NANCY'S NEST

Coffe Table x 2

2011-03-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

After several months of contemplating, searching and shopping I finally took the plunge and bought a new coffee table.....well actually 2 coffee tables!

We loved our other round black table but it just took up too much room in our not-so-large living room. Then on the other hand it was perfect for resting your feet on. No more foot resting on these! The extra room won out.

Decided it was long past time to get my Valentine decorations down and a little too early for Easter so got out an old book and started crumpling up book pages.

I suppose the normal person would just put flowers in this little burlap bucket.....

Took some book pages and twisted them into some flowers.

While out shopping at one of my favorite shops in Mesa, FOUND, I picked up this cute little silver dish. It kinda looks like one of those old trophies don'tcha think.

Seems like everyone is making these coffee filter wreaths.....so I couldn't be left out!

Now I'm going to curl up on the sofa with a warm blanket and a movie and hope this crappy sore throat goes away before it grows into something worse. I do feel a nap coming on!

Adios!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

2011-02-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

Sending out Happy Heart's to all you Valentine Lovers!!

Hubby surprised me tonight by taking me out for a scrumptious dinner. I had mentioned several weeks ago that I would like to eat at Cafe' Boa sometime. Amazingly he remembered!! Can't figure out how he can't remember where the car is parked, or if he closed the garage door...but he can remember a nonchalant comment I made....probably while he was watching a ball game on TV too! Hey, whatever, he DID remember and I love him for that! After 35 yrs. of marriage he still has it! Now all would be perfect IF I looked the the girlie above.......oh well, guess I'll climb into my flannel jammies and finish watching the Grammy Awards cuddled up next to my sweet Hubby!

Another Necklace

2011-02-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is the last of the necklaces I made from old jewelry of my moms, aunt and some of mine. I really love the blue colors in this piece. When I finished it I knew that I would be giving it to my daughter Bre. It looked like her. Pretty and simple and striking.

I love the old vintage flower earrings in this.

I will admit that it was hard to give this one up!

Now it's time to get into my jammies, drink my hot cocoa and read my new magazines.

XOXO

Rabbit Trail

2011-01-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

Peek-a-boo!

I know I'm a little early, but even though I "love" Valentine's Day (I have all my V-day decorations up to prove it), I still couldn't resist creating a little Easter fun while my friend Vicki was here. We only had 6 days to try to cram in every craft we could. She had never worked with paperclay before so thought this would be a great time to teach her.

Here she is working on covering her paper box.

This is the beginnings of mine.

The creation of the rabbit's head just kind of evolved out of my head!

I didn't really know how it was going to turn out. We started with an egg-shaped styrofoam form and a couple bent in half pipe cleaners for ears. DON'T use pipe cleaners with paperclay. It doesn't stick well. But we forced it until it finally obeyed!

What a relief for me when the final product turned out so dang cute!

I covered my rabbit head with fine glitter.

Vicki used mica.

Guess I better hurry and eat up the rest of the Valentine M&M's so I can get the Easter candy out soon!

Nighty-nite

XOXO

Everything is coming up Valentines

2011-01-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

Vintage music paper, pink thread, french ribbon and a little stuffing....and TA-DA: a sweet Valentine! I made this up quick but it packs a big impression. They look so cute nestled around my old camera.

You can create your own version of these hearts with any paper and ribbon. Wouldn't these be cute in apothecary jars? Hmmm, I may have to make a few more and do just that!

Tomorrow I return to work after several weeks off so I must head to bed. You know, that beauty sleep thing and all.....even though when I wake up and look in the mirror I still don't see any new beauty. Still can't figure out how that works! Any-who, gotta run. Have a great weekend.

Will be back in a couple days with another new creation!

XOXO

Nancy

Playing Hearts!

2011-01-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

My long-time, dear, dear friend, Vicki, is here visiting me this week from Washington. She is my true creative soul sister. I was so excited to have her come and planned several crafting sessions for us to do. Last weekend we headed up to Mesa, AZ to take this Valentine wreath class at Mystic Paper from the talented Connie-K.

We used a styrofoam heart-shaped wreath, vintage dictionary pages cut into scallop-edged circles, vintage sheet music and glittered chipboard letters covered in glitter. She brought each of us an old painted picture frame.

We attached this cute crystal ball on the bottom of the frame with ribbon.

The paper circles were attached with white corsage pins.

Pretty cute, huh?

Now I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to hang it. Sorry to make this so short, but this is our last full day to craft and I don't want to miss a minute of it. Vicki's already sitting at the table ready to begin...mus-int keep her waiting!

Still have lots more to show you...stay tuned!

XOXO

Burlap and More

2011-01-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is a continuation of the creations I made for the baby shower my daughter is putting on next month. This burlap bag with dollar store doily embellishment and twine tie will probably be hung on her front door. I just bought some artificial vines and twigs and stuck them in. Wish I could say that I made that cute picture behind it!

Burlap banner in baby's name.

These little bags will be used to hold the game prizes.

Here's my first coffee filter wreath. I added my handmade bookpage flowers and a glittered "H". These wreaths are really fun to make. I think they would be cute hanging all year long.

We decided we needed to use this cute stork on something so I bought a small hat box at Michaels, covered it with the script scrapbook paper, topped it with some moss and bird's nest with eggs and feathers and stuck the stork on top. I picked up a package of mini babies in the baby shower section, wrapped one with a little blue ribbon and glued it to the stork's beak.

TA-DA....a cute table decoration!

Can't wait to see the table when it is all set and ready to go. Wish I was going to be there for this fun party. Meanwhile, I am back in AZ and my daughter is finally starting to feel better. My dear, dear friend, Vicki, flew in two days ago from WA to spend 6 days with me. We are crafting, shopping and eating out. Basically having a blast together!

Wait until you see what we made today...it's "LOVE"-erly!!!!

stay tuned

XOXO

NANCY

Paper Play

2011-01-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

I've been in WA for the past 7 days taking care of my grandsons and daughter who is suffering with an MS flare-up. Lucky for me, she has a party coming up and needed some decorations made for her food table. I just love creating without boundaries. Since her theme is birds and nests here is a peek at some of what I have been making.

Trying to keep expenses down, I scavengered through her cupboards and found two old candles that were burnt down to the bottom....still trying to figure out why she had them stuffed in the cupboard! So popped the candle wax out, washed off all the black junk on the sides and it was good as new. Added some pretty script paper, moss, feather and an egg.

Then I moved on to make one of the coffee filter wreaths. Now I know why everyone is blogging about them! So easy and they look awesome.

I picked up the fattest book I could find at the dollar store and came home and started ripping pages out of it. This is what came of some of those pages.

Next I attacked her awesome wire bird cage that she got as a gift from one of our favorite WA stores, The Rusty Chandelier.

Next post, burlap.

Time for me to jump into my jammies and hit the hay.

XOXO

Nancy

I'm Getting Organized

2011-01-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

So much clutter, accumulation, disorganization...UGH! Had to finally get motivated to get things back in order by joining the "Gitter Done" challenge by Songbird's blog. So out with all the outdated goods (geez, some cans actually had 2006 stamped on them).

I know...seriously out of hand!! Do I qualify as a hoarder? This is embarrassing! I had to call in the "big guns" to get it completely cleaned out. I won't tell you how many trips to the trash can he made for me. I guess if I couldn't see it I figured we were out of it...WRONG!!

TA-DA!!! Organized and feeling good.

