live . craft . learn

new chapters

there are a million + 1 things going on in our house right now but the one thing i am constantly focusing on is this one, my sweet bean. kindergarten starts in 6 days {6 DAYS!!!} and i'm focusing on spending every ounce of my spare time with her. because after next wednesday she will be gone 5 mornings a week and although i keep telling myself i'm ready i know i'll be a basket case come drop off time. why must baby-hood fly by so fast?

on top of that news we will be at stanford tomorrow and my girl will need to be brave for more needed tests. it's always a bit traumatic for her when we visit, due to previous experience with surgery and tests, but this time we're trying a new plan and seeing if just one person going, instead of the whole support system, will make it easier. partly because she moves from one person to the next searching for ways to talk us out of what is necessary. and partly because we all love her so and want to be there for her. but she keeps telling me this time she "feels braver", so cross your fingers and say some prayers for us that everything goes smoothly and the results will mean no more surgery. please.

also... kenner road is coming along amazingly well. i've been spending the week ordering product and putting together new digital kits as well as continuing to work on the website. i can't even express how amazed and grateful i am to all of you who have emailed for subscription information and sent your support. i was a bit stunned by the response but it's all good and a newsletter will be going out this weekend with subscription information and more. if you are even in the slightest bit interested i suggest you send me an email {subscriptions [at!] kenner road [dot!] com} as the first few months i will have limited kits and they will be available on a first purchased, first served basis.

other than that i am a smiling, happy, excited and inspired girl this week. i feel surrounded by support and beautiful energy and i am ready to start the new chapters that my family, and my new business are about to begin. and i owe a large portion of that feeling to all of you...

so, thank you.
again.
for being here and being my friends.
for believing in me.
you are truly cherished and appreciated.
with all of my heart.
xoxo

ps : a couple of you have asked about the new torn photo overlays i've been using lately. i bought them here after seeing them on amy's blog. aren't they fab!?

 

it's time to share my news....

i will be opening a new website on september 15th, kenner road, it is very dear to me and one i've been obsessing over since i decided to jump in with both feet right before i left for cha chicago. a dear friend of mine had suggested that i do this. that i take this leap and put my heart behind what i love and adore, all things vintage + scrapbooking/paper crafts. i sat and thought about it for a couple weeks and realized how much this craft, this industry and the amazing people i have met & become friends with makes me happy. so here i am, starting another online business and excited to begin.

i'll be selling vintage scrapbook and papercraft kits, more of my vintage inspired digital elements {like the images you see above and on the kenner road splash page} as well as vintage fabric, trims, ephemera and other vintage elements that i love to collect. basically, anything that you've seen me use in my work {and more} will be available. the kits will be available through guranteed subscriptions and also on a limited basis the day each kit goes live.

i have to say that choosing the name was easy for me, kenner road was the street that i lived on when i was little. it was where i spent days outside in the summer, running and laughing and getting brown in the hot central valley sun. i had a horse for a best friend, freedom to roam where i wanted and orchards to get lost in while picking apricots straight from the branches as a snack. it wasn't a fairytale childhood, and i had my struggles, but looking back now i can see the magic moments that existed, the moments that have shaped me into who i am today; strong, independent, loyal, focused, loving and more.

it's a dream i'm excited to work on, something that has been inspiring me on a daily basis. there is alot more i have planned than what i have shared here, including an amazing creative team that i am blessed to have join me next month, but all of that will be revealed in due time.

if you are interested in learning more about kenner road, you can send an email to subscriptions [at!] kenner road [dot!] com or use the direct link on the website and i'll add you to the newsletter list so you will be the first to know when subscriptions are available for preorder and more.

happy monday!!!
xoxo

creative therapy : first love

catalyst 21 is up at creative therapy; first memory of love. i always tweak the catalysts to my thoughts, it's a way i can make them authentic and true to me. this one for me was all about my husband and this ring, my ring, the ring he proposed to me with. the ring he proclaimed his love for me, for us, for our future, with. it is the most precious and important thing, besides our two children, that he {or anyone} has ever given me.

you can read more about my thoughts and how i created the canvas on the CT blog and you can see more details in my flickr pool here and here and here. i have to also give a shout out to the other ct girls who created this week. everyone puts so much of themselves into their work and it was amazing to see how everyone interpreted this. plus, i am so thrilled to see my friend wilna as this weeks guest artist. she never ceases to amaze me with her work or her heart.

