Wishlist Wednesday - Bella Moonstone Ring

In honor of Eclipse coming out today (woo!) I thought this was an appropriate item for today's Wishlist Wednesday.

Along with many (many!) others, I am a fan of Twilight. However, whether this ring was associated with the movies or not, I'm pretty sure I would still love it.


The Retsina shop on Etsy is full of great jewelry items inspired by the movies and characters. Along with Bella's Moonstone Ring, they also have Bella's Turquoise Bracelet! Definitely check it out the shop if you like the jewelry the actors wear in the movies!


Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support Etsy Shops or Authors I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-)

Humph...

Because I like that this blog is real.
Because I like that it reflects who I am.
Because everyone has good days and bad days and I am no exception...

• Little things were more frustrating than they should have been.
• Big things seemed like HUGE things.
• I questioned myself.
• I felt unhappy, and then I felt even more unhappy for allowing myself to feel unhappy.
• I felt angry for letting other people influence my happiness.
• I felt sorry that my husband had to deal with my breakdown.

BUT THEN...

• I thought about the little things, and how some little things can go a long way in cheering me up.
  
• Those big things shrunk a little bit.
• I still questioned myself (because I always do).
• I remembered that there are a lot of things in my life that I am happy about.
• I felt angry that I let myself get so angry... and then smiled to myself because that is just silly.
• I still feel sorry, but I am incredibly grateful to have a supportive husband to make me feel better.

And do you want to know something else? ... Tomorrow is a new day. And that's pretty awesome.

This City, It's Windy

Jason and I are heading to Chicago this weekend. We're driving, which should be a good time. :-) I'm hoping not to get car sick on the way... I suppose I'll let you know how that goes.

If you're interested, I'll likely be tweeting our adventures. Follow me here.

I've never been to Chicago before, so I'm actually really excited to see it. We are tagging along with friends so I am aiming for a very 'go with the flow' attitude for the next few days. Always good to let other people worry about things every now and then.

Wishlist Wednesday - Gypsy Rose DSLR Bag

I actually have 4 lenses for my DSLR camera but never carry them all around with me because my case is only big enough for two lenses. This obviously doesn't make sense. Enter Gypsy Rose Handbags DSLR Bag Designs.

It was actually really hard to choose one of the bags. I would need the large version, but they come in mini and small/medium as well. All of her fabrics are designer and beautiful (which is part of the reason it was hard to choose. I have a hard time picking a favorite between Amy Butler and Michael Miller!) In the end I choose this one because I have some of this awesome fabric already and I could easily make a matching camera strap to go with it. :-)


Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support Etsy Shops or Authors I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-)

Good Stuff - 6/19/10

Hey my people! :-) What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fun going on?

I am planning on doing some crafting, some working, some writing, some True Blood watching (Eric Northman = swooooooon...) and tonight I have a girl's only party to go to with some blogger friends. Blogger friends are the best friends to have, I swears. :-D

Here are some fun things I wanted to share with you. I want to get in the habit of doing a sharing post like this every now and then (kind of like those 'Random Friday' posts I used to do back in the day before the days of Photobooth Friday!)

Free Stuff:
Tags to Print on the Simple Stories Blog (via Celeste at my life in lowercase)
Printable Days of the Week Labels from the Creativity Prompt Blog
Printable Envelope and Letter in one from Just Something I Made

Digi Stuff:A free (and huge!) kit called Simple Pleasures from Sweet Shoppe Designs (via Donna Downey)
Free 'Moments' wordart from Suddenly Artistic
Awesome free Recipe Card Templates from Chezanne

Crafty Giveaways:
(All hand-stamped stuff... I didn't plan on that but it's all good stuff!)
$50 Give Certificate to Lisa Leonard Designs (via Kitchen Belleicious) - Ends Monday, 6/21
$25 Give Certificate to The Vintage Pearl (via The Life of Rylie & Bryce) - Ends Thursday, 7/1
A Necklace from Joseph Allen Designs (via Simply Stacie) - Ends Wednesday, 6/23

Fun Stuff:GraphJam completely nails my cat's personality.
CreateFindAdmire posts (what is basically) my life on tumblr.
Leah of thxthxthx thanks photos... she's so cute.

The Mechanics of a Photobooth

I stumbled across this video the other day and thought I would share. It shows how a photobooth strip is produced inside a vintage (meaning real, not digital) photobooth. I've only been in one of these 'real' photobooths once and it was SO cool. (Jason and I did one when we were at the Musee Mechanique in San Francisco.) The video is shot in real-time too, so you know exactly what is going on as your strip is being produced (usually takes about 3 minutes.)



Source: photobooth.net... which is a pretty awesome site.

Almost Photobooth Friday

Designer Digitals has these awesome photobooth style digital frames on sale today for just $0.99! Every Thursday they put an item on sale for only 99 cents and this week these sweet frames are it! I bought them... I basically had to. :-) And, since Jason is gone this week I had to take some photos of myself to show you what they can do.

