Christmas Cheer

I dread pulling out all my Christmas decorations - it always seems like such a daunting task to get them all out and placed just right.  But, after it's done I love to sit back and look at all the things we have been collecting for the last 30 years.  I love all the memories that our Christmas decorations bring back - I could sit for hours looking at our tree decorations and attaching a story to almost every ornament.  Here's a photo of one of my all time favorite Christmas decorations.  I made this toy block tree about 15 years ago.  It has made it through three moves and while it is a little worse for wear, the memories are still going strong.

All of our names are on here somewhere, along with the dog and a few other Christmas words!

Since the Worleybird Studio has been turned into a wrap station these days, I've been forced to take a creating break.  But don't worry, I'll be back to it in January and hope to have some fun new things to share!

Merry Christmas!!

On the Needles . . .

My knitting has taken a back seat lately to my digi designs.  So, now that Christmas is upon us and I can put it off no longer, I am a knitting machine!  Here's a sneak peak of what is on the needles today - these are going to felt up into some knitted lovelies . . . but I can't show the finished product just yet.  I'm hoping my family members will be surprised!  I'll post another photo of these later in the month once my giftees have their presents in hand!

Mmmmmmm . . . Rowan Big Wool, LOVE it!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

My little boy is 22 years old today.  I can't believe it - those years have flown by so fast.  As any parent will tell you, it has not all been a piece of cake!  Being a parent is by far the hardest job I have ever had - but one which I would not trade for anything.  We have had the pleasure of watching our boy grow into a fine young man.  We are so proud of him.  I can only imagine the things that are still to come, but I know he will do great things.  Dream big, Jordan - Happy Birthday!



Update

WORLEYS     1

DEVIL MOUSE      0

So, after setting about a million traps (okay, so it was really only 7, but it felt like a million!) we have FINALLY caught one mouse.  The first night, he and/or his friends and family ate all the peanut butter and cheese out of the traps without even tripping them.  We set them all back out again, this time we used GOURMET mouse food, LOL.  Well, one devil mouse took the bait and he is now on his way to mouse hell.  Ha!  If the rest of the crew dares to show up around here, we are ready for them!!  Note:  Jack is still keeping his distance.  I think he was ready to give up the ship to the mice!!

M. . I . . C . . K . . E . . Y . . EEEKKKKK!!!!

Hi Everyone! I have retreated to the Worleybird Studio. I am being terrorized by a mouse.  He attacked me as I was putting away my groceries.  My vicious watch dog, Jack, was no help at all.  He was up the stairs faster than I was!  As instructed by my fearless husband, I have laid out some tasty peanut butter in a trap and made myself scarce so that said mouse can begin his feast.  Why, oh why, did Mickey have to choose MY house?  I'm certain my neighbors' houses are much more comfy!!!!
Please send positive thoughts for a quick kill - I have much to do in the kitchen today!!!!

Vicious Attack Dog Jack

 



This is what Jack does while the mouse makes himself at home!



Here's the scoop!

Well, the cookies were a huge hit!  I packaged some up with cute little toppers to take to Bunko.

Isn't that turkey adorable?  I found him last year on one of my favorite blogs - Kolette Hall is a very talented designer and is so generous with her designs. She often has freebie downloads that she shares on her blog The Art of Choosing Joy.  Kolette has had a rough few months dealing with a life threatening illness, but I am so happy that she is now on the mend and back to blogging. 

I put a few cookies in a bag for each of the birthday boys - those packages didn't last long!

And, for those of you who asked, here is the recipe!  Try it out!

Milk & Cookies

Isn't this the ultimate in comfort food?  Who doesn't love a big luscious chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk?  I didn't have any inspiration for paper and ink today, so I thought I'd head down to the kitchen and churn out some of my all-time favorite cookies.  This recipe has been around awhile and has a whole bunch of different names.  My cookbook calls them Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!  Besides the fact that you can gain weight just thinking about these cookies, the recipe yields a LOT of cookies and they freeze beautifully.  So, I have some ready for after school treats for Taylor with a cold glass of milk, I've frozen some for Thanksgiving, a batch is ready for Bunko tomorrow night and a couple of birthday boys will be getting a little bag of these yummies.  It's been a good day!
                           

 

Spartans!