I found the black fabric baskets at Target and bought the mini

chalk board tags at World Market.

Used my label maker for these containers.

After the pantry I was on a roll and cleaned out several cupboards and my closet.

I had plans to continue but had to stop abruptly and fly to Washington to help take care of Bre and her family. She is suffering from a bad MS flare-up.

Guess I'll work on her pantry this week!!

XOXO,

New Goodies to Start the New Year!

2011-01-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

BURLAP.......I LOVE IT!!! I found these cool burlap buckets online (sorry, I can't remember where I ordered them) and received them over Christmas. I have no idea what the heck I am going to use them for, but I'm sure I'll figure it out at some point. I thought they were so cute I just had to have them. Plus, if I remember correctly, they were cheap!!

While shopping for the buckets I also came across this cool burlap ribbon....

....and this sweet little string and scissor holder.

You just never know when you might need to tie something up.....like your husband

when he keeps trying to steal the TV remote to watch football, UGH!

Now I'm off to purchase the UNEXCITING new 2011 stuff...like a calendar and

office supplies. I'm hurrying home to read my new Country Living magazine and maybe even still have time to get some art project started!!

Oh Happy Day!

XOXO

Here Comes 2011!!

2010-12-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Here it comes, ready or not!

2011

I'm sitting here thinking about what am I going to strive for in 2011:

Create more art

Be a kinder person

File my paperwork from 6 months ago

Be more generous

Remove my laundry from the dryer before day 2

Put my shoes in the closet instead of the hallway

De-clutter and organize pantry & cupboards

Redecorate my studio

OK, that's enough.....geez a person can only take on so much before

it becomes undo-able!!!

So what are YOU going to strive for in 2011?

WISHING OF ALL YOU WHO VISIT MY BLOG

AN AWESOME 2011!

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay happy.

AND REMEMBER TO LEAVE ME COMMENTS
SO I KNOW YOU'VE STOPPED BY.

XOXOXO

Creating Again!

2010-12-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today was spent getting our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons to the airport for their flight back to Washington state after a 12-day stay. Then back home to take down all the inside and outside Christmas decorations, change all the beds and clean the house. After all that who has the energy for a well balanced home cooked meal? Not me!!! So I headed for a yummy dinner of "2" homemade cinnamon rolls swimming in warm butter...MMMmmmmmm! Not great for the figure, but man does it taste great!
Awhile back I gathered together some old jewelry that my mom doesn't wear anymore, some from my deceased aunt and some of mine. I had a pretty good sized pile. Some pieces were broken, some missing stones and some very cool vintage pieces. I decided to make some necklaces for myself and my daughters. Here are a few of the finished pieces.

This necklace includes my 83 yr. old mother's high school graduation watch she received from here parents in 1945. I just love this! I incorporated several vintage pieces from my aunt.

This piece also has one of my mom's old watches in it.

Mom obviously likes small watches! I really like the big pearl earring in the middle.

All the necklaces have broaches, earrings, pieces of necklaces and bracelets, charms and beads in them.

I made 2 more but my daughters have them so those pictures will have to be posted later. I had so much fun creating these that I think I may start doing this for other people who want to use their family jewelry to create a new heirloom.

Next week starts a NEW work schedule for me. I am cutting back to 2 days a week.

I am so excited to have time to get back into my studio and get my hands busy

creating fun stuff!

All Dressed Up For Christmas

2010-12-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Decorations are up and family is arriving this evening for 10 days of Christmas celebrating and we are so excited!! We haven't seen our grandsons since Sept. Way to long for us!

The groceries are stocked, beds ready, new toys in the toy box....just a few more hours and our home will be full. The only bummer is that it is raining! Geez, we go months without seeing a drop and just when our family arrives it's a downpour. Thankfully, it is suppose to warm up in a couple days. Tomorrow morning we are off to Hanna's school to help her class finish up their Christmas present for their parents. It's going to be a very full 10 days and SO MUCH FUN!!
Time for dinner....well, actually, time to go out for dinner!
XO NANCY

This Snowman Won't Melt!

2010-12-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my new creation! In fact, I am having a hard time gathering all my thoughts into a cohesive sentence. So much to show and tell. Yesterday I spent the day up in Scottsdale taking this snowman class from the Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage. I have been following her blog for a couple years now and when I saw that she was offering her FIRST home-based class I jumped at the chance. I really mean "Jump"....like up and down, waving of the arms, hollering and dancing around kinda jump!!! Not only was I going to finally meet her in person, but I was going to get to see her darling house. I have seen a few pictures of her beautiful home on her blog but to be able to see it in person AND decorated for Christmas, well OMG!!!! Take a look:

Keep in mind that Karen has made just about everything in her house! AMAZING!

Check out what she did around her TV.

She made these pillows.

Her house smelled SOOOO good. She had baked chocolate chip cookies for us.

Here's her studio.............so freakin cute!!

Karen made all those shadow boxes.....any everything else that's to die for.

Now, back to the class. Here we are in her workroom getting started.

A little handmade winter wonderland above us! Honestly, she thought of everything!

My first experience with CelluClay.

A quick trip to the backyard for some sanding on our snowman bodies.

Miss Karen.

My guy!

The rest of the groups....

Me and the Devine Miss Karen

Can't wait to see what she offers for her next class!

Today we went to church and then home to finish up some Christmas gifts, do some wrapping, spend time with my mom, cook dinner for my hubby (first time in about 2 weeks) and catch up on my blog. Now I need to to get to bed and get my beauty sleep for work tomorrow morning. Oh and UGH, I start back at exercise at 5:30 am too! This staying in shape stuff is for the birds.

XOXO

Getting ready

2010-11-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over I am starting to get my Christmas decorations up. I liked my "Thankful" banner so much that I whipped this Christmas banner up Thanksgiving morning.
Today I was just finishing up decorating our Christmas tree when I accidentally slipped off the top of the ladder, fell on my head and cheek on the tile floor, put alittle gash in my forehead and some how tore my fingernail away from my thumb! OUCH!! I can't decide which hurts worse, the thumb or my head! Scared the pee out of my Hubby so now I am under his orders to stay on the couch. He wanted to call the ambulance (since I knocked myself out) but I wouldn't let him. Why would I want to have them come and poke and prod me more when I am already in a world of hurt!!

So I'm laying on the couch waiting for my decorating fairy to show up and finish my tree! So far she hasn't shown up!
Gotta go and ice my head! Hope your day turns out better then mine!

XOXO NANCY

Look What I Did!

2010-11-21T14:16:00.002-07:00

To some of you I am WAY behind the times, to others I am WAY a head.....to me I am just plan proud of myself!!! I've been wanting to do this for some time but just never sat down and figured it out! But today I did!!! I have officially added my "signature" to the end of my blog posts! AND....I even have those little boxed widgets at the bottom of my posts to help you find older similar posts! OK, enough patting myself on my back....I just had to gloat a little!
HAPPY SUNDAY!!! XOXO

TA-DA.....

P.S. YIPPEE, I just figured out how to make and add a button too!! Woo-Hoo! Now I'm worn out and need a nap!

Yikes, More Shopping!!