This is me messing with my webcam while I sat on the couch and tried to get rid of my headache (which didn't work, btw). I had fun though, even if the photos are low quality, I need a shower, and the light behind me gives the side of my head a weird glow. Hehe.

Wishlist Wednesday - Little Pink Plum Mirrors

Who doesn't need a little more cuteness in their purses? Little Pink Plum's Etsy Shop makes the cutest little mirrors to slip in your purse.

How cute are these? I can't choose from the "Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake" one or that CUTE Owl. The best part? These beauties are only $4.00 each + shipping (and there are often promotions like buy 3 get one free that you can take advantage of!) A total bargain if you ask me!


Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support Etsy Shops or Authors I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-)

Creativity Boot Camp - Day 6

Grass after a rainy day.
Word inspiration of the day: Fluid

Journaling prompt: What are your self-imposed “rules” of creating? What are some characteristics of your work that you seem to inhabit in each of your works?

Everything I create tends to be very linear. I like repetitive shapes and themes and I like to focus on straight lines and square corners. I think this both helps and hurts my creative process. If something is crooked or askew I will fix it instead of just embracing the imperfection.

I need to embrace imperfection more.

I think I will try some distressed/grungy/collage/fun type of creative project soon. I'll break out some ink and paint and mod podge and see what happens. It will be uncomfortable and it will be out of my comfort zone. I will be motivated to do it because I love pieces like this and it inspires me to do something similarly amazing.

Creativity Boot Camp - Day 5

The view of the trees out our living room window.
Word inspiration of the day: Grow

Journaling prompt: Think about what your hopes and expectations for life were when you were young and the world was wide open. {If you are young and the world is wide open, get crazy and write your wildest dreams right now.}

My wildest dreams:
- To do something I love doing every day
I'm getting closer to this. I have the ability to do it, I just need to make it happen.
- To travel the world
I'm not sure I will ever be completely satisfied with this. I could be completely nomadic and not travel as much as I want in my lifetime. That's just a reality.
- To feel comfortable in my own skin
This is one of those personal things that I have never talked about on the blog, and perhaps never will. We all have those things that we should do something about, that when we do it would make our lives that much easier, but we don't, for whatever reason. I know it needs to happen if I want to be truly happy though, so that's a step.

That's pretty much it. I have everything else that I would want. I have a husband who is also my best friend. I have the greatest friends and family I could ever ask for (though it's hard being away from them). I have physical health and a creative mind. It's all just so good.

For more information on Creativity Boot Camp click on over to Meagan's Blog or check out my archives for previous CBC posts.

Creativity Boot Camp - Day 4

A necklace I made.
Word inspiration of the day: Heavy Metal

Journaling prompt: Look at your photos. Think about what specifically motivated you to take certain pictures.

If anyone knows me they know I love to take photos. All the time. I also love to live with and around my photos. Our walls are filled with photos we have taken over the years.

I typically take photos with the intention to scrapbook or blog them. Therefore, I want to use them to tell a certain story. I want to remember the moment, and more particularly, what is important about that moment and what I am feeling.

If I take a photo of a sunset I don't want to just remember how pretty that sunset was. I want to be able to tell the story that Jason and I went for a walk around the lake and at the end we got to see that sunset. That I absolutely loved the feeling of the warm sun on my face as we walked toward it. That we saw a cardinal on our walk and I compared the color of the sky to the brilliant red of the bird. That I was silly and thought that it was getting dark really fast when really I was actually still wearing my sunglasses. All of this I want to be able to recall while looking at the photo, and then I want to be able to write about it on a scrapbook page or on my blog.

It's the little stories that are actually most important that drives me to take photos.

Creativity Boot Camp - Day 3

Paper flowers I made for our wedding centerpieces.
Word inspiration of the day: Multilayer

Journaling prompt: Name some of your biggest creative buzz kills and disarm them!

The idea of a "creative buzz kill" definitely rings true with me. I will find many excuses (sometimes all at once) to not be creative. Lately the weather or the way I feel physically have both come into play. A big one for me typically is having a messy craft room. If my room is disorganized I will likely just ignore it and choose to do something else instead of spending time in there (which I love!) I should just take 15 minutes, because that's really all it would take, to straighten it out and I would be able to spend my time in there guilt free. Easy, right? It's a simple concept, but a lot harder to actually put into motion. Having a long to do list is a pretty big buzz kill as well. If I feel like I have a lot of other things to do then I am not likely to find time to work on creative projects before I am done my list. Otherwise, I feel badly because I am just putting off those things for longer.

I feel like all these things relate back to guilt. I don't think I should feel guilty about wanting to be creative. I need to instead seize the moments of inspiration that I have and put them to good use. Use those moments to my advantage because those are GOOD moments and they are the times when I feel most peaceful and most like myself.

Creativity Boot Camp - Day 2

Wine that I can't drink it without my sister because it's special. We bought it in Napa at our favorite winery after a picnic we had there.
Word inspiration of the day: Picnic

Journaling prompt: Do you shy away from calling yourself an artist? If so, what do you think makes someone else and artist and not you?

