My Shabby Shack

An Enchanted Evening

My daughter, Katrina, got married last weekend (October 30, 2010).  The ceremony was light hearted and full of laughter, but the reception was a night we will never forget.  We had been planning this evening for over a year, and I must say it was everything we had hoped it would be.  

It all started with an off hand remark when we were in the magazine aisle at the grocery store.  I was flipping through the Halloween issue of Martha Stewart  when Kat found me and said "You and your Martha Stewart - if it were up to you, I'd be having a Halloween reception."  That sparked an idea for an Elegant Masquerade Ball - and it took on a life of its own.  Though it will be some time before we receive the professional shots from the wedding photographer, I couldn't wait to share the pictures we do have and the 5 minute preview video our videographers produced for us the night of the reception (yes, you read that right - the video was previewed the night of reception, before we cute the cake)  These guys were amazing.  I love their work and they are just such sweethearts.  I can't recommend them enough!!

 

Wedding Preview: Eli and Katrina 10.30.10 from Ben Potter & Drew Barefoot on Vimeo.

Sunday at the Shack!

Here's what I was working on last Sunday at my little Shabby Shack.  I didn't get much time because I was busy shopping and visiting with my daughter, but I did get something done.  

See that cute little lamb - that was one of my finds at an antique store we stopped off at one our way to the studio.  Isn't it just precious.  It's going to hold some of my tools.

Here's the finished product:

  

This is the little fox I had fun making for my dear friend, Jacqueline - we were paired up in Skunkboy's craft swap.

Oh the Things I'll Make!

Yesterday, my sister Diane, and I went to the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival in San Mateo.  OMG!  I knew I was going to love it.  Look at all the stuff I came home with.  I have so many ideas running through my head right now.  So I'm off to my little Shabby Shack for the day to play some.  I'll be posting some of today's creations later.  For now, please enjoy a sneak peak at my newly acquired stash!

 

I Got Tchotchke!!

My husband just brought the mail in and look what came from my good friends at Big Picture Scrapbooking!

 How cool was that?  I also got a coupon for a class discount.  I'm already signed up for 3 classes with BPS already so I'm going to have to see if I can find another class to take.

Thanks BPS!!!

What's in my Bag??

Today on Leigh-Ann's blog: http://frecklednest.blogspot.com/ she posted the contents of her purse!  When I was a teen-ager, I used to love looking through my girlfriend's purses to see what they had in there.  So here are a few pics of what's inside my purse!

This is my purse.

This is what's in my purse. If you'd like to see a little explanation about each of these items, visit my Flicker page:  http://tinyurl.com/ylhpt9w

Here it all is - packed into my little bag.

I was never a big purse kinda gal which means I carry another larger bag that I usually leave in the car.  Of course it also means that I have more than just the bag I leave in the car, but that's for another posting :)

 

  

Here Comes the Bride

Did I tell you that my two older kids are getting married this year?  Jason is getting married in June and Kat is getting married in October.  This of course means that I'll be one busy and broke mommy!  Kat and I have been having fun planning and flipping through magazines.  We decided on a masaquerade theme reception.  Venetian style - not mardi gras.  Think Phantom of the Opera!

The reception will be held at Ralston Mansion in Belmont.  This is where I wanted to have my reception, but that's a story for another time :)

In Organization Mode

Eeeek!  What a mess!

With every new year comes a deep desire for me to become more organized!  As I mentioned in my previous posts, I've signed up for a lot of classes over the next few months and so I've purchased a bunch of really cute binders to put all my class handouts and keep things all neat and tidy.  Better than those plain white ones, don't ya think?

 

Here are some great books I've been reading.  I have at least one of them in my computer bag at all times!

And this is my little pooch, Tucker.  He keeps me company and won't let me out of his site.  He's a bit spoiled :)

My Word for the Year

Inspiration:

Main Entry: in·spi·ra·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\

Function: noun

Date: 14th century

1 a : a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation b : the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions c : the act of influencing or suggesting opinions

 

As a creative person I find the NEED to be create!  Recently, I've been completely inspired by the talented and creative women out there in Blogland!  So this year, my goal is to be more inspired and more creative.  To that end, I'm already participating in some pretty awesome online classes, as well as some realtime classes in photography and wellness.  All of which are going to feed my soul!

So be on the look out for the fruits of this inspiration.  I'm hoping that somehow I can inspire some of you out there!

Cheers! oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 

Here's another great class!

Here's is another great class that will help get your scrapbooking all "caught-up" (is there such a thing?)  With all the boxes I have filled with decades of photos, this class offers a simple solution!  Can't wait to get started!!

Simple Stories by MemoryWorks from Amber Crowell on Vimeo.