News :)

Ahhh so much to share, so little time.

The first news I'm going to talk about is that this blog will soon be BUH bye! I'm working with Amber Renee to develop Papercakes.ca. My two blogs will be combined into one site and there will be lots of new content too. This blog is stale, boring, and not very "me" anymore. When I started PCF I intended it to be a side project, but it has really bloomed!

Anyways, somehow November snuck up on me and I'm right in the middle of craft show season prep. I have two ads out right now, one in a local magazine and one on Creature Comforts... so all that is keeping me busy. I am taking a few items over to the farmer's market this afternoon, and hopefully they accept me to be a part of their holiday artisan market! :) True to Chelsea form I am a bundle of nerves even though they will probably like my things and I have met the man I have to speak with before and he was very nice...

So, anyways... please follow paper*cakes finds and delete this blog from your links or your google reader because this will most likely be the last post or near to last maybe with a few more unimportant rambles thrown in.

Of... fall :)

Ahhh, I have gotten busy again.

I have had posts half typed here for a week or so now... languishing... lol... story of my life :) I wanted to update with a few photos, taken between last weekend (Thanksgiving) and today. I did a photoshoot with my neighbor for my makeup portfolio, visited an old church, and took Jude to the pumpkin patch.

I've been dilligently working on stock for the upcoming season - I should begin to list Christmas items tomorrow. I need an assistant so bad!! lol :) Although, Hubby has become an awesome shipping assistant! I also finished up my project for PANACHE magazine this week and it was well recieved, yay! :) Hopefully I will be doing some more work for them in the future...... and that I will stress out about it less next time lol.

xoxo

Today....

I am:

- shipping - a lot!! :) and sending general correspondence
- cleaning - the house has gotten disastrous since thanksgiving
- giving raspberries to jude's belly
- blogging (I have a post here and one on the other blog to do!)
- site updates I have been trying to get to for ages
- showering (I am disgusting, too busy lately)
- most likely expecting a visit from my mother
- tweeting (as usual)
- cooking a good supper
- battling my emails/etsy convos and checking google reader
- getting started on a christmas store update or at least list a couple new things
- trying to squish crafting in, I got some new christmas stuff
- going to staples to buy ink
- (hopefully) crossing things off the to-do list

Today is a good day...

The house is clean. Not only clean, but super clean. Jude is in bed early, chicken is in the oven. I got most of my work done in the day.. so I have a semi-relaxing evening of shipping parcels with the hubs.

I made a little freebie to share:



Print these out and use em as journalling spots or gift tags! (Print as full sheet). And also, just for fun:



xoxo

Battling Fruit Flies..

Ugh, it's the time of year for fruit flies. I spent a few hours today cleaning and disinfecting every inch of my house after trapping them all. Blech.

Anyways, that's all I have to say. I never have anything to say when I think about writing and since peopl have started reading more I guess I think about writing too much.. that's a never ending circle?? Basically, I don't know how to write so I share photos weee. Speaking of, I updated my flickr stream yesterday and there are pictures of me!

xoxox

<3

PS: Thanks to twitter for being so full of fruit fly killing knowledge <3

Spooooooooooooooky Sale!

It's a SPOOKY SALE!! All of my Halloween items are now 50% off!

An Ode to Bed..

Now that it is fall, the dreaded problem of getting up in the morning has gotten worse - because it's cool in the mornings and my bed is soooo snuggly and warm.





I've recently gotten around to making our bedroom a more inviting place to be - instead of the place where things go to die I've tried to make a warm, cozy, private space. We have nice bedding (it matches!) and I put up some soft beige curtains so the light is always dim. We have a memory foam mattress, soft jersey sheets, feather /blankets, and lots of pillows. A fan adds some white noise and a cool breeze, and of course there are lots of books within reach :)

I think it's important to make your sleeping area a place you look forward to being as we come into winter - I don't know about you but I practically hibernate during the cold weather months. I once read in Martha Stewart about "carving yourself a nook" and have tried to do that since.. during the days I make the bed so I have a quiet place to escape and nap/read. I do crafts/internet from bed sometimes too. And of course, all of that time spent sleeping...