2010-11-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

Had a nice day at work yesterday and was able to slip away right at 6pm to meet my daughter and a friend for appetizers and a drink before hitting a Holiday Boutique!
Seems like all I've been doing is shopping lately. Can I blame it on Christmas? I mean there are just so many great Christmas Arts & Crafts fairs to go to....how does one pass them up!
I must admit that I didn't buy gifts for anyone else except myself. Geez, that seems to be a pattern with me lately. But I just couldn't resist these two amazing items. First:

An embellished framed chalkboard. Loving this look. Here's the before and the after.

Next, I snapped up this handmade framed picture. As you can tell I am slowly tweaking my decor with a little vintage. Hmmm, wonder where that is coming from. Surely it couldn't be my aging!

I'm proud to say this statement truly does describe our family. I am still contemplating where I am going to hang this one. Or maybe it will go on a shelf.
Time for me to catch up on my blog friends posts and read my new Southern Living magazine. Sounds like an exciting Friday night to me!! Happy Weekend ~ XOXO Nancy

Shoe Fetish!

2010-11-16T14:52:00.003-07:00

My daughter, Bre came for a visit a couple weeks ago and we hooked up with her sister, Jami for a Girl's Shopping Day.

Makes me so happy to hang with my Homies! Especially when they are so darned cute....I think they look great in Bre's darling headwraps. (by the way, you can order them on Twisted Petals Facebook page). Any-Who, we wasted no time in hitting the stores. First stop, the shoe department.
All 3 of us have a shoe fetish....the more, the better. I know, it's sick isn't it. But it will help you understand this:
Hmmmm, should I buy this pair of boots?

Oh, but I really love these too......

Geez, how cute are these????

Well, when in doubt I just buy them all!!!

Good thing I have a part-time job to pay for these!!

I think we may be starting a bad habit for our little Sofia.

I'll tell you what, it sure is a lot more fun shopping for shoes then finding out that we may have to buy a new hot water heater for $600. Yuck!!
Time for me to get ready to go to our 6 yr. old granddaughter's first violin recital.....all 15 minutes of it! LOL!!
XOXO NANCY

Loving Burlap

2010-11-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is a new chair we are carrying in the shop and I LOVE IT!! Actually, I'm not too sure how comfy it is, but I really like the design and the fabric. Isn't the writing cool.

I decided to get brave and try my hand at printing on burlap. Took me a few times to get it right. Since my Thanksgiving decorations are slim, thought I'd make this little Thanksgiving definition that I will frame and sit on my counter.

Moving on...getting braver...here's my next creation. A burlap Thankful banner.

I think I need to look for more Thanksgiving decor, like a turkey or something to fill up the mantle a little better.

Bre is going to put her amazing headwraps and clips in a show the end of this month so I made her a banner for her booth.

Designer Blvd.'s floral designer, Sheri, made this wonderful cornucopia and I couldn't resist it!

Added my one and only Mark Roberts Fall Fairy.

OK, so I'm not really sure what this little decoration is.....I just kind of grabbed some fall looking stuff and grouped it together in my black and white boxes. Actually, I think it's a result of not giving much thought to the decorating!

Good thing I will be taking this all down in a couple weeks....it's pretty lame.  But, better then nothing, right?

So if any of you want to get in on an awesome Designer Blvd. giveaway, hop over to their blog at: //www.designerblvdaz.blogspot.com/ and check it out. It starts tomorrow and goes for 5 days!
Now it's time for jammies and bed! Have a great week. XOXO NANCY

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2010-10-31T20:29:00.001-07:00

Can you guess who we are? Yep, that's right....
Carmen Miranda and her NERD! Hubby and I attended our neighborhood's annual Halloween Costume Party last night. I put on false eyelashes for the first time. Wholly cow they were so long! I had so much glue on my eyelids I had to cover it up with liquid eyeliner. Half way through the party the inner corners started to come loose so every time I blinked they scratched me. I was so worried I was going to pull the few "real" eyelashes I have out when I tried to take them off. So I gooped up my eyes with tons of soak and scrubbed and scrubbed and they finally just fell off. The false ones, not the real ones...thankgoodness!
It's always so much fun to see everyone's costumes and eat all the ghoulish treats! This is what I brought:

Some of the guests...

Heart patients gone wild!

Last week I took our granddaughters to the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins.

Then it was home to carve them. Hanna loved digging all the slimy innards out with her hand.....Yuck!!

Sofia dressed in her "BOO" shirt.

We are excited because our daughter, Bre is coming down for a week's visit on Tuesday. Wish she could bring the boys, but this was a spur of the moment trip and the boys can't miss school. So sad when Cole found out...he cried. We have to wait until Christmas to see them.

Tomorrow will be a long day for me. Up at 5:30 for exercise, work at 9:30 AM until 11 PM. We are going to redecorate a large part of the store so I have to stay and do that after my regular work shift. Tuesday I work all day too. I am going to be beat by the time Bre arrives. But I'm sure I'll be able to muster the strength to shop with her and Jami all day on Wed.!

Hope you all had a fun Halloween. Now it's time to focus on Christmas since it is only 53 days away!!

XOXO Nancy

I Have A Good Excuse

2010-10-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

REALLY I DO! I have been working lots of hours at my job getting ready for their big Christmas Open House...93 1/2 hrs. in two weeks to be exact! Whew, that's a lot of hours for this old girl. My whole body was sore. But I'm fine now and wanted to share a few things that I've been up to since the last post.

First off, I broke down, hopped over to EBAY and bought myself this......

yep, a Cricut Expression. After reading a few of the instructions and checking out a some website tutorials

I made this.....

I love working with the vinyl. So many cool things you can make with it. Next stop is IKEA to get some jars to label and get my pantry organized.

I thought you might enjoy seeing a few pictures from our store's Christmas Open House. The trees we decorated really did come out spectacular.

It started out at 5pm on a Friday night with 100's of boxes spread over 5,000 sq. ft.

This work continued through late Tuesday night and ended like this:

Oh, and we haven't forgotten Thanksgiving either!

I'm glad all this holiday decorating is already done at work, otherwise I wouldn't have any energy left to do my own house when the time comes.

This afternoon Hubby and I went and saw "The Social Network" this afternoon. A really good movie. One I would highly recommend. Thought I was going to get a dinner out, but Hubby's stomach was acting up so home we came............I had cereal for dinner!

Good thing my favorite show, "The Good Wife" is on tonight or I would probably be in a poopy mood. Guess I'll have to hit him up for dinner out later this week! Need to hit the shower and then into my P.J.'s to watch my show. Nite-nite.

XOXO NANCY

SKULLS, CROWS, SPIDERS, PUMPKINS!

2010-09-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to putting up my Fall/Halloween decorations. After decorating at the store
(Designer Blvd.) all day I never seem to have much energy left to do my own house. But I knew if I purchased these wonderful velvet pumpkins they would give me the inspiration I needed to get started.

Well actually I just finally told myself to get my lazy butt up off the couch and get'r done!!

So there you have it! Now all I need to do is get my mop and dust rag out and get some house cleaning done.
On Sunday my Hubby took me to see "Sinbad" perform his comic act. Honestly, if you get the chance to see him you MUST go! He is hysterical and puts on a totally clean show. We laughed for an hour and 45 minutes straight. Amazing how he takes everyday occurrences and makes them funny. He talked a lot about 50 and older couples and after a while I was really starting to wonder if he had been hiding in our house to obtain all his material.
Last night was a big night for me.....the season opener of "The Good Wife." It's my favorite show, next to "Castle" and I have been waiting for months for it to start up again. We just got DVR so I won't have to miss any episodes!
Time for me to get to work. We are pricing and getting ready for our store's Christmas Open House the middle of next week. I know, Christmas the beginning of October, what was she thinking! Have a great day!
XOXO Nancy

LOVE and BRUISES!