So, last week I was making bow ties and fake money - this week I've moved up to fashioning Spartan costumes out of old drapes!  Why does my son always ask me for help at the last possible moment?  Oh wait, I remember - it is because he is 17 years old!!  Yesterday, I get a call from the costume store.  "Mom, we don't have enough money to buy costumes.  Do you have anything in your studio that you can use to make us some Spartan costumes?"  Hmmmmmm . . . . I have fallen asleep EVERY single time my boys have put that movie "300" on to watch.  I don't even know what a Spartan looks like, but "Yes", I answer, "I'm sure I have something that will work."  And here they are - using some old drapes that have never found a spot in our new home, some medallions made out of spray painted tupperware lids, my never-before-tried make-up artist skills (notice the "enhanced" six packs!) and a few other odds and ends, we thought they looked pretty good.  These boys just crack me up!

A little digi-scrapping

I'm taking an awesome typography class over at ReneePearson.com called TextFx. I have never taken a class by Tiffany Tillman before, but I have to say she is a wonderful instructor.  Her manner of teaching is very effective and I am enjoying myself immensely!   I have always been a font junkie and download fonts all the time to use in my projects.  This class takes fonts to the next level and really shows you how to use them properly and incorporate them into your scrapbooking.  It is a four week class and we are on week #3 - life got in my way last week though so I'm a little behind and still trying to finish up week #2.  Here is the project I just completed - Tiffany provided a template for us to try out our new skills.  The white background kind of gets lost here, but it looks great in real life!!



TextFx Class - Week #2



Boo!

Do you decorate for Halloween?  I usually don't , favoring a more generic fall theme.  I don't even really have all that many fall decorations.  My new door arrangement only made it to it's new home a couple of weeks ago.  And now that my boys are grown and doing their own thing for Halloween we don't have quite the same gusto for the trick or treat activities that we once did!  But, I do like to have some special treats on hand for my favorite little ghosts and goblins.  I love the wide-eyed look that the little ones have when you hand them a full size candy bar or box of candy.  So, I add a few extras to my buggy when I go to Target in anticipation of the holiday.  This weekend I realized that the kiddos will be trick-or-treating in just one short week - better get the boxes decorated and ready to go.  I made up a box topper using some digital supplies from Echo Park (these were a freebie, but you can see their awesome stuff here.)  Here's the sample - off to finish my stack!

Boo! Boxes

Dinner Time!

I used to love to cook.  I used to sit and read recipes books in my spare time.  I used to try out new dishes on my family on a regular basis.  Oh, those were the days!  I still enjoy cooking, but I often find that I don't take time to properly plan out my menus.  And then 5:00 pm rolls around and I'm wondering what the heck I'm going to put on the table for Hungry Hubby and the Bottomless Teenage Pit for dinner.  That is when I pull out my trusty Desperation Dinners cookbook.  It is truly a lifesaver.  The authors, Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross have put together a book that allows us harried women to put together a nice meal, quickly.  And, with ingredients that most of us have in our pantries.  If you are looking for a handy helper for your kitchen, I highly recommend this book.  You can find the book here.

On tonight's menu was a recipe from the Desperation Dinners cookbook - Chicken Marsala.  It turned out beautifully and we all enjoyed it.  I'm on a mission to try to organize recipes that we try and enjoy so that I can remember to make them again.  So, each time I use a recipe that gets the thumbs up from all who are around our table, I quickly add it to my recipe file that I've got on my computer.  And, I just found these really cute fillable and printable recipes cards here, which will make saving now and printing later a breeze!  Check it out - maybe you'll like them too!

A Mother's Work

Tonight my 17 year old son came in from working on his Senior Class Homecoming Float.  And along with him was a package of a million sheets of green paper and a request for 7 bow ties.  Now, it's Sunday evening at 8:00 pm and the Worleybird Studio has been put to rest for the night or so I thought!.  I have spent the last hour turning those million sheets of green paper (okay, it was really only 500 but it looked like a million!) into Monopoly money and fashioning 7 bow ties out of wide twill tape, hair ties, buttons and thread.  It's all I had to work with on short notice.  I think the money will look okay from a distance.  Let's hope that the 7 bow ties hold up to 7 teenage boys and their dancing and other shenanigans - they have to make it through the week and all the Homecoming activities and to the parade on Friday afternoon.  I'll share some photos next week and let you know how it goes!  Keep your fingers crossed. 



A mother's work is never done - right?



View from the Porch

We are having the most spectacular day here today in Northern California - the temps are perfect, the sun is shining and the colors are just beautiful.  Ahhhhhhh . . . just finished a cup of tea on my front porch.  I think I need some company - this is just too wonderful not to be shared.  Wanna join me?  Please come visit!

Yes, Mum - I was listening . . .

My Mum was a grand letter writer.  She often penned notes to her beloved friends and family all over the world.  Mum was a pen pal in the very best sense of the word.  She kept in touch through letters with people even when phone calls became inexpensive, and when email became the the accepted practice for communicating with almost everyone.  I, sadly, did not inherit that same talent.  I have been known to send out a family Christmas letter and I try my best to send birthday cards to my family.  But, I don't often write a full fledged letter.