i also want to say congratulations to the girls that made the hambly dt. such amazing talent and i am so excited to work with each and every one of them. there were six of us and i have to be honest, it was difficult and hard to be involved, especially since i personally know and love so many who applied. it's been a true eye opener for me, on how manufacturers make their selections, because trying to select a well rounded team is hard. and i have been on the other end, applied for a call and then not made the team, so i understand both sides.

ok ... off to dig into breaking dawn. :)

happy sunday.
xo

it's thursday

i saw this man and heard his amazing voice last night. and i am falling in love {again} with his amazing music! and this song, one of my favorites, was the opening tune with a choir!! *sigh* life was good last night. and the best thing about it all was that my mom won the tickets off of our local radio station. yes. she's that person that everyone knows who wins stuff all the time. fingers of gold, just like my grandfather had.

allison and i have been working on finalizing the hambly dt and we are almost finished.

*whew*

seriously. i know some of you are probably wondering but this choosing thing is hard, hard! i mean, how do you narrow down a few hundred applications into a small rounded out team when everyone is amazing? again, it is so hard! and i'm feeling very anxious to be past the selection process so we can all start working together. cannot wait to work with the new team and so happy that it is almost august 1st.

oh. and i am SO PROUD of my gi. she scored an amazing gig with the always inspirational tarisota team. she deserves it SO much, plus about 5,000 more amazing things. please, go here and congratulate her!!

and i've been scrapping alot. alot. making beautiful pages like this with some beautiful october afternoon & more ...

and i have about 10 other pages that are stacked here that i still haven't photographed and shared. kind of nice to be focusing on the creating and the memories and thoughts and not what the end result should be. plus i'm getting everything ready for my BIG announcement. planning and ordering things and dreaming about beautiful roads... *hint*hint*. eeks. almost ready to share. almost.

happy thursday!!
xo

creative therapy : my name

this week's catalyst is up and the creative therapy girls really made some amazing work. it was fun this time to just create. as i said on the ct page i didn't really have a plan with this one. didn't know what i wanted to say, express, feel. and then i heard a favorite song, sky by joshua radin {the first one on my playlist} and his lyrics just spoke to me. "sometimes i forget to love you like i should". so true.

the glitter "Y" came from my sweet friend andrea, a little surprise i received from her a few weeks ago {i told you'd i'd find a good use for it a!}. i just hinged it to the page by cutting a slit along the spine and then i attached it with a ribbon to the back of the next page. the part showing on the back will be hidden by layers when i create the next page. more close up pictures in my flickr gallery.

i'm loving that washed out gesso look of layering and collage with bursts of color here and there. it's becoming an addiction. i think i'm going to do a scrap page like this today. i got a fun kit from lucy to play with and i'm just going to see where the process of creating takes me again.

happy sunday!
xo

it's perfect

i just finished working on tomorrow's catalyst in this book, my collage book, and i am adoring how thick and layered it is looking. it's where i do most of the catalyst's for creative therapy and where i experiment and get out all of the thoughts that sometimes crowd my head. it's become a cherished possession.

it's a lazy saturday. it's perfect. as soon as i finish posting this i'm going outside with the bean to read some more of the host and get some more vitamin d into my skin. life is good.

i also wanted to tell tracy ....

wow - what an amazing package of goodies - looks so fun. sounds like you had a wonderful time in chicago and a wonderful time since coming home. Yea!!!
Posted by:Tracy July 25, 2008 at 02:22 AM            

you won the october afternoon rak. yay!!! send me your addy via email and i'll get it out to you on monday.

happy saturday.
xo

quiet friday house

the house is quiet right now and i am working on something big. something exciting and scarey and fulfilling. something that i feel inspired by. something that i believe in. my children are at nonnas. mike is still at work. it is just me and my thoughts and this beautiful song playing over and over and over some more. i am focusing on the big picture that sits within my soul. feeling my dreams bloom. becoming one with what i love and why i create. pouring all of me and all of my heart into everything i do. i feel good. i feel refreshed. i feel balanced and gentle and whole.

happy friday night.
enjoy life.
xo

today i loved ....

... meeting julie {shabbyjuls} in real life {she lives here too!} after planning a coffee talk for two weeks and realizing how much we really have in common. thrifting. all things chippy and old. summer cottage. digital. alameda & vintage chic. our love for jayney. mellowness & truth.

... sharing good laughs & getting to know one another better over a soy flat latte {me, of course} and a venti iced tea {her}. it was mid-morning perfection.