We spend so much time in bed afterall, why not make it a great place to be? :) If you haven't already carved yourself a 'nook' for the coming winter... I suggest you should :)

Dear Chinese Spammer

(or whatever language that is.. uhh..??)...

Please stop posting here. I am saying profanity to you in my head.

Anyways - hey! I am trying to blog here more often. My plan is to not put so much importance on "what to write or share", and just share something. I just got an email from my husband with the following attachment.




Today is October 1st which means it is Moustache month at Hubby's work - not that Matt needs an excuse to grow a ridiculous moustache. If you don't know my hubby already - he is 1/4 Chinese and has only more recently been able to grow facial hair (when we first met 3.5 yrs ago he tried to grow a goatee for me - LOL is all that needs to be said) and has a thing for growing stupid moustaches. Anyways, that photo is last yr's moustache on Halloween Day (are you sad he doesn't wear that hat to work every day???).

I may or may not post update photos as the month progresses. Maybe I'll do a post on of these days on "Matt's crazy ability to ruin a photo" - here's a teaser/example:





lol, let's just say life is never dull

xo

Hello, anyone there??

Sometimes, I feel like I have nothing to say on this blog.





I wish I had more time to share tutorials, and I wish the things I do in my every day life weren't as boring so maybe I wouldn't feel so silly talking about them.

I love sharing links and images, and chatting. I'm hot and cold on writing a paragraph of thoughts and happenings. I am somewhat uncomfortable re-reading my daily crap lol. Follow me on twitter if you're interested in random thoughts.

Currently I'm working on:

- finishing up the last of the backorders finally - light at the end of that tunnel
- sticking with a good cleaning routine
- cooking from scratch more - I hate dishes
- hating the dishes less
- always learning how to make life more beautiful for less money
- teaching my son things - he is like a sponge right now
- planning halloween costumes and starting to think about christmas and winter
- cozy-fying my house for the coming colder months
- daydreaming. lol :)

xoxo





also: new items on my flickr photostream today - soon to be in the shop. Let me know if you want anything reserved.

If you miss me when I don't post here - I post daily on my now main blog Paper*Cakes finds - I showcase handmade indie style and cute things - searching through all of the stuff on Etsy so you don't have to :)

Happy Saturday! :)

I hope you're all having a good weekend. I am taking this Saturday morning and afternoon to clean house and catch up on projects. Jude goes to his Oma's house on Friday evenings which leaves Matt and I with some time to get some sleep, and relax as adults :) I like to take weekends mostly away from the internet (yeah even I need a break lol) and spend lots of time with family/friends. On Sunday mornings I go to the flea market where I have a table and in the evening/afternoons we all gather for supper.

Anyways, this post is not just about my weekend itinerary - I wanted to write a thank you to a super sweet girl :) she sent me a cute little gift when I was feeling down a couple weeks ago and it came in the mail this week..





You should check out her Etsy shop - she is Canadian, obviously super sweet, and she gets a lot of my jokes that many don't. Save some cardboard and buy an eco coffee sleeve - would make great stocking stuffers too ;)





Hope to see you at the north river marketplace on sunday! I'll have lots of new items! To see previews of some of my things please check flickr.

xo

Ahhhh, Autumn.

Whhhhhhhhhew! I am *so* glad that it is fall :) the cooler weather... and the less crazy schedule are so nice! I love summer but I was getting burned out by the temps and all of the things going on.

I am finally caught up (almost) with my shop, my home, and life life - yay! :) I have been working on a lot of new items, and trying to list those which I have had around waiting for a while. I will be starting crafty classes in a few weeks out of my home and am super excited for that too!

This is just going to be a quick post, but I want to share a few of the new items I have recently released. The shop has re-opened with a BANG - thank you all for the support I appreciate it so much!

Ahhhh, Monday

Hello new week! :)

I know Monday is the universally complained about day.. but I love me some Mondays. I get a bit of a day off, and I love starting fresh in the week. I have big plans for this week! I am still working on the pile of orders (slowly but surely chipping away) and getting ready to re-open the shop next Monday. I wish I has a business advisor/someone to help me set up a better working system.. I'm starting on inventory numbers and excel sheets this week.

I've been painting like crazy, and working on new products. I tried out a cupcake painting just to see if I could.. and was pretty pleased with the results :) I am going to be doing as many as I possibly can this week. Here's a few pictures of what I've done so far:







Other than painting and trying to organize my life.. I have been busy with the end of Summer. PEI Summer is so amazing, but it's so insanely busy. I am looking forward to fall :) Some of our best friends are arriving from Toronto one week from today to spend a little time with us... I can't wait - but have to ready my house for guests! They have a cute little white dog so I must "dog proof" the house somehow!

Christmas is coming... it's time to think about Fall/Winter craft shows! Are you getting ready yet? What are you up to? I'd love to know where everyone else is in terms of holiday prep. I feel behind already and it's only just September!

ALSO: What do you think I should sell paintings for? They are 8x10 - I was thinking around $40?

This is Me - An Essay of Self - By Chelsea Ling :)

Hey, sup?

I was laying in bed tonight just thinking.. like I often do when I can't sleep but still want to rest, and I started thinking all about myself. That sounds kinda lame, but I guess this post is going to be pretty lame ;) (and long, just a heads up, this isn't titled as an essay for nothing) The last couple of years in my life have been very 'hectic' and I guess I have now come out the other side of that as a pretty cool person.

I am writing this post for a number of reasons... mostly just to get my thoughts out..(I sometimes don't like talking about my accomplishments, because I don't want people to notice me) but also because who better to read this than the people I talk to *all* the time?? I feel like the Internet knows me far better than I know myself and has for a very long time.. I also feel like there are many out there who can relate to me and might laugh at some of the things I have to say :) I originally thought of making this a scrapbook page, but once I started thinking of all of the things I wanted to say I knew I couldn't fit everything on a 12x12 page and still keep a decent design scheme (LOL).

I've recently learned that it's really important to be your true self at all times in all situations no matter what, and that's all you need to get through in life. I struggled with anxiety as a teen and after my son was born it all came back, waaaay back, and I didn't even realise it. Having a child and moving across the country and getting married (across the country) all in one year really did a number on me. I was completely lost. I was so sad and angry and anxious and I hated myself the most. Thankfully, my mother in law is amazing, and she shook some sense into me. I didn't like hearing it, but boy was she ever right. Anyways, now that I have accepted "me" all of the problems I had in life up until this point don't matter. The mistakes I've made don't define me. I'm happy and confident and in a good place in life, and good things are coming to me. I struggled with my weight all of my life and have lost 70 pounds since March (the beginning of all of this) without even trying. I've gone from a girl who was scared by almost everything, to a girl who wants to face her fears head on (yay!).

I have held myself back from posting things that were too personal, or too offensive on my blog because I haven't wanted to alienate any readers in the past.. but I have been letting more of my 'crazy' self come out on twitter lately (and in life) and more people seem to enjoy that than I would have ever thought. I've tried to type proper sentences rather than just typing in the way I would speak to someone because I wanted readers to think I was smart. Those days are gone - HA HA to you internet!

So, anyways. The rest of this post is going to be some facts about me... some interesting maybe, some maybe not :)

I was always teased in school, right from the get go and until the bitter end. I've always been the same weird arty girl with an awkward sense of humor. I have also never been "not fat" before in my life, so add that on top of the other stuff and I pretty much equaled a walking target. I'd also always really get upset which of course bullies LOVE. I've since learned not to do that ;)

I'm an only child, have always been considered smart, and love reading. I grew up with a single mom and had a very small family. I was always good in school but dropped out at 16. In eighth grade I stopped going to school regularly because I was tired of being teased and just wanted to play on the computer (sound familiar?) where I had friends. I passed grade eight with pretty good grades. In grade nine I pretty much only went to school for choir and social studies, and stopped going halfway through the year all together. They passed me anyways and I went to an alternative school for part of the year of grade 10, the rest I finished through distance learning on my own at home before deciding that I was bored and wanted a job. I got a job and took the GED exam.