My Dear Mum

 I can remember a time years ago when I sent my Mum a package via snail mail.  I had spoken to Mum and told her the package was on it's way.  When it arrived, she called me to say that she had received it - and made a point to tell me that she couldn't believe I had not included a note with it.  She said even a little scrap of paper with a "Love, Sharon" on it would have been better than no note at all.  Ever since then I have found it next to impossible to send anything in the mail without some sort of note. However, I just can't bring myself to write a note on a scrap of paper.  I love pretty little notecards.  I don't often want to say much, maybe just a "hi" or "hope you enjoy the enclosed" so I created some tiny little notecards just for that purpose.  These are perfect for a little gift enclosure or just to let someone know you love them or are thinking about them.

So, while you should not expect a letter from me anytime soon, don't be surprised if "a little note" shows up in your mailbox. ;)

Little Everyday Notes

Etsy Shop Additions

Happy Monday!   Just wanted to let y'all know that I've added a few of the note card sets to my Etsy shop.  These are fun to make and since I had a few extra boxes I thought I'd add them to the shop in case some of you are looking for a fun little gift item. 

Breast Cancer Awareness

Okay, girls - it's time once again for your annual Ta-Ta check up!.  If you are of an age to require a once a year squishing, then off you go.  If you are not yet ready for that pleasure, please remind your moms, your grandmoms, your aunts and your sisters to make their way to their local Squash Shop.  If you've already been this year - good for you!!  If not, PLEASE do not put it off another second.  Seriously, it is SO important - thank you for your kind attention - . . . carry on.

Cheaper By The Dozen

Do y'all know the story of Frank Gilbreth - Cheaper by the Dozen?  You probably have either seen or read the story at some point.  He and his wife were efficiency experts way back in the 50's and had 12 children.  I always loved watching the movie when I was a kid and for some reason the concepts he developed have always remained in the back of my head - as a matter of fact I think if I were to conduct a genealogy study I might find that I am one of his long lost family members, LOL!   Frank believed that you should use your time and motion in the most efficient manner possible. I think he would have also been an excellent recycler!  Anyway, after creating some calendars last week I found myself with a pile of white card stock scraps.  In keeping with good old Frank's philosophies, I felt I really needed to put them to good use. But what to do?  I did not want to have to spend a lot of time cutting pieces so I really needed a project that I could use these scraps without having to change the size of them. 

Well, I dug around in my stash and pulled a few things together.  The Coffee Break note cards were so much fun that I decided to expand upon that idea.  Here is the result - do you love it?  I'm thinking this would make a fun little hostess or teacher gift.  I'll probably include a pen and maybe some fun magnets or thumbtacks and it will be all ready to go.

Coffee Break Lists

Coffee's Ready!

 Don't you love it when an idea pops into your head and then when you bring it to reality it actually turns out the way you envisioned?  I do!  I'm not sure if I dreamed about note cards last night or if it came to me while I was bleary eyed this morning drinking my cup of joe, but in any event this is the result - coffee themed note cards. 

Get ready for Etsy!

Whew!  There has been a frenzy in the Studio.  I've been working feverishly to get some calendars ready to list in my Etsy shop.  I spent yesterday putting on the finishing touches and taking photos and I'm almost ready to go. Take a look at this cute CD Case Calendar -

I love the Pink and Green combo - the images are from TracyAnnDigitalArt - aren't they cute?  I think this would be a brilliant way to brighten up someone's work desk!

Studio Happenings

I've had a busy but productive day in the Worleybird Studio today.  I've finished the design of a new CD calendar and will be putting the finishing touches on the packaging tomorrow.  Stay tuned!  I'll show you a sneak peak next week before I list them in my Etsy shop. 

Up & Whirling!

Hi!  Thanks for stopping by.  I'm here in the Worleybird Studio working on some projects to show you. 

First on the agenda are some fun calendars.  A few years ago when I was teaching classes at a local scrapbook store in Las Vegas,  I had the pleasure of designing and teaching a class on calendars.  Quite by accident I became known as the go to Calendar Girl!  Every year it was on my list of "must have" classes.  Well, I have since moved to California and find myself without an avenue to teach.  But that won't stop my creative spirit!  Oh no!  I can't stop designing calendars.  I was recently asked to supply a few for a Susan G. Komen event - a cause near and dear to my heart.  Well, those calendars just triggered my creative juices and I'm now on a roll.  Here's a little sneak peak for you -I'll be adding a few of these to my new Etsy shop which I hope to have up and whirling very soon!