2010-09-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

When you play with boys....you get bruises!!!

Sure.....they look innocent enough. But when I see them come charging towards me in a game of "chase," I feel like I need to run for the hills!!! I kid you not, they leave bruises!!! I love them to death but I have learned (the hard way) that boys are PHYSICAL. I have one sister (no brothers) and two daughters and two nieces, so these boys are a true novelty. They crack me up in more ways then one!! LOL!!
Hubby and I have been enjoying a week with our daughter, Bre and her family. Bre just started a new business called, "TWISTED PETALS". She makes these amazing headwraps. One size fits toddlers through adults. Check it out on Facebook ....Twisted Petals.

Being the devoted mother that I am, I have spent the past five days either shopping for fabric, ironing wraps or sewing the outside seams of almost 200 headwraps!!

She makes them in school, college and professional team colors too!
This evening I decided to try my hand at making paper flowers. Since I didn't have any paper bags available I used my grandson's roll of craft paper.

After a lot of tearing and twisting I ended up with these. After seeing the piles of torn paper all over the floor, Cole decided it looked like fun and join in. His flower is the one on the top right....not bad for a 7 yr. olds first try!

These are fun to make. No two are alike and you really can't make a mistake.
Well, I sure can say that I have kept my hands busy this week. Hubby and I got to take Caden to his first day of Pre-Kindergarten. He was totally excited and not the least bit sad to leave us and head into school.

Cole had already started 2nd grade a few days before we arrived. But we did get to meet his new teacher today (he changed rooms) and he was thrilled. Cole managed to bring home his first cold of the school year of which he has shared with Brean and I. UGH!! So it's off to bed early for me. Hoping tomorrow brings a little less head congestion.
XOXO NANCY

SLACKER!

2010-09-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Geez, I'm realizing what a slacker I've been when it comes to my blog. Seems like when I think about sitting down to post I don't have anything creative to show and tell. So I just end up reading everybody else's blogs. I have been working on some jewelry for the store I work in though. We have this large container that we throw all our broken jewelry into. Since it was so full it was starting spell over I decided to bring it home and see what I could create. As you can see, I had lots of options!

I ended up making several pieces, but only got a few pictures. Some of these were not completely finished when I snapped the photos.

On a whim, I decided my studio lamp needed some accessories, so I added the little bird, black ribbon, peacock feather and broach.

So that's it for today. I actually was suppose to work all day today, but I woke up at 2 AM this morning so dizzy and nauseated I could hardly function. I did manage to get to work but had to head home to bed after 30 minutes. I finally crawled out from under the covers a little while ago and am still trying to shake it. I have very LITTLE patience with illness so sure hope this is gone by tomorrow!
XOXO NANCY

TREASURES

2010-08-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is shop.  I don't always feel like I have to buy something.  I can be content to just look.  It gives me inspiration....makes me feel happy.  But then there are times that I love to buy!!  Especially if I come across something for my house that is unique.  When I visited my dear friend, Vicki's darling little decor store earlier this month, "The Rusty Chandelier," I was compelled to buy!  (You can find the Rusty Chandelier on Facebook)  Here's a couple of my TREASURES:

This lamp caught my eye as soon as I entered the shop.  It literally called my name!!  Not only was the flower base to die for, but the painted shade is actually made of tin!  How cool is that!  I didn't even look at the price tag.  Just grabbed it and headed to the counter to pay.

Then there were these awesome wooden signs.  I wanted one so badly but I wasn't overly fond of the wording on the lone one left in the store.  Just as I was about to leave the UPS man showed up with a boxful of new one...BINGO!!!  

I managed to purchase several other things and finally had to stop because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fit them all into our car for the long ride home.

Earlier this week I decided to check out the local shops and found this top....on sale too!

These comfy linen pants just arrived at the store where I work, Designer Blvd. and they go perfectly with my new top so I just had to buy them.

Designer Blvd. has great costume jewelry and we are always bringing home new pieces.  Here are the latest earrings for me.

Yes, I really do bring home a paycheck.  I don't spend it all on myself!  But it is nice to have some play money when I come across something I just can't live without!

XOXO NANCY

BACK FROM A SUMMER ROAD TRIP

2010-08-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Bags are unpacked, laundry and ironing done, grocery restocked and slowly adjusting back into our routine after a three week road trip from Arizona, north through Utah, west through Idaho, part of Oregon ending in Washington and then back home the same route.
Hubby and I had never driven north to Salt Lake City and decided to take that route on our trip to Washington for our annual family reunion.
Taking Hwy 89 through Utah was gorgeous! Here is a picture of a surprise dam we encountered on the way.

We were able to stop off in Idaho to visit a dear friend, Barb, from high school days. It had been 10 years since had seen each other and it was such a treat for us to spend a couple hours catching up with her. An added bonus....her miniature Chihuahua, Honey, had given birth to three puppies just 3 1/2 weeks earlier.

Here we are with mama Honey on the right and one of her daughters from a previous litter on the left. I was in "doggie heaven!"

We ended up being a day a head of schedule so stopped off at our daughter, Bre's house, spent the night and joined all the family (minus son-in-law, Mike who couldn't arrive for another week) for a day on Lake Washington.

Spent three days in our old hometown of Oak Harbor, WA at my mom's house. I got to hang out one day at my close friend, Vicki's new decor store, The Rusty Chandelier." The shop is darling and loaded with great merchandise. I managed to leave with both arms full of treasures!!

My mom, dear friends Rick & Gloria, Vicki & John and Carolyn & Bob joined us for a yummy dinner on the waterfront in Coupeville.

Back in Spanaway at Bre & Kyle's house for a couple nights we were invited to my niece, Stacy's new home for a BBQ on her new deck that Jawane was in the process of building.

Of course we had to fit in a little "Dance Party" on the Wii back at Bre's house.

Then it was time to pack up the three cars, pick up Mike at the airport and head to the ferry landing in downtown Seattle for Ft. Flagler and our family reunion. Here's Papa and Cole waiting our turn to load onto the ferry.

Mike and Hanna

HMMMmmmmm....this looks like some "goofy" confused driver! Oh, no it's just silly Kyle.

Here we are at Ft. Flagler and our home away from home for three days....the very old military barracks!

As the family gathers for the weekend, we all had tons of fun around the campfire,

getting headlamps, flashlights and magnifying glasses for exploring,

playing softball,

hanging out with the cousins and great-grandma,

eating lots of good food,

playing bingo, (Caden was the big winner this year!)

Mike, Stacy and Kyle

Tom running up to pick out his Bingo prize,

eating a morning cinnamon roll,

telling campfire stories,

Bre and Kyle

Tom dancing for us,

Gram & Jenny

Gram Jenny

flying kites,

wrestling with Papa,

celebrating Hanna's 6th birthday,

Cooper & Sofia learning to blow bubbles,

Caden chasing the deer


VERY INTERESTING...........WHAT IS THIS WE SEE?

and the whole family....well, the ones that could make it this year!

The next week Hubby and I spent playing with our grandsons at the park,

posing for pictures,

listening to Coleman read,

spending the day at the Seattle Zoo,

attending a garden party where Bre sold her handmade headwraps,

and then sadly having to say good bye to our sweet grandsons.

