I’ve got the etsy bug again!

In anticipation of decorating a new (to me) home…I’ve been shopping on etsy. Love it! The combination of vintage and one of a kind is so much fun! And it’s very budget friendly—though as my wish-list grows I’m realizing that I’ll be doing this project gradually. So…since I don’t want you to buy my wish-list stuff (mine mine mine!)…here are a few of the goodies I already picked up!

For my room:

A beautiful mixed media painting by Sheryl Spratt Designs. (Have I mentioned how cool it is to be able to afford ORIGINALS on etsy?!?!?! Cuz it is!!! Ok, some of them are hundreds of dollars, but a lot of things are in the $20-$60 range plus shipping.)

From beh-jat. Her other collages are really amazing too. I wanted the pop of pink for what I had in mind, otherwise it would have been really hard to choose!

From Finding Fabulous. I really hope the green is this color in person—the frame is what caught my eye! UPDATE: It wasn’t quite the color I wanted in person, but she was terrific and understanding and let me return it. Definitely shop here! Great customer service!!

So that’s my room. And for the kiddo I found just the right inspiration in the vintage section! I can’t quite decide which is my favorite yet but it’s lots of fun!!! I think mix of vintage and his natural toys will be a really nice combination.

How cool is this spaceship from Recycled Wares??? I don’t care if it’s missing pieces and doesn’t work. If it did have all the pieces, I’d never be able to afford it!

I LOOOOVE these bookends from Vintage Eye. The seller seemed to think they were girly lions despite the manes. But I grew up with the Oz books and I recognize the Cowardly Lion when I see him–fresh from the Emerald City!!! Now hopefully my dad will let me raid his stash of old children’s books for a few to put out with these fun lions.

Walker flipped when he saw this train from Two Little Friends Very cute and she says it still runs perfectly. That will make my little boy very happy.

Oh…and one last thing…I haven’t bought this, but it’s a print she offers regularly and I’ve loved it for a year!

If you’ve never seen the prints at Sarah Jane Studios…you need to. If you’ve got kids or have ever been a kid, they’ll make you smile.

I’ve never really had the resources or opportunity to decorate to my taste before–I’ve always just made due with what we had and kept things pretty neutral. It’s interesting to find out what that taste is now that I have the chance! I’m learning that while I admire certain things, I can’t quite make myself comfortable living with them. Even though I want fun and eclectic, I also want a certain amount of symmetry and clean lines. In my head I’ve found a balance. Now we’ll see if it really works when put it into action!!

Amazima update: 232!

A few more dolls arrived this week from the UK. Thanks so much for contributing to this project!! We’re up to 232 dolls in hand. Bit by bit we’re getting there!

Happy November!

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a real post. But since this is supposed to be my crafty blog, I haven’t had a whole lot to post. My craft supplies are all boxed up while we sell our house and prepare to move (nothing dramatic…just across town). So, all my my crafting time has gone into silly projects like decluttering and housework. But it’s paid off. The house is cleaner than it’s been since we moved in! And I’m really liking the simplified look. I’ll definitely keep that in mind after the move!

Today was our open house so Baby Boy and I had to make ourselves scarce for a couple of hours. It turned out to be a really nice afternoon. He and I went out for lunch, then went to feed the ducks and play at the playground by his old daycare lady’s house. I so wish this little park was in my neighborhood! Who wouldn’t want this in their backyard??

And I took advantage of the beautiful weather and snapped a few shots of Walker. For some reason, I really love this serious one. It’s like a preview of his teenage years (“OMG Mom, just take the picture!”). Usually he’s got such a big cheesy grin.

Happy November everyone! I hope you’re getting the beautiful weather that we are!!

Amazima update: 227 dolls and counting!

New dolls in the gallery! We’re up to 227! Slowly but surely you’re all helping ensure that I don’t spend the week after Thanksgiving sewing dolls instead of sleeping. Thank you so much to everyone that’s sent in dolls and those people that have been checking in to make sure I’m getting closer to our minimum goal!

You all ROCK! I’m about to ship off the first 150 dolls to the Amazima folks! I hope their staff enjoys seeing your creations as much as I have!! It’s been such a pleasure to do this project!

Happy Halloween 2009!

We went trick or treating at the zoo! Lots of fun and he got good and tired with hiking all around the indoor parts of the zoo. When’s the last time you trick-or-treated next to the dolphins or kimodo dragons? Definitely on the agenda for next year!

Amazima Update: 210 dolls received!

New arrivals in the gallery!! We’re up to 210 dolls in hand. Thank you to everyone that is staying committed to this project even if the deadline ran past you. In order to give even one of these dolls to the children sponsered by Amazima Ministries, we need to provide them for all 400 of them! We have nearly 700 pledged and I am sure we can still meet this number even though the deadline is past. There’s plenty of wiggle room in there! As long as I get them by Thanksgiving, we can still make this happen!!

Here is the latest of the ADORABLE and snuggly dolls that have arrived:

Thank you all!! I know we can make this a special Christmas for the children sponsered by Amazima!

Amazima update.

More gallery updates today. We’re up to 206 dolls in hand. Love ‘em!! I’ve decided to get the mail carrier on my side by letting them know what’s going on and why suddenly I’m getting multiple packages every day!! I nice “Thank you!” (plus gift card for a free coffee) never hurts!!

The highlighted dolls today are so sweet. I fell in love with them, THEN read the note. These are her second sewing project ever!! I think everyone can agree that they’re adorable and will be well loved!

Amazima updates to the Gallery

I’m pretty sure I owe the mailman a tip or something. I added several new photos to the gallery. I LOVE how the creativity is coming through—even in things as simple as fabric choice. These dolls are just fun and every new bunch quickly becomes my new favorite. But from tonight’s photo-session…check out these fun ones. They’re too fab not to highlight!!! (My apologies for the lighting. I had to wait until after bedtime, so you get what you get!)

And I did another tally—we’re up to 192 dolls in my house!!! About half way there! Keep ‘em coming!!

Amazima update–they’re coming in fast now!!

Lots of new dolls in the mail today!! I updated the Gallery page with pics. Including these that my mom made (so I’m going to brag ):

I love them!

I have nearly 100 in hand right now. YAY!

Amazima Update

I just added a bunch to the Gallery Page. Thanks so much for all of the creative efforts going into these dolls! Each is truly unique and sure to be loved!

Here’s just a quick peek: