Writing my name in the dust–part 1

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?   About as long as it has been since I dusted the top of my TV cabinet.  I could write my name there, too. 

In the interest of catching up as soon as possible, I’ll give the “short, short version” of the happenings here at Chez Schauer.

October brought the end of kids sports.  While we love watching them play, juggling baseball, soccer and cheerleading was practically an event of its own.  It was refreshing to be able to take a breath without having to run off somewhere armed with chairs, coolers, and gear.   I can’t imagine what it will be like when kid #3 starts playing too.

Thanks to my Mom, the kids were outfitted well for Halloween once again.   She spent hours creating costumes and the kids loved them!  We had an Annakin, a Darth Vader, and a Sleeping Beauty.

And this little number was lots of fun.  I’m the Swine Flu.  Plus, any costume that lets me wear long johns, a pink sweat suit and fuzzy crocs is a hit in my book!

Only a week later, we had a new addition to the family.  We went from thinking about getting a puppy next spring, to bringing home Kona in a very short three weeks!  Just when we thought diapers and babyproofing were behind us, we moved into house training and puppy proofing.  We must have been insane!  She’s a doll though, and a great puppy.

Here’s a shot right after bringing her home:

She’s now up to a whopping 4.5 lbs.

I’m also gearing up for my first major showing at the CHA winter show in January.  I’ve committed to sharing a booth for the entire show with a fellow designer along with my usual showcase table.  I’ll be in the License and Design Section, booth # 2639.  More on that coming soon.

Did the puppy destroy the house? …Did the Schauers get the real swine flu?  Is Carla ready for the January show?  Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion… 

Until next time,
Carla

Pile of Potential

Sounds much better than “leftover stuff” doesn’t it?  Those bits of ribbon, papers with chunks cut out of them, spare brads and charms…  All pieces with potential.    I can’t bear to throw them out.

This set of projects was made almost entirely of pieces from my “pile of potential” and is featured at the Helmar USA blog today.    Check it out to see individual photos of each project.   Products used include Stampendous stamps, Clearsnap Chalk Ink, Dream Street papers, and Helmar Adhesives.

Until next time…
C.

Remembering

I remember watching the Today Show that morning, while getting ready for playgroup, and wondering how such a horrible accident could have happened.

I remember watching the 2nd plane hit, and realizing that the horrible accident wasn’t an accident after all.

I remember wondering if we should still go to playgroup, and deciding I needed people.

I remember 5 mothers glued to the television while 5 babies played innocently in the next room, and the gasps of horror as one tower, then the other fell.

I remember the pictures of the smoking pentagon and the wreckage of an airplane in a Pennsylvania field.

I remember looking at those babies, nearly one year old, and the relief I felt that they would never remember the stunned terror of an entire nation.

I remember fear, then sorrow and anger.

And today, I remember the loss of innocent bystanders and the heroes that risked and gave their lives, and the families of those victims.

I remember.

Until next time…
c.

Perspective

I love downloading photos.

Well, let me rephrase that.  I love looking at the photos I’ve downloaded.  The actual downloading process is, frankly, less than exciting.  And because of that, I don’t do it as often as I should.  Coupled with the fact that I most often use 4gig cards, it may be several weeks before I fill up a card enough to bother with the download process, and often makes the subject matter a bit of a surprise.   Which in a rather circular manner brings me back to my original thought:

I love downloading photos. 

Today’s long-overdue downloads are brought to you today by my oldest child, who inhereted my old G3.   Nearly nine, he loves snapping photos almost as much as I do, and I love looking at the world through his eyes.  In this case, his eyes were taking in this summer’s Disney vacation.

There were a few shots remarkably similar to ones I had taken

and some that were close, but taken from kid-height:

There were some that were better than the ones I took with my DSLR:

and some that captured moments I missed:

Of course, there were multitudes of photos of his favorite subject:

himself.

He took 216 photos over the week we were there.  Yes, several were blurry (he’s an impatient boy and it’s a slow camera), and some are unflattering, to say the least.   But he had some great shots and, most importantly, a record of our vacation through his eyes.  From his perspective.

Until next time…
c.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Remember that Staples commercial?  One of my favorites.

Just a quickie post before the long holiday weekend!   The 2 big kids went off on the big yellow bus last week, and the weather here has been cooler than normal.  It almost feels like fall already!  Since fall is my favorite time of year, I can’t say I’m disappointed.  I will miss the carefree days of summer, though.  We’ve had a great summer–long vacation, baseball games, pool time…  It is definitely harder to fit in the relaxing moments once school and fall sports are back in full swing, as evidenced by the 9 full hours we spent on various ballfields last Saturday instead of hanging out by the pool.

Can’t say I’ll miss that this Saturday!

The house feels a little empty with the big kids gone all day, and I imagine I’ll feel a bit lonely once the little one starts preschool in a few weeks.  I have been able to spend more time in the Craft Cave during the day, though, instead of squeezing my projects in at night.

I whipped up this mini-composition book as a birthday party favor idea.  I’m not a fan of the “goodie bag”, tending to toss the junky stuff as soon as I can reasonably expect the kids to not miss it, so I’m trying out some ideas as possible alternatives.  I’m thinking this one would be an easy craft to make and take along home.  The bookmark is a barrette clip with a felt flower attached.

Paper is from Paper Trunk, felt flowers and monogram from American Crafts, and I stuck it all together using Helmar Premium Craft Glue, Fray Stoppa, and 450 Glue.

Have a fantastic holiday weekend!
Until next time…
c.

Thoughts from the Summer Show

I had my doubts about the CHA Summer Show in Orlando.  Honestly, I didn’t think it would go well, and when I walked in on Monday during set-up I was a little shocked at the number of booths at the show.  But I was pleasantly surprised!  Most of the booths had steady traffic and several manufacturers I spoke to reported their sales per store seemed higher.

The designer showcase had a fantastic location directly across from the show floor.  We had a wonderful turnout of editors, publishers, and manufacturers tour the showcases.  Thanks to all who stopped by to view my table!

While I didn’t take many photos this time around,  I did manage to catch a few of some products that caught my eye.

My friend Eileen Hull, next to the display of her new line of ScoreBoards dies for Sizzix.  I’m so happy for her, and the dies are wonderful!

New “Grandma’s Christmas Soup” collection from Jillibean Soup.  As a crafter who prefers small to medium patterns (and hasn’t seen many of them in the last few years), this company is one of my new favorites.  And their accessories are great too.

Nunn Designs always has wonderful displays in their booth.  It’s just a beautiful booth to visit, and their metal pieces and collage sheets are downright stunning.

And of course, something from Prima, whose booth is always packed to overflowing with stunning embellishments.  They’ve taken their popular gossamer butterflies and expanded the line to include leaves, birds, and yes, more butterflies.

Of course, there are bugs to be worked out in this new venue.  And the weather, with it’s roasting heat and daily monsoons, wasn’t ideal.  Overall though, I enjoyed the show with it’s slower pace and time to see everything.  I hope CHA can continue to improve and keep the show going.

I’ll add some thoughts from the consumer portion of the show tomorrow.

Until next time…
C.

Almost done!

I’m finished with the last day of the CHA summer show and 2 weeks of family vacation.  One more day left to check out the consumer show tomorrow, then I’m on my way home to sleep in my own bed for the first time in 3 weeks!

I’ll add photos from vacation and the show when I get back!

Until next time…
c.

Perfectly calm

Who would have thought that phrase would be describing me only a week before the summer CHA show.   I’ll admit, I’m usually running around like crazy and spending late night after late night in the craft cave frantically cranking out projects for my showcase table.   But my work for this show is done.

*insert happy Snoopy dance here*

If you will be in Orlando for the show, stop by the Designer Showcase on Wednesday.   The displays will be open for viewing from 12-7, with a designer meet and greet during the last two hours.   My work will be at table #19.

Here’s a quick peek at a card from my display:

Hope to see you in Orlando!  Until then, I think I’ll just kick up my feet and relax!

Until next time…
C.

Creating frenzy

I mentioned last week that I was on a massive creative streak, spending night after night in the craft cave pulling my Designer Showcase table display together.  After late nights and buckets of caffienated beverages I’m almost there.   Two more projects left.  Sleep is overrated, right?   The creative binge is fun, but the aftermath leaves a little to be desired.

Here’s one of the late-night projects made for Helmar Adhesives:

I finally got my gallery up and running this weekend.   To see more projects, click on the “Gallery” tab up top.

In other news, while preparing for our upcoming adventures, I made sure all the memory cards from our cameras are empty and ready to go.  In the process, I found quite a few photos I had forgotten about.  Here’s a little gem from our recent NASCAR race at the Kentucky Speedway.  Kid #1 was super-excited about being able to stay up late and go along.   He was fun to watch.

I’m still lamenting the lack of photos from the NKOTB concert last weekend.   We got a random upgrade to pavilion seats.  Total retro cheesy fun.  Completely different from *coughcoughtoomanyyearsagocoughcough* when I was 13 seeing them the first time.  It was a ball.

Off to head back to the cave.  Those projects aren’t going to make themselves!

Until next time…
C.

Perhaps I should have been more specific.

A few posts back, I mentioned I’d be kicking my little “black cloud of bad health” to the curb upon it’s one year anniversary of hanging over my head.    I should have mentioned the cloud should leave my household as well.    On Sunday night, after a great afternoon of hiking and geocaching, we ended up here again:

(yes, that’s the old photo from last time.)

No, it wasn’t me with the injury this time around, though I would have taken the pain for her if I could have.    My daughter fell and cracked open her lip, and off to the ER we went.   Apparently the wonderful warm weather had everyone outside falling off of stuff, because the place was packed!

I was so proud of her!   She didn’t fuss as we waited hours to be seen, even though we didn’t arrive at the ER until her bedtime.    No complaints while we waited in the room for the lidocaine to numb her face, and not even a whimper as the dr. added 3 stitches to her upper lip.   She was a real trooper, and all the doctors and nurses were impressed with her behavior.   She left with a handful of stickers and a blown-up rubber glove that made a great balloon, rooster comb, and cow udder.

She’s fine, and her lip is healing nicely, thank goodness!  Plus, she got a kick out of showing off the stitches at school yesterday.    And apparently it felt good enough that she could eat peanuts and chocolate caramel corn at the Reds game last night, so I think she’s on her way.

Now…black cloud GO AWAY!

Until next time…
C.