Back on the road we headed south to Forest Grove, Oregon to spend the night with my cousin Mark and his wife Kari and daughter Kelci. They invited Mark's mom, sister & husband and their two kids and new grandson for a BBQ.

We were thrilled to spend time with all of them after a long separation of about 8+ years. It was a real treat for us to meet the newest member of the family, Amanda's son, Parker.

The next day we headed to Nampa, Idaho and spent the night with our part-time AZ neighbors, John & Darlene and from there we drove 667 miles to Panguich, Utah and stayed in this wonderful Bed & Breakfast, The Ren Brick Inn.

Our last day was spent taking a tour of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, dinner in Flagstaff, AZ and then home. We had such a fun time but we were glad to drag out sore bottoms out of our car seats and fall into our own bed that night.
XOXO Nancy

Not Much New

2010-06-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

Gosh, I think I have been wasting the days away.  Seems I have nothing of much interest to share.

Just been working at the store and floating around the pool!  I did run over to the mall yesterday and found this darling dress.....................

It's a washable silk.

   And I got it for a STEAL......!!!  Yep, originally $89 and I got it for a whooping $26.70!!!  SCORE!!  I love great finds.  I'm trying to hold myself back from going back over to see what else I can find.

Been hanging out with my sweet Sofia a lot lately.
She is 17 months old now and starting to sat lots of words and tries to mimic everything we do.  
Here she is in her new headwrap!

I have a day off today so Hubby and I are trying to think of something to do.

So far we have no good ideas.

May be a relax at home day!

XOXO NANCY

LACKING

2010-06-15T20:15:00.001-07:00

Oh where, oh where has my energy gone....oh where, oh where can it be?    GEEEEZZZZ.....I just can't seem to get my motor started.  I do have a couple good excuses though.  One being that I have been working a lot and Two being that I spent 2 1/2 days in bed with the stomach flu.  Not good.  It's a lousy way to loose 4 pounds quickly!

I did manage to squeak out one little needle felted chick before I got so busy and sick.

Her hat was a challenge.  Trying to get the brim thin enough to fit on her head was not easy.  But after a lot of needle pokes I managed to get it on her head.

A couple of the other gals at work have joined me on Monday nights at Designer Blvd. (where we work) at 6pm to redo displays until 11pm.  Adding those hours to the rest of my schedule has worn me out.  But here's a few pics of what we have done.

 Next week we will begin to change up all the displays in the Home Decor side of the store.  It's exhausting work but so gratifying. 

Today Hubby and I spent the whole day babysitting our two granddaughters.  What better way to spend a day then in the pool! 

Meanwhile, I will be waiting for that motivating creative bug to bite me!

XOXO NANCY 

WET & COLD vs. DRY & HOT

2010-06-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'll take dry and hot any day....

EXCEPT

when the wet and dry means spending time with our family!

Twelve days in Washington rain babysitting our grandsons (while our daughter and son-in-law vacationed in our house in AZ) means having to be creative in the entertainment department. So these are a few of the ways we made memories with the boys:

Wii DANCE PARTY

BOUNCE HOUSE

the one day the sun came out we crammed in :

a little jam'in with Gib and Stephen

In December we gave Bre her first sewing machine for her birthday. I finally got a chance to show her how it works last week and I don't think she has left it since!

She has a very creative design talent and it is exciting to see what she is sewing up.

We had a wonderful time with our grandsons. Coleman is 7 1/2 and Caden is almost 5. They play great together and were so easy to take care of. It was hard to leave them until July when we will all be together again for a big family reunion at Fort Flagler in WA.

Now we are nestled back in our home and adjusting to the 100 degree temps!

XOXO NANCY

TWO PROJECTS COMPLETED!

2010-05-17T20:36:00.001-07:00

Well, almost two completed.....

I just need to add whiskers.

I was excited to finally finish my needle-felted Mr. Bunny.

He was a good learning experience for me since I had to try to

gauge equal size arms, legs and ears. He does have one ear a little longer then the other. (The easier to hear you with!)

He stands about 6 inches high and only about 2 1/2 inches wide.

Last Saturday I got to take a class from the very sweet and talented,

Jennifer Hernandez of the Polka Dot Pixie.

We would be creating her little Love Birds out of paper clay on a

paper mache box.

I added some iridescent glitter to mine. It would be so cute as a cake topper.
Jennifer taught us so many techniques and tips for working and sculpting paperclay.
I can hardly wait to take another class from her.
I have another set of love birds sculpted and now need to paint and decorate them.
On Thursday I will be heading up to Washington state to see my daughter, Bre and her family and then will babysit our grandsons for the week while Bre and Kyle vacation down here in our house. I'm so excited to be able to spend 12 days with the boys. Hubby and I plan to spoil them "rotten!"
Now I need to decide what project to take with me to work on while I'm gone.
I'm thinking maybe some little yellow needlefelted chicks.
Time to start packing!
XOXO NANCY

POKE, POKE, POKE!!!

2010-05-07T19:13:00.003-07:00

OK, I'm hooked! I'm in a Needle Felting frenzy!!!

Meet, "Lilac," she is my first bird. Silly bird.

I experimented with wire legs and realized quickly that I need to use a much thicker wire next time. But I managed to get her to stand up anyway...skinny legs and all!

I had a little bit of orange and yellow wool so I

practiced making a little pumpkin too.

This is my new project. Sorry for the poor picture

quality. I am working on the middle one.

I just finished attaching the feet. Yikes, this picture

it kind of not nice!

Now I'm working on the ears. 

OOoops! I just remembered that I need to needle in some white wool down the middle of the 

underside of the ears before I attach them.

Hope to finish him this weekend. No needling tomorrow as I work

all day. Hubby has been down on the couch for 2 days now with the respiratory flu. I know he's feeling pretty bad when he cancels his golf games!

Today I got my nails filled, shopped for a couple new tops, floated around in our pool for a couple hours and then worked on my bunny. Love days like this. I have a ton of ironing I should be doing right now, but I really just want to read all the blogs I follow. Man, it would be awesome to have full-time maid!

Good news: Our daughter, Bre's MS flare-up is finally starting to calm down. She is up and getting around now. But they did cancel their vacation to New York in a couple weeks. Just too much walking involved. So they will come down and stay in our house while we go up and babysit the boys for the week. Much less stressful for Bre that way.

Gotta run.....the needle is calling me!

XOXO NANCY

Creating Again!

2010-05-01T14:58:00.004-07:00

FINALLY!!!!

Geez, it's been weeks, no, maybe months, since I have created something new.  It's taken the inspiration bug a long time to bite, but it finally did yesterday.  I bought this Needle Felting Kit about 3 years ago while shopping the AZ Sewing Expo with my

dear friend, Vicki.  It was our intention to come home and figure out how to do this together. Well, more exciting things must have come up cause we never even opened the package while she was here.  Actually, I think both of us were scared to attempt it

since neither one of us had ever done any Needle Felting. But alas, I broke it open on a whim yesterday morning and worked on it all day.  After I broke 6 felting needles (hey, they are very thin and very delicate)I had to quit until I could run to Joann's this morning and buy some replacements.  

Here's the beginning of the egg being formed. It's amazing
that you can compact so much wool roving into this
small, tight ball. Not to mention how many needle pokes
in my fingers that I suffered!!!  Wow, and does that hurt!

Here I am adding some decoration to the egg. 

