a paper source is opening and needs employees JUST as i'm job hunting for like the 100th time in the past 2 years.  clearly, destiny at work) ... yes, i was that long winded and dorky. 

paper source lady: oh good, so you're familiar with our store ...

me: yes, i'd say so.

jobs, obsessions, decorating, etc!

so for the past few months i've gotten increasingly obsessed with the idea of working in a paper / scrapbooking store. but not a lame one like scrapbook your life or even cool scrapbook stuff in poway (which i love, just wouldn't want to work there, i don't know how to describe why). anyway i have always LOVED paper source. like, omg, love that place. in college my classes were mostly in a building RIGHT ACROSS the street from one and god i loved going there. beautiful papers, fun cards & crafty gift things. god, it's just pure LOVE. and then, of course, i read elise's blog, and she works at the paper source where she lives in dc, and the obsession has just blossomed from there.

OK, to the point. yesterday i was browsing craigslist as i do every day because i'm going to be jobless in 4 weeks, and GUESS WHAT?! A PAPER SOURCE IS OPENING IN CARLSBAD. now, carlsbad would not be the most fun commute since i've recently moved from north county to north park .. but, i think i totally would do it. I MEAN SERIOUSLY, a job where i get to be surrounded by PAPER AND PRETTINESS ALL DAY? i don't want to get myself over excited, because it probably won't happen. i don't have a ton of retail experience. BUT i have customer service experience and so much craftiness experience, haha.

i just REALLY want to work in an awesome environment and i love paper stores.

ok, look at me, again, going on and gushing about all this stuff.

so i took some pics on my sister's camera and i was all excited to post them and i realized that i didn't bring the cord that connects the camera to the laptop. grrrr ... so maybe this weekend i'll get it and then i can post some pics of the projects i've been working on AND the on going project that is our home sweet home ...

thats my second biggest obsession ... decorating our home. it's so nice that we finally have our own place that we OWN. greg even sometimes seems interested in the decorating which is awesome. a few weeks ago we hung up a bunch of picture frames for a "cluster" wall ... and the craft studio is starting to get more organized ... it's a slow process but totally worth it.

alright, time to go help with dinner! have a great weekend (it's going to be HOT HOT HOT here paper source, camera woes in san diego)

aw, flickr is love. i can't get enough of it.  

1. D, 2. D, 3. d, 4. ., 5. All Products, 6. DSC_0050, 7. DSC_0048_2, 8. 20 things, 9. My craft shop in the barn during the summer season., 10. unexpectedly, 11. Cherry Blossom Sky, 12. finding / found, 13. neonbike, 14. Dahlia XIII, 15. immediate embarkation, 16. Les vols éclo[t]s, 17. Untitled, 18. let your heart speak, 19. without a word, 20. Etsy: Take 5 Tuesdays, 21. Me, completely exposed and covered in glitter., 22. In the arms of the angels may you find some comfort here, 23. ..., 24. more blues, 25. 20/366, 26. Untitled, 27. Untitled, 28. Dining room storage, 29. valentine leaves, 30. ready to go, 31. making stuff, 32. sidewalk 4, 33. from the doorway, 34. greens, 35. Untitled, 36. 035 : 365 dec 28 pause.

so my sister comes home from college next week and i'll finally get to snap some pics of the things i've been working on, since she has a working camera. yay! 

i have so many mini books going on ... they are totally my new obsession (thank you elise).

i really wish life wasn't so stressful so i could finally sit down and figure out blog world // the online scrapbook  / paper art community ... i feel overwhelmed by all the blogs / challenges / sistv / kit clubs, etc etc.  it's like whoa, where do i start! 

i've been realizing lately how badly i'd like to have some local crafty friends to do projects with.  i totally love being in my craft room working on stuff, but it'd be super fun to have a friend or two who was also into this stuff.  my friends from college & i used to do craft nights every week -ish and i really miss that.  i miss having good girlfriends.  making friends as an "adult" in the "real world" is hard.