It seems like I’ve been away for ages although I suppose two weeks is not really an eternity. I was on my vacation (which was lovely) and then abruptly returned to work (which was not). There are some vacations which I think sort of stick with you… you come back relaxed and refreshed and everyone comments on how nice that must have been, you seem so much better, etc. And then there are vacations which sort of fall off abruptly and you feel so spoiled for thinking I must go back on vacation, I deserve just a few more days, etc.

Anyway, I have returned and have been quiet this week, since I’m feeling quite stuck and restless. I tried even to do everything in a different order when I got back to see if that helped (shower before coffee, more reading before work, etc.) but that only worked on Monday. I have interesting ideas swirling around in my head, but as soon as one comes close something happens to upset my mood and I can hardly be prodded off of the couch.

There are quite a lot of wonderful, happy things that have happened over the past two weeks...
…romantic dinners for two, long walks along the beach sort of stuff…
…watching Mr. Bunny Slippers video tape our entire vacation with his own running commentary and discovering another side to his sense of humor…
…eating delicious room-service pastries and smothering rolls in blackberry jam…
…frequently feeling that we fit in better with the senior citizens on the trip than we did with our 20-something counterparts – and feeling ok about that…
…paying the extra money so we could get the commemorative cup with flashing LED lights and debating whether we needed a set of eight…

And since I’ve been back, I’ve had quite a few splendid ideas about things I want to make and do… everything is coming along in fits and starts. Of course, I mustn’t actually start on any of these new ideas until I’ve finished some time sensitive stuff first (um, Back-Tack anyone?) including a few special birthdays. Why is it that brilliant ideas show up to tempt you away from what you were supposed to be doing?

I finally found materials for my glass/ceramics painting projects. This mirror was only $4.99 so I figured it was worth if it even if it ended up being a practice mirror. The little cup is meant for toothbrushes, but I’m going to turn it into a pencil cup with a little paint. Right. Oh, of course, – I’m not supposed to think about that right now.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm heading out momentarily for a much needed vacation. Yay!

See you all next week (assuming of course that our ship is not attacked by pirates).

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just mailed off a whole batch of presents and cards for birthdays, weddings, housewarmings, and a few thrown in there just for fun. I can now vacation guilt-free. And of course, everything was generously covered in labels. I think it got a little silly at some point, but I really couldn’t stop myself.

To my friend Kristen whose package is on its way, here’s a little sneak peak. (And while you wait for your present to arrive, you should look at this. How cool are these?!)

I know I’ll get it trouble for this, but I’m also baking a cake right now. Mr. Bunny Slippers would prefer that I slow down on the dessert making, but I’ve been daydreaming about cakes ever since I saw this Chocolate Pumpkin cake recipe at My Paper Crane. I know it’s pretty impractical to go around baking cakes when you’re getting ready to leave for a trip, but once again – I couldn’t stop myself.

I also squeezed in time for a visit to the fabric store this week.

I don’t have any projects in mind for these yet, but they felt really fresh and spring-y to me (although they could all use a good ironing...)

I’ve started hording all sorts of new paints and craft supplies, so I hope to come back energized. After some hunting, I found some Delta Iridescent Glass Paints that I’m going to try out for my mirror project. (Seems a little safer than the Liquitex Glossies paint that has to be heat set in the oven.) And while roaming the craft store, I finally found one of those Pebeo Porcelaine pens that allow you to write on porcelain/china. Big plans here. I keep thinking how cool it would be to make simple designs on crisp white china. (Sort of inspired by this.)

Now really, I must stop making cakes and start packing.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 03:56 PM | Permalink

I have a bad habit of seeing something in a store that I really, really like, and not buying it. It’s usually just little indulgences that I pass up, and it’s probably a good idea to use some restraint anyway. However, every now and then, even as I’m driving home I’ll realize that this was one of those things I should have purchased. I guess it’s the opposite of buyer’s remorse. It’s like buyer’s item abandonment complex. Then, I’ll spend the next week figuring out how I’m going to get back to the store to rescue it.

This happened with this beautiful notebook from Jill Bliss that I found at Barnes & Noble. I’m happy to announce that I have since gone back to the store to retrieve it. So pretty – I love the colors which seem to me both calm and inspiring.

Of course, while I was there, I also saw another little notebook and started to fall for it too. Except, it’s not little. It’s BIG – 7”x10” and the paper inside has really wide lines. (Click on the image to see it larger.) Really, it’s not something I would use, but I still had to hem and haw for a good 20 minutes and wander around the children’s book section while I tried to make a decision.

And what is this peaking out from underneath the notebook? Something from Royal Caribbean! Yes, next week I’m heading off on a much-needed vacation.