Finishing up my little chick.

He does kind of look more like a

little yellow bird.

Just pretend he's a chick!

A few polk-a-dots and......

TA-DA!!!!

 Not too bad for a first attempt.

I had so much fun creating it that I managed to get online

and order a couple more kits.

Hopefully my fingers will be healed before the kits arrive.

I had a surprise visit from my two favorite little girls

yesterday.

They always put a smile on my face.  

Gotta run now and watch the 

Kentucky Derby.

The heck with the horses, it's all about the awesome hats all the 

ladies are wearing!!  He-he!

XOXO NANCY 

Playing Hooky!!

2010-04-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yep, I am. I am playing hooky this morning....didn't attend church. I know, I know, very bad. BUT, I just finished up with 6 weeks of wonderful company and I'm just plain worn out. I just had to get a little extra sleep today. So my sweet Hubby quietly tip-toed out of the bedroom and went without me. Having realized that it's been WAAAAY to long since I have had a chance to read my blogging buddies post, I have my feet up with a hot Mocha in my hand and here I am. First stop, Nancy's Nest to get it updated.
We had a great, laugh-filled four days with our long-time friends, Ken & Peggy Hamernik. We go all the way back to high school, through college and even lived in the same apartment building in Seattle, WA when we were all first married. We enjoyed a delicious BBQ steak dinner on our patio and an evening dip in our pool as their final night came to a close.

They were up and on the road by 7 this morning heading to Las Vegas for three days.
Meanwhile, I have gotten my house back in order after Easter:

I also have been purchasing a few things from the store I work (Designer Blvd.) I won't bore you with all of it, but I did want to show you this cool soldered piece that I have attached to my charm necklace.

Now that I have been working two to three days a week since January, I am realizing that I am missing not creating. I hope to get back into my studio this week and start something. I KNOW it won't have anything to do with interior design since I do that everyday that I work!
Before I sign off, I want to leave you with a few pics from our family Disneyland trip. Have a great Sunday and a good week. Thanks, for stopping by.

XOXO NANCY

BACK FROM DISNEYLAND!

2010-04-12T08:26:00.001-07:00

WOW, it's been a fast, fun-filled, fantastic week and a half of family time with our children and grandchildren. We crammed in a lot of activities and made some wonderful memories.

We have:

Played in the pool
Met the Easter Bunny
Gone to 2 Easter Parties
Taken lots of golf-cart rides
Rode our Razor scooters
Played Hula-Hops
Shopped at Palm Spring Outlet Malls and LA Garment District
Spent 3 days at Disneyland and CA Adventure
Played "tackle"
Golfed
Ate breakfast on the patio
Celebrated Jami's birthday
Had AWESOME family time!

Still need to get my Disney pictures downloaded but we had a great time. The kids got to meet several Disney characters and Hanna had lunch with the Princesses!! We were able to hit almost all the rides at both parks and do Downtown Disney. Our little guys were troopers as we drug them around the parks from early morning until late at night. The day before we left for CA Cole asked me if I was going to pack my "hair-do" dress. I asked, "What?" He said, "You know, Gigi, you're hair-do dress." Then he ran into my closet and came out with my mink stole!! Too funny!! (No, I didn't take it!)
It was difficult to say goodbye to Bre and her family. We struggle with living so far apart and it rips at our hearts when our little grandsons cry when they have to leave. This year we even got two separate phone calls the first evening they left, crying that they missed us already and wanted to come back!!
Thank goodness we get to see them again in a few weeks.
A little side note on Bre's condition: She continues to have quit a bit of soreness in her legs and weakness in her arms. The shots are painful and the welts are horrible. She managed to walk around the parks two full days and only needed a wheelchair one day. Please keep her in her prayers.
We are gearing up for our 4th and final set of company to arrive in two days. We are excited to see the Hamerniks and spend some time catching up.
As for today, I am off to the pool for some R & R!!
XOXO NANCY

ENTERTAINING COMPANY

2010-03-27T18:44:00.002-07:00

This is what I would like to be doing right now!
It's been so long since I have posted that you probably THINK this is what I have been doing!!!
The truth of the matter is THIS is what I have been doing:
A little pool time....

A lot of eating...

A fair amount of shopping....

A little glass fusion...

And a lot of entertaining out of state company!

My sweet, dear friend, Vicki came this past week for Girl time. We had a great time hitting tons of stores, eating out, going to the pool, a movie, and glass fusion.
The week before we got to host our longtime, close friends,

Jon & Ludy Kellett. They were here to help celebrate my birthday. It was great fun having them at our home and enjoying their company.
We also had a morning visit from our granddaughter. She is now walking and getting into things!!

We are now getting our home ready for the arrival of Bre, Kyle and the boys on Wednesday. We are so excited to have them here. We haven't seen them since Christmas.
BEST OF ALL, Hubby and I are taking everyone (minus Sofia as she is too little) to DISNEYLAND the day after Easter for the week. I don't know who is more excited, the little guys or the adults!!
Now it's time for me to catch up on some of my blogger friend's sites. I have been too busy to ready anyone's posts for two weeks. I'm sure I have missed some amazing crafting creations. So I'm off to blogland.
XOXO NANCY

Celebrate me!

2010-03-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

I think so!
Yesterday was my birthday. Yep, the BIG 57! Yikes!!! Oh well, doesn't matter since I still feel and act like I'm 25! LOL!!
Well, my mind is a little older as I got to my party with my great camera and forgot to put the memory card in. Total Dork! So the birthday party pics will be posted when I get them from my daughter later.
But the day was wonderful. We went to church then out for a nice breakfast. Later we went to our daughter's for a big party. Several of our family and friends were there. Mike BBQ'd for all of us.
Then it was present time....... I have to admit that I love presents. Doesn't matter what's inside the package, I just love opening and the anticipation.
BUT WHOA!!! THIS YEAR BY AMAZING HUBBY OUTDID HIMSELF! I mean, REALLY!!
Feast your eyes on this incredible gift......

Is this not beautiful????

I was completely shocked and delighted.

The only bummer is that I had to take it to the jeweler today to get it sized down so I won't get it until two more days.

Hubby has definitely scored major points with me!

Here are some of the other great gifts I received....all of them so special.

My sweet granddaughter, Hanna made these fans for me.

Gee, guess she has noticed how often I have hot flashes!!!

A grand time was had by all and I am so thankful for such wonderful

family and friends.

Today Ludy Kellett, who is visiting from Washington, and I went out to lunch at Joe's Cafe and then home to lay out in the sun at our pool for 3 hours.

Now Hubby is BBQ'ing dinner and we will eat out on the patio.

Life is certainly good!

XOXO Nancy

WORN OUT!!

2010-03-12T19:54:00.002-07:00

Whew, am I worn out....soooo tired!

Obviously too tired to blog!

Busy too.

Gosh, I can't even remember what I have been doing over the past couple weeks.

But I do know that I worked two 9 1/2 hr. days on Wed. and yesterday and that really kicks my butt. It was Girl's Night Out at the shop and I didn't get home until 10pm last night.

On the up side, we have our great friends of

30 years, Jon & Ludy Kellett, visiting us this week from Washington. We've had fun catching up, eating out and tomorrow we will all go country dancing!

Last week our church held a huge Rummage Sale and I scored this awesome brand new birdcage for $10!

I have absolutely NO idea what I am going to do with it, but I love birdcages and I couldn't pass up the deal.