... finding proof that the pony carnival that maddie & her papa created while i was in chicago was documented on the camera {yay papa!!} when i was downloading pictures from meeting julie.

... seeing this pic of dina & celeste and stealing it from dina's flickr pool and hearing the words "dinah wackley" and remembering all the crazy laughs and good pizza we had at cha. i miss you girls something fierce!!

... seeing this on holly's blog and going and instantly needing to do it myself. those are some good words i've been using!

... that i have been spending every evening since getting home from chicago, oh... and nap time!, sitting in my favorite chair reading the host and loving it more than i thought i would. i read all the reviews and i still bought it in sfo on my way to chicago last week and now i am happy i did {but i'm only about 1/3 of the way through, no spoilers, k?}. and can i ask... how many of you will be buying breaking dawn on august 2nd? i can't wait!

... seeing that this friend and this amazing friend gave me the sweetest honors with a blog award. thank you sweeties!

... being there for a friend and knowing that she truly knows i have her back 1000%. regardless of what happens, regardless of the hard decisions she has to make and regardless what comes her way. i will always be there.

happy thursday!
xo

scrapmojo & an october afternoon rak

i was honored to be able to work with my sweet friend marie and the other mojo girls over a scrap mojo this week. the prompt is to ask someone what they would do with a million dollars and then scrap it. this is my sweet bean. all big smiles. she LOVES ponies. real ponies. dream ponies. plush ponies & my little ponies. reminds me so much of myself when i was little. apparently in maddie-ville it's a one dollar for one pony ratio. oh to be that innocent again. :)

and in other news ..... i have this to give away :

a huge press pack filled with lots of the new october afternoon lines that were just released at cha. kim & jon were very gracious to let me take a press pack for one of you lucky oa lovers. there is paper from four different lines, including the new "weather vane" {my fav!} and "good cheer" xmas lines. plus two sheets of the new stickers.

and i'm also throwing in that adorable little monster charm pin you see above that they gave away to everyone who came by the booth. isn't he cute!

leave a comment in this post by 8pm friday pst and i'll announce a winner saturday.

happy wednesday!
xo

happiness is coming home ....

after spending a fabulous weekend with these two girls and seeing my littles and hubby and not crying as soon as i walked through the door. seriously. except for the fact that my gigi wasn't with us, i think this past weekend was the best one i've had since silver bella. no stress. no demands. no drama. we just hung out and laughed. jayney & amy are the best gail's i'll ever have. good schleppers. great shoppers. and beautiful hearts too!

we walked the floor at cha and shopped our hearts out searching for new product... i'll have more news on that reason later this week. :) we did make & takes and i have a pile of some of the new cha summer releases i got to bring home and play with due to the graciousness of friends and manufacturers who make the amazing product and were generous enough to share... that and amy's press badge. i'll share some pics of my fav's tomorrow.

i fell in love with alot of the new release lines, of course hambly and october afternoon are first on that list. o.m.g. the oa is divine {and i might have a little rak of new release papers and such for tomorrow... compliments of jon & kim... in case you want to make sure to come back!}. and then there was the new basic grey urban prairie. all of the pink paislee. sassafras lass {i fell in love with woodland whimsy}. fancy pants paper & chipboard. new autumn leaves stamps. the cosmo cricket campy was even cuter in person. maya road and their new acrylics. claudine's new line for ranger with the adhesive backed canvas. tinkering ink's new green line, and other little pieces we found here and there ...

i got to see friends i haven't seen since last cha and met some amazing new women. we sat outside becky's hotel with her and jenn on thursday night and i laughed so hard with her and everyone else my sides hurt, still.

i finally met cheryl in person and she's even sweeter than i had thought.

saturday i met kelly at the basic grey m&t and she cracked me up, not only with her introduction {"oh.... yes. i thought so." as she's lifting my badge to see my name *giggle*} but with her beautiful smile and kind words of encouragement.

then saturday night we all met at the sofitel again where i met kelly briefly and wished i hadn't felt so intimidated, she's stunning in person. and then there are all of the other girls. dude. i cannot list them all ... cause i know i will forget someone. hi girls!!!

gail ... who am i forgetting??

and for those of you who left comments for the hambly rak.... drum roll please!
our winner is :

Oooooh!  Pick me, pick me!  Have fun at CHA!
Posted by:Holly Hanks | July 17, 2008 at 02:37 AM

send me your addy holly & congratulations!!

thanks for playing girls!
happy tuesday!

xoxo