The prompt today really strikes something inside me. I am VERY quick to tell people that I have an engineering degree. It makes me sound smarter than I feel. I hesitate to tell people that I am pursuing creative endeavors right now (working at a scrapbooking store and writing online) rather than putting my degree to use. I feel like I am wasting it, but at the same time, I felt like when I was using it I was wasting my life away in an office. In all reality, I am incredibly grateful that I am able to work a part time job that I like with people I adore. About once a day I encounter a customer that makes me tear up a little because of the stories they tell me. I'm not sure why I can't convey these feelings to anyone else but myself, but I feel like it's not accepted in society to waste your college degree and do what you love just because you can. I AM SO LUCKY THAT I CAN DO THIS... and I know it. :-)

I feel like I am more comfortable using terms like "creative" or "scrapbooker" or "crafty" than a word like "artist." Yes, I create stuff. But I think an "artist" to me is someone with more of a vision... a painter or a photographer or a musician. I'm not exactly sure what makes those people different than me though. Maybe I should work on calling myself an artist more. I feel like I am definitely artistic. I am an artistic person. If I am a crafty person and I call myself creative (I do, all the time) then I should be able to call myself an artist because I am artistic.

There... I said it. I'm an artist.

It still sounds weird. I will get there though. :-)

A New Project - Creativity Boot Camp (Intro & Day 1)

We could all use more creativity in our lives, right? Right. Enter a new project I am participating in... Creativity Boot Camp.

A local Minnesota Blogger (Liz of Random Thoughts of a Lutheran Geek) recently posted that she would like to get in though with her creative side a little more and linked to this online class. I immediately knew I had to participate. This is exactly the type of thing that really makes me want to be creative!

The class is free and open to anyone who wants to participate. It runs for 2 weeks and started on Sunday, but that doesn't mean you can't participate! You can jump in at any time! I'll be posting my day's journaling and photo here on the blog. :-)


Paper flowers I made.
Word inspiration of the day: Ivory

Journaling prompt: Write a letter to yourself in the future, where you have accomplished all the creative goals you set at the beginning of this class!

Dear Me,

You are creative. It just takes a little bit of pushing to really see that, doesn't it? I mean, when you really put your mind to it, when you have a goal in mind, you do a really great job at unleashing your creative self. Of course, it's usually past midnight when it strikes, but you take what you can get. Creativity cannot be scheduled. :-) If anyone can speak to that, it's you.

So, how do you feel at the end of this creative journey? Pretty good, I'm sure. You have a lot to work with now. You have a bunch of photos of great things that make you think and you have a lot of words to look back on. Words. Those are important. How else will we remember. I love that you know the importance of words (maybe even more so now that you look back to the beginning of this project?) Memories fade so quickly and words are so important.

So now what? Well, you thrive when you have a project, especially if you can post that project to your blog, right? So, find another one! No matter what it is, as long as it taps into your creativity you will likely enjoy yourself.

Here's to more creative 'ah-ha' moments and mornings waking up and looking at what you did the night before with a smile on your face. It's all such good stuff.

Love,
Me :-)

Wishlist Wednesday - State Necklaces

A new (and simple) feature here on the blog. Every Wednesday I will let you know of an item on my wishlist. Maybe you will love it too, or it will give you a good idea for a gift to someone you love!

Items will typically be something either handmade, inspirational, creative, fun, colorful, or cupcake-related. :-)

So, here we go... the very first installment of Wishlist Wednesday!

I originally found this shop through the moosh in indy blog, which I have been reading for a while (go check it out!) When I saw her necklace in a photo where she was talking about how much she loves Indiana I instantly fell in love with the creations of Truche. The only problem is, I want three of them!

One for Vermont (where I am grew up), one for Massachusetts (we lived there for 6 years and it now holds a special place in my heart) and one for Minnesota (where I live now). How could I choose?

Pendants have the option of sterling silver, PMC, acrylic, or bamboo. Truche is always adding more states/countries, so if you don't see yours they will likely be adding it soon, or you could always contact them for a custom order. :-) I was actually really impressed to see that they had all three states I would want already listed!


Wishlist Wednesday posts are meant to introduce my readers to cool products and support Etsy Shops or Authors I believe in. All opinions are mine. I am never asked to write about any of these products and I am not compensated for my post. It's all just good stuff I want to share with you. :-)

A Celebration & A GIVEAWAY!!!

* GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED... Thanks for playing along!!! *

You guys want to know something fun?

500!!!

How crazy is that?!?!

I knew I needed to come up with a good way to celebrate and what better way to celebrate anything than to have a giveaway!?!?! YAY!

So, let's get to the goods, shall we? :-)

I have three items to give away!

The first is a cute little zippered clutch that I made using some awesome Amy Butler fabric. I almost didn't post this because I really want to keep it for myself. Haha! I'm going to have to make another one I think! (For those of you who sew, I used this tutorial and pattern from Skip to my Lou to make it. Love.)


Next up is a copy of Lain Ehmann's book Snippets. It's a perfect