This morning we had the pleasure of a surprise visit from our granddaughter, Miss Sofia....

who by the way, is now walking!

She is a happy girl.

One of these days I really need to get crafting again. I just can't seem to get in the mood. Hoping the arrival in a week and a half of my super creative friend, Vicki, will inspire me.

Time for PJ's and bed!

XOXO Nancy

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE EASTER!

2010-02-28T11:44:00.005-07:00

I love decorating for Easter...almost as much as Christmas. It's so refreshing to bring out all my bright Spring decorations. Now that I've packed Valentine's Day decor away for another year, it's time to bring in Easter.

It also made me get some deep cleaning done. Living in Arizona brings a continuous battle with dust. Honestly, I can dust and an hour later it's back. So frustrating. The only good thing is that everyone finally just throws up their hands and lets it go.

This year I think I have only bought one new Easter decoration (not like me). I found this cute chick at Home Goods. Love to shop there. They have such great deals.

He sits on the chest in the entry with his little basket of glittered eggs and my Happy Easter banner hanging up behind him.

I'm still looking for some pastel Easter lights to hang amongst my banner. Here's a few more pictures of the rest of my decorations.

Last year I attended a class at Melrose Vintage in Phoenix and made this Easter Egg Cart.

This little hopping bunny was the first Easter decoration I bought for our home here five years ago. I had forgot all about him and came across him in a cupboard in my utility room while looking for something else.

He just brings a smile to my face with his whimsical pose. So he is now adorning my coffee table in our living room.

One of my Easter canvas art sits atop my shelf over our TV.

As you can see by our TV we are engrossed in the Winter Olympics. I'm sad to see them end. But I am happy that my favorite show, "The Good Wife," will be back on this week with a new episode.

Now it's time for me to head over to put up a wall decal for my mom. Tomorrow is a work day for me so I know it will be fun to walk through the store and see what's new. It's like Christmas everyday there! Makes it hard to bring home a full paycheck.

XOXO Nancy

IT'S BEGUN

2010-02-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today begins a new season in my daughter's life. Today the reality of daily medication for MS is upon her.

Over the past two weeks she has slowly been receiving bits and pieces of all the medical equipment needed for giving herself daily injections of Copaxone. This drug will hopefully slow the progression of MS in her body. With each delivery of equipment came an added state of anxiousness. Not a fan of needles, the new daily regiment is scary, tedious and painful. Early this afternoon the home health care nurse arrived to give Bre and Kyle the necessary education on storage, preparation, administration and side affects of the drugs. After three hours of conversation and questions Bre bravely stepped up to the plate and gave herself a shot in her right arm with her left hand!!! The most difficult injection site to do on yourself. BRAVO!!!! What a trooper! We are so proud of her. She is my hero. I so admire her courage through all this. What you need to understand is that this 7-day a week regiment is a difficult one. The shot must be given in a completely different area of her body each day. The shot leaves a very painful welt along with hours of terrible stinging pain, leaving that whole area of her body weak. This can last for up to two days. Because she has to change the site each day, that leaves her whole body in a constant state of soreness. It can take up to a year for these side affects to disappear. Along with this comes constant fatigue. Not an easy lifestyle to adjust to. Especially when you have two little boys to raise. Thankfully, she has an awesome husband who is 100 percent committed to help her through this. Together, along with their faith in the Lord, I know she will be okay. But it is still so hard to see your child have to suffer. She is a reminder of how we must not take our good health for granted.

XOXO NANCY

HEART day is almost here!!

2010-02-12T20:18:00.001-07:00

love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

How will you be spending Valentine's Day?

I hope you will be with someone you love,

doing something you enjoy,

somewhere you like.

After church Hubby and I will go to breakfast with our family

and then to the Kent's house for their annual

Valentine Soiree!

Actually, we aren't really sure what that involves, but we are suppose to bring a salad so we are pretty sure food is involved! LOL!!

Since family is a "given", here are a few other things I LOVE:

Sunshine

Puppies

Girlfriends

Mocha Lattes

Clean Sheets

Chocolate

Shopping

Music

Prayer

Bling

Flip-Flops

Crafts

Fresh Flowers

Pedicures

Decorating

Dancing

Laughing

Now it is time to settle in with Hubby and watch the Winter Olympic's Opening Ceremony.

WISHING ALL OF YOU A WONDERFUL VALENTINE'S DAY!

XOXO NANCY

The Faster I Go, The More Behind I Am!

2010-02-10T20:01:00.008-07:00

So tonight I am late getting home from work...well, a little later then usual. I put in a 10 hour day and could have stayed and worked longer! We had 40 boxes of new clothes and 6 pallets of home decor that we have been pricing and displaying for our big Girl's Night Out tomorrow at the store. But I was starting to run on empty and I knew Hubby had dinner waiting for me. So I blew through the door and dropped my purse and sweater on the dining room table. I decided to relax with my feet up and sip on a Mike's Lemonade.

Hubby made me a delicious chicken spaghetti for dinner.

Decided I better update my blog and was shocked to see that it had been so long since my last post. And that means that it's also been way to long since I have had a chance to catch up with all my blogger friend's blogs. So as soon as I finish up with my post I will be blog hopping!

Wanted to show you my Valentine tree.

I just love these little decorations. I should know the name of the artist that designs them, but my brain is numb right now and I can't think of it. Sorry!

Art Group met on Tuesday morning and I was ill-prepared. Since I had worked all day on Monday I was too tired to get organized and find something to paint. So I just kind of doodled this one out. Nothing special but hey, at least I painted something!

The EXCITING news is that I won another GIVE AWAY!!!

I have long been a fan of Sandy's Creations blogspot. She has a wonderful blog and makes awesome creations. I was THRILLED when I found out that I won one of her giveaways.
Look how great the packages were wrapped. I hated to open them and ruin the creative packaging!!

The bag of Canadian chocolates were an immediate hit.

Check out the pink feather....she even stamped it. So clever.

Here's what was inside......a canvas bag, embellished journal and a wonderful winged-heart pillow.

You really should double click on this close-up of her pillow and check out all the detailed work she did.

It is so cute. I have it hanging in my studio and it will be a constant reminder of my sweet and talented blogger friend, Sandy.

Now I have just about finished my lemonade and I'm itching to check out all my favorite blogs before I get to sleepy to continue (I was up at 5:30 exercising with Rosie).

Oh, but before I forget I wanted to give you an update on my daughter, Bre and the MS. She actually got to spend 4 days down here last week. It was great to see her. We did our usual shopping, eating out,

hair cuts, etc. She looks great but is experiencing some more MS symptoms. She will begin the daily injections as soon as the medicine arrives and the nurse can make arrangements to come to her house and train her on how to give herself the shots. UGH!!! NOT FUN. She is an amazing young woman. She keeps a smile on her face and a positive attitude. We are so proud of her strength and determination. We certainly are appreciative of all your thoughts and prayers. They DO make a difference. Thank you so much.

OK....time to blog hop!

XOXO Nancy

Heavy Heart

2010-01-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we received the news that our daughter, Bre, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

I think I spent all last night and part of today in a state of shock.

Bre has been experiencing several MS type symptoms since last summer. She has gone through several tests, seen many specialists and taken many drugs. All of us knew that MS was a strong possibility. I think we all tucked it in the back of our brains and were hopeful that it would just go away.

But now she must decided which drug she will use through injections.