My first job was a cashier which eventually turned into the makeup counter of the same store. I moved away to a bigger city by myself go to makeup school, and worked for a lot of different lines while also doing freelance jobs and weddings. I lived in a house above my best friend from makeup school and we had some awesome times together. Then, I met my husband on HOT OR NOT (no joke) and we started living together after about 1 month of chatting/seeing each other on the weekends (sometimes you just know when something is really right). After a year of dating I was pregnant and we had decided to move to PEI. We drove across Canada with a Honda full of our stuff one month before Jude was born. We stayed at my mother in law's house until we got our own place 4 days before I went into labour. I came home to a place full of boxes in a new city, never having held a child before my own. I started blogging again in May of '08 and opened my etsy shop in November. I broke my ankle on January 17th of '09 and it's still broken and that pretty much brings us up to present day.

I've always been very into the internet, and there are still people around from the days of my first websites that remember :) (hi guys). A lot of my friends, every guy I ever dated with the exception of HS boyfriends, and even my husband.. all came from the internet. I guess that could be taken in a way that would make me look really sad, but I don't see it as sad at all. I find it far easier to be open on the internet than I do with people in day to day life, which I'm sure many of you can relate to. I love the fact that I can learn so many things, about any subject, and from any point of view, at any time during any day. I am a knowledge junkie so the internet just gets me. I'm also an extremely visual person and I love to look at photos.. flickr changed my life, I swear (lol!). I pretty much grew up online.. a quick google of my name reveals almost my entire life. Dig a little deeper and you will also find out about a lot of my mistakes, which I wish weren't so easily vi sable but I guess they are a part of me too. FYI, don't use the internet for mischief or bad things or life will kick you in the ass. Recetly, I seem to be getting noticed a lot more than I ever have online, due to the fact that I live in a small town and the invention of twitter.

I'm a girly girl with a really gross guy stuck inside me. I dress like a lady, like being modest, and have strong values. But I really appreciate jokes about boners, and saying inappropriate things. I like to make fun of people, but out of love. I swear a lot. I like to pick fights with people online and stayed around one message board for seven years where everyone hated me, just because I loved a good political argument and the ability to ask all sorts of stupid questions and get answers ASAP. I am fairly liberal but vote NDP because I support the working man with a strong moustache. I'm Canadian as Canadian can be - I say "eh", love Tim Horton's, CBC, and MEDICINE FOR ALL. I would say that in general I am passive and agreeable, and would like to thank Canada for instilling that in me.

I've never really been a good employee because I find it really hard to devote myself to something without loving it, and like to stay out too late and not come in the next day. This also helped with the whole dropping out of school thing, since I never wanted to get up early enough. That's why I make a good mommy :) I have a flexible schedule and have to get up in the morning whether I like it or not - but I get to have naps so that rules!! I'm a night owl and do my best work at night(especially since I have had a child, the day is devoted to diapers and milk), which sometimes leads to me not sleeping at times.

I love love loooooooooove music and took 9 years of classical voice lessons. I was in a lot of choirs as a kid and went to band camp (ha ha) a few times. I wanted to go to Europe with school/choir but the dropping out thing kinda ended that.(A lot of the girls I went to school with are doing things like broadway or singing in Europe and I wonder what could have been if I had gotten a music degree, because I know I have a talent that could get me places if I applied myself. I sometimes still wonder but know that I am not in the place in life right now to devote myself to university and may never be. For now, I feel content borrowing my friend's textbooks and discussing my thoughts with the internet). I love singing still and sing almost all day. I sing TV theme songs, I narrate what I am doing in song, and I always sing in the car. I am obsessed with musicals, and my favorite thing that ever happened on TV was the Buffy musical episode. I love all music of all genres, but my all time favorite band is Death Cab for Cutie with a side of lifelong devotion to David Bowie. I have seen a lot of live music and hope to see a lot more before I die. My friends have all seen much more live music than I have, and for that they are infinitely cooler than I am.