Right now, my to do list is in that whacky jumbled up state it gets in right before you’re ready to leave for somewhere. In my case, it doesn’t help that we’ve also got Mother’s Day, a belated friend’s birthday, housewarming and wedding presents to send, and several craft projects to contend with as well. I do love the juxtaposition of “find glass paints” and “buy sunscreen for trip” on my list.

I’ll try to put together at least one more post before my trip. I found some interesting craft supplies this weekend that I’m hoping to share before I go.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I keep stumbling across people mentioning the wonders of freezer paper (here, here , here, and here), so I thought I would share the results of my one attempt. This test run was from last year before Christmas. I had great plans to stencil the bird design onto some drawstring pouches but ran out of time. It was a fast and fun project though. The drawing it based on a little statue I saw in Domino.

All of this talk of stencils has gotten me thinking about another project on my to do list. I really want to try stenciling onto a mirror to make something like this (at least until I can afford the real thing). I just love the stuff from Atelier LZC.

I have a couple of bottles of acrylic Liquitex Glossies paint that is supposed to work on glass, but it looks like it has to be heat set which seems dangerous for a mirror. (Can you even put a mirror in the oven? For some reason I don’t even want to think about that. It just sounds like trouble.) I want to look at some of the glass painting kits at the craft store first. (Something like this that doesn’t require heat setting.)

And in other news, since the fun of Back Tack III just wasn’t enough, I’ve signed up for another swap. I’m so excited. This “Hand Carved Stamp Recipe Card Swap” is being hosted by Moki (who just happens to be my Back Tack III partner). She put together an amazing tutorial for carving stamps. There was also some great talk about carving materials over here too..

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On Saturday, I was left to my own devices. So after dawdling around drinking far too many cups of coffee, I put together a little list of errands I’d like to run. It sounded perfectly lovely on paper.

Off I went to the fabric store to hunt down some inspiration for my Back Tack III project. I didn’t find a thing. (A bit of trivia - the fabric store near my place is the one Kara Saun takes Jay to in the Project Jay special. Oh yes... I usually feel a little lame when I can't find anything there...)

Then I headed over to Paper Source. I am always reading on other people’s sites about how lovely and divine this place is. I have decided that this is clearly because they do not have to go to the Beverly Hills location. The store itself is lovely, but it is located around the corner from Rodeo Drive. I'm sure this is very nice for the store and for people who like upscale shopping, but I'd just as soon not have to dress up to buy my stationary, thank-you-very-much. I’d been there once before, but never on a busy Saturday. And I had forgotten how out of hand that place was until I was already there surrounded by cell phone wielding, purse-dog carrying women. (My apologies to anyone who carries a dog in a purse – I'm sure your dog loves it! It’s just not my sort of thing.) I’m not big into parallel parking anyway, but it’s somehow worse when the street is lined with Ferraris.

I think I wore the wrong flip-flops for this occasion.

Luckily, this tin of labels was there and worth the drive alone. I've had a crush on them ever since I saw them mentioned over here.

To top it all off -- on the way home, I scoured several newsstands and finally found copies of Blueprint (discovered here) and Marie Claire Idées (discovered here).

As if those labels weren’t enough, I went home and made some like this (very much inspired by these expensive ones):

And I printed out the mailing labels from here.

And now all I want to do is label things.

P.S. - speaking of amazing labels, I just found some new ones to admire.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, it’s pretty much a miracle, but I managed to finish cleaning everything in time for the dinner party with my family. There were a few tasks here and there I wish I’d gotten to, but that’s standard, right? And I was happy that I managed to forget them and enjoy the time with everybody instead of dwelling on the fact that really – I should have found a better place for the vacuum instead of stashing it in the corner by my bed.

This little dinner gathering was so important… I really felt like I needed to have everyone here at least once before we ended up being split up by so much distance. My place is never the cleanest or the roomiest or the most convenient… and I will admit to being hesitant to invite people over because I’m horribly sensitive to any criticism. (And what is it with people who come over and ask you questions like “so when are you going to put up drapes, anyway?” I don’t even remember who said that, but I hear it in my head anytime I think about inviting someone to stop by…)

So anyway, my parents, boyfriend, sister, and baby nephew all gathered around the table and no one said a word about the drapes. It was lovely.

My souvenir from the dinner is a (mostly) clean workspace.

I absolutely adore this desk. It is really just a couple of bookshelves (painted white) and a dresser with some melamine boards stacked on top. One side is propped up by old text books. The desk is quite massive – 6 feet long on the right-hand side. I have a very hard time not covering it up completely in projects, so this is my desk in it’s mostly cleaned up state. And in honor of company coming over, Mr. Bunny Slippers installed that lovely wire/clip thingy for displaying photos and cards above the desk. Love it.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)