A tough decision as they all have side-effects,

all have to be self-injected

all will be taken the rest of her life.

Thankfully, we are all believers in God and we know that He will have His hand on her and

her family throughout this journey. So we remain optimistic. Studies have shown that the

new medications definitely slow the progression of this disease and in some cases almost stop it.

We love you Bre and we are always here for you.

I will close with that tonight. We know that our beautiful daughter is in God's loving hands and that gives us tremendous peace.

XOXO Nancy

Row, row, row your boat!

2010-01-24T18:24:00.003-07:00

After three days of heavy rain this is what our golf course looks like.
If you had never been in our development you would think we lived next to
a river! Honestly, this is just amazing to see. Obviously, AZ has very little drainage.

Where you see water it should be golf course.
Hubby wished he had a kayak as he thought it would be so funny to kayak past the golfers today.

Yes, Hubby was one of those crazy golfers that went out and played anyway. They actually had detour signs up for the golf carts. Too funny!
I'm happy to see sunny skies today. I ran over to the mall to check out the sales and ended up buying a $60 blouse for $14.75, a $42 bra for $13 and a pair of jeans for.......well, let's just say they weren't on sale!
That's it for today. Just had to show you those crazy pictures of our flooding.
Have a great week!
XOXO Nancy

A Little Glass Creation

2010-01-23T20:37:00.005-07:00

I rounded up some girlfriends and headed back out to create some more glass fusion dishes.
We discovered that this is a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends. The only problem I had was that I just couldn't seem to get my creative mojo to really kick in. I fooled around with the design of this plate forever and finally out of frustration I ended up with this. Luckily, it didn't end up costing me too much!

I used all scrap glass pieces for this. Hence, the odd looking shapes!
But hey, the colors go well in my house so guess I'll keep it.
A few of the girls had some really great creations. The best part is that
after we finish with the glass we head back to Uncle Bear's for a margarita and more girl time.
Next month we are going to try making some glass fusion jewelry pendants.

I returned last night from three days with my sweet friend, Diana. She and her family live in CA. Diana has been battling breast cancer since last summer along with a very serious and lingering bout of colitis. She has been one sick lady. On Friday morning she went in for a lumpectomy and removal of approximately 30 lymph nodes from under her left arm. She came through the surgery just fine and we will find out the pathology report this coming week when she goes back to the Dr. I have a whole new appreciation for cancer patients. Having spent one morning sitting in a room with several patients receiving their chemo through a 90 minute IV drip, most with blankets draped over them, no hair, dark circles under their eyes, pale skin, tired and weak with the knowledge that the next few days could bring nausea and vomiting......it was an incredibly sobering experience.
The patients were of all ages.
Cancer knows no boundaries.
I have great admiration for everyone who has ever or is now fighting this horrible disease.

I worked an 8 hour day at the store today and came home to a yummy dinner cooked by my Hubby. And he had spent most of his day caring for Sofia because Jami is sick in bed with the flu and Mike and Hanna were gone all day. I'm a lucky girl to have such a thoughtful husband.
Time to hit the sack. Tomorrow brings church and some needed R & R!
XOXO Nancy

A Big Week

2010-01-18T08:11:00.006-07:00

It's official......I am now a part-time employee of my favorite
decor store, Designer Blvd. I went in for an interview the beginning of week and was
hired right away. The owner, Carol and her manager, Vanessa are two of the greatest
gals and girl could work for. Both are extremely talented interior designers along with being a ton of fun to be around. I will work two days a week, one Thursday night a month and two Saturdays a month. I have already worked two days and go in again today. It's a lot of fun and I look forward to spending lots of time surrounded by beautiful and unique home decor, gifts and clothing. Something tells me that my paycheck is going to be spent before it is every given to me! Oh well, I can't think of better place to spend it.

These are just a peek of what this store holds.

Last September Hubby and I flew to Seattle to visit our grandsons. I had arrived a week before Hubby and when we took the boys to the airport to pick-up their Papa I snapped this picture of the waiting.

I loved the picture and decided to attempt to paint it for a Christmas gift for their Dad.
Here's my finished painting. I was pleased with the outcome and it was a hit with Kyle.

On Saturday Jami and Mike threw a big 1st Birthday Party for Miss Sofia.

The theme was "cupcakes" and let me tell you it was a sugar high!
I made this marshmallow lollipop tree.

Jami made all these darling circle toppers.
The cupcakes were so yummy and looked darling
on this cupcake stand.

Here's the happy family.

Sofia had her own gigantic cupcake.

And she LOVED IT!!!

A little more sugar!

OK, time to wash all that frosting off!

Love these sink-baths.

Hey, bet you never had a sink-bath right in front of everyone
in the middle of your birthday party!

It was a busy and eventful week. We also squeezed in a birthday dinner for my dear friend, Rosie on Saturday night.

Well, I'm off my diet. I lost 6 lbs. and then came to a dead standstill. So decided it was time to get back to the gym this morning. I am going to be sore tomorrow. Geez, I was so stiff I could hardly bend over and touch my toes!
Time to get some ironing done before I head to work...."work", now that sounds weird!
I'm suppose to be retired!! I just can't sit still so my as well be busy and make some money at the same time.
XOXO Nancy

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!

2010-01-14T09:53:00.005-07:00

Today is our granddaughter,
SOFIA OLIVIA'S
1st Birthday
It's amazing how much growth and change happens in
twelve months.
She is our little doll and has a happy disposition
(although a little temper is starting to show itself)
and we wish she would stop growing so fast!
Here's a few pictures of this past year of her life.

Like any other grandparents, Hubby and I just think everything she does is
so cute! Her wide-open mouth kisses, dancing to music, clapping, talking,
standing on her own, how she reaches for us as soon as she sees us
and her sweet little face nuzzled into our neck sound asleep.
Such treasured moments that make life that much sweeter.
PAPA & GIGI WISH YOU A VERY SPECIAL 1ST BIRTHDAY, SOFIA
We love you!

Cutest Little Doggie Face

2010-01-10T20:28:00.003-07:00

INTRODUCING......"MY PINK HEAVEN"
This is my latest purchase from the talented
Julie Haymaker-Thompson
This sweet little doggie is made from paper-clay.
She is the first arrival in my new
collection of small handmade dogs.
She's extra special since she was created by Julie, an incredibly talented
mixed media artist, jewelry maker, painter, etc., etc., etc.
Check out her blog to see all the amazing things she does.
It's really fun to take one of her classes.

So this past week I started back at Art Group. I am having a bit of an artistic block
these days so I really wasn't sure what I wanted to paint.
This is what I have done so far.
Not much, huh?

Not sure where I'm going with this painting but if and when I finish it I will put it on my blog. I certainly hope it evolves into something that I won't be embarrassed to show you!
I'm still on the HCG diet and have lost 6 lbs. But I cheated bad tonight and will probably pay for it tomorrow in pounds. So back to 500 calories tomorrow.
I took 6 girlfriends to Glass Fusing today. We all created different dishes. I was bummed cause my camera was locked up for some reason and wouldn't work. So no pics this time around.
After 3 years I finally pulled out my Serger. I decided it was time to get back into sewing and picked up some fabric to make a little skirt for my granddaughter.
Tomorrow I will see if I remember how to thread the thing and then will attempt to sew the skirt.
The other news.......I have a job interview tomorrow morning!!! Yikes!
More to come on that.
Now off to bed!
XOXO Nancy