I've always been crafty, and can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't making something. I have the kitchen table that belonged to my family when I was growing up, and beneath the current spraypaint stains are some neon paint stains that came from me painting things in the 1990's. I remember getting my tonsils out at age five and getting to make glittery crafts in the common room of the hospital with the other sick kids, so life was aight. In my teens I got really into makeup, and spent a long time obsessed with makeup until becoming disinterested in the industry and it's cattyness. I still love makeup and painting faces... it's just like crafts.

I'm easy to talk to and I don't judge people or situations. I try to see all sides of an issue, and put myself in other people's shoes. People tell me their secrets, and I am good at keeping them, but bad at keeping my own. I am good at lying and manipulating people, but choose not to because I am not a jerk :) However, this gives me a good poker face and people never really know what I'm up to sometimes.

I've had issues with alcohol, drugs, and anger. I've destroyed many a living room and caused many a ruckus without remembering it the next day, but am happy to say that no longer happens and any ruckus I may cause currently will be harmless. I like to go out and talk to people I like, see bands, and smoke on weekends.

I love ALL religions, and am obsessed with the origins of people in general. And why people do what they do.. Why we have this moral compass in us that's s instinctive. I have a thing for Jesus, he was such a hottie, and son of god or not he sure got a lot of people to remember him and had a kickass message. I dislike the organization/business aspect of religion. I don't believe that an all loving and all knowing god would judge his or her creations. I believe that the idea of god is something human and that the true nature of the concept of god is something very beyond our understanding. I love reading/watching documentaries about ancient civilizations and lost times. I believe in magic, and strongly believe in karma, and treating others the way I want to be treated. I am nice to a fault and will give someone the shirt off of my back if they need it. I sometimes end up taken advantage of, but am so nice that usually I am ok with it. I feel like the nicer you are to the world, the nicer the world will be to me when I need it, and this has proven to be true for me. I don't do much for myself beyond the creative things I do and the need to be on the internet all the time - and that's the way I like it. I get insane fulfillment from making the lives of other people better. I want to share my knowledge with the world and I want to be remembered. I believe in the power of thought, and love that a tiny idea in my head can manifest into anything. Anything! That is so neat - and leads back into why I love crafts and being creative.

I like run on sentences.

Now that you know all about me - I want to know about you. I want you to write a post like this on your blog, and then send me the link :) Writing this felt really nice... I bet it would for you as well. I'm interested in the people who are interested in me, and as you would have learned if you read this entire post - interested in people in general. So tell me your story. Tell the world your story, why not? :)

Finally, to end this post, Matt says "you're gonna looooooooooove my nuts!".

xo

And the cleanup begins...

So, thank you all *incredibly* much for all of your supportive comments on my last post :) I was so scared to post that for so long... it feels nice to know that people care about you, and can forgive you, and are rooting for you to do better!



I've been taking a litte time "away" - yesterday my neighbor came over and we tackled my studio. The giant mess in there was really preventing me from getting anything done. We worked on organizing and got a very big dent put in the mess! The next step is to get all of my inventory organized, and start a numerical system to STAY organized.



When I started selling on Etsy last November, I didn't realize how quickly things were going to take off.. how large my business was going to grow, and how much attention I would get! :) its lovely... but I was so not set up for it. I haven't kept a single record beyond what is auto recorded by Etsy and Paypal. I need some serious "business running" help - so if anyone has any tips for me.. please share! I also need tips on how to manage a serious inbox problem. I've decided to release items in collections and also to raise my prices a bit...

Anyways, here are a few recent photos! enjoy! xo (I've been playing around a lot with my new camera, you can see more photos here

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

So, this blog post has been a long time coming. In forming in my head, and in finding the time to sit down and actually type it out and post.

So much has been happening in my life the last few months :) My Etsy shop has taken off and my websites seem to be quite popular. I've got a flea market booth and some items soon to be in local shops. I'm hoping to start teaching classes in the fall as well and am launching a paper*cakes crafts site .

Anyways, right now, summer has been so busy I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I feel like I'm trying and trying and trying to get things done, and they just don't get done. I don't even sleep anymore - I recently went over 40 hours without sleeping. Hubby and I have been fighting over "who does enough" - which is stupid, because we both do as much as we can. The heat has been driving me crazy, I am a very white girl and not meant to withstand 40 celcius plus some crazy ass humidex! (don't get me wrong, this summer has been amazing, but it's time for the seasons to change!)

My online popularity has *exploded* recently, which is AWESOME - but sometimes I don't know how to handle all of the things that go with that. Sometimes, it's weird to be recognized at the store :) with this popularity has come a lot of orders and a lot on interest in the things I'm doing. So much so that I can officially no longer keep up and am admitting on my blog that I am behind behind, I am so behind I can see four years ago in the distance LOL.

This post has been really hard for me to type.. I've been going over it in my head for weeks. It's hard to admit you are failing at that which you love the most. It's hard to have humility and tell others about your mistakes, let along thousands of people on the internet. I know I'm going to get it figured out, because I always do, but in the mean time I have no idea how to get there. So those of you who have outstanding orders with me, please know I am not ignoring you. I am seeing your emails. I am trying to get this stuff taken care of, but even processing paypal items has a queue. Just replying to those emails takes me hours every day, and I don't even reply to all of the ones I need to. I am months behind on things I owe to friends as well. I don't want to take your money and leave you in the lurch, that's the *last* thing I would ever want to do.

My ankle is still broken and I spend a lot of time worrying about it. It isn't super painful, but after a long day of chasing a toddler around it bothers me. Sometimes I wake up and there are weird blood pools under my skin around the ankle. I'm worried about what is going to happen, since my Dr's have told me basically nothing I am trying to figure it out on my own. I'm worried about permanent nerve damage (it's often asleep or numb) and not being able to fix it. Last time I was at the Dr they told me that maybe even with pins in it it wouldn't heal. So, what, am I supposed to walk around with a broken ankle for the rest of my life? They told me surgery would be scheduled in August... well, it's September soon and I am still wondering. Nobody wants to talk to me about it, even my husband seems to avoid the subject. People ask me how it is doing and are amazed at what I do and how much I run around on an ankle broken in two places. I ask myself the same things actually.

I recently found out that the girl who did this to me is pregnant and naming her son Jude. It really hurt me a lot when I found out. Now our children are going to grow up together and both be little Jude's. I know this means that she was supposed to come into my life for a reason, but I still wish she hadn't. I hope when her child is 10 months old she realizes how much she screwed up my life. There was a point where we didn't know if we would have a place to live anymore because we were so broke and I couldn't work, I was just off of maternity leave as well so I couldn't get any sort of disability insurance (something came along to help us, just when we thought we couldn't be helped anymore - funny how that works, isn't it?). Anyways, I forgive her, but just want all of this to be over - it's been 8 months now. I'm ready for my life to return to normal.

Things have been going on in our family as well. Births, deaths, sicknesses, joy, and sadness. Anyways, basically, what I am trying to say in this post is that wow, life is heavy! :) I'm trying not to lose my smile.. I'm going to figure it out like I always do.. I just hope I find an answer soon. Thank you all for being here for me, for liking my crafts, for liking me as a person in general :) I appreciate so much all of the friends I have met online over the years - just because we have never "met" doesn't mean you are any less important to me! Anyways, that's enough rambling.

XO

So, I'm mad at you, CBC

If you are Canadian and you have ever lived in a rural area (or have not had cable) - you might be familiar with what I am about to talk about..





I grew up on a farm, with two TV channels - fuzzy cbc sometimes, and fuzzy CTV sometimes. Naturally, I watched a lot of cbc. And was happy to. CBC had great things on TV. How many of you remember coming home after school and watching Jonovision at 4pm? I feel like the CBC has been shaping my life for years! Art, Learning, Culture, Drama, Music, etc are all big parts of this channel (to me anyways) and I really appreciate that this kind of thing is around for all of us Canadians, and for my child now too. CBC gave us Degrassi, and for that alone, they are godlike. Now that I am a stay at home mom, I have come to a point in my life where I find myself spending large portions of my day with CBC.

Anyways, CBC is cancelling the simpsons. Cancelling Steven and Chris, and some other things (fashion file.. well, who cares, it was the same episode 40 times). They are making the local evening news into an hour and a half format - which may be better in a big city but in little ole PEI I don't know if they will have enough to talk about :P The big new show they got this year?? Ghost whisperer! Really! An ok enough show, but not a good trade IMO. Thank god for the hour or I think I wouldn't want to live anymore.

Getting rid of the hockey night in Canada theme song was the beginning of the death of cbc. Taking arrested development off in the evenings just poured salt into the wounds. But, maybe the cbc is like Britney and can make a comeback from all of this, I'll never give up hope. I know this is a recession thing, so CBC, I offer you $20 a month from my pocket to get better shows. Maybe if we all do it, it will work lol :) I am a canadian and thus I am willing to pay a little more taxes for the good of all of us.

xo

Some Late Night Ramblings

So.... it's 5:01 AM here in PEI, and I am blogging :) Those of you who follow me on twitter might know that I tend to be a bit of a night owl. I'm often asked if I ever sleep and I will often say that sometimes I don't (this is one of those times, lol).

I try not to get emotional on this blog (I have no problem blurting out random thoughts on twitter, but to sit down and write a paragraph tends to be a more daunting task for me) but I feel like I need to send out a little thank you tonight to the world in general :) I really believe that when you are grateful and thankful for what you have, that good things will come to you!

I am really blessed to live in a beautiful place, have an amazing family, lots of friends who I care about (all over the world, yay!), and a happy life full of stupid headbands, thrift store shopping, and spinning around my living room with my son. A life full of love and beauty and color.

What I really meant to say before I got all mushy is thank you for reading my blog, and looking at my crafts, leaving me comments, and supporting my little store/business! It means the world to me to be able to have this creative outlet, and to get to meet cool people at the same time. Things have grown to the point where I can no longer respond to every message anymore, but I do read everything :)

Anyways, now I feel really dorky for basically writing a love note to the internet <333





Also, here are some kittens I saw on my deck last week, just for fun.

xoxo

Summertime and the living is easy

Just a photopost. Matt is on vacay and we intend to get some summer fun in this week :)

The 400th item was just purchased from the paper*cakes shop! :)

To celebrate my 400th sale I'm offering 50% off any purchases over $50! :) Only 4 codes available - "400thsalebration"

Eeee!!! :) I am so excited! Thank you all so much for being fans of my work :) biggest x's and o's!

My genius plan...

So, I have been really struggling the past couple of months to keep up with my growing business and my growing child at the same time. After this week, I will be officially switching to "the night shift". My plan is to work from 9-2am on crafting, listing, and packing and processing orders - then have a nap when Jude naps during the day. I will be able to get my internet obligations taken care of during the daytime hours - and I really like staying up late and also napping - so I think this just might solve my problem! Here's hoping anyways :)

I am so happy and so grateful to be busy like I am so early into this venture... but it has definitely been a challenge to balance family and Paper*Cakes. Thank you all for being so patient with me as my little business grows and changes.

Anyways, I also have some photos to share! I was given a disk of photos taken at my wedding by a good family friend and I was soooo excited to see them! He got some really *amazing* detail shots. It really gave me a better perspective of what the wedding was like from the point of view of the guests.














Jude is camping with family tonight, so Matt and I are going to relax at home and watch Coraline in 3-d on our flat screen! I am going on a crafty marathon tonight - the plan is to make 100+ items. I really need more etsy stock and more stock for the flea market and I need to take advantage of a Saturday to get it done! Hope you all have a lovely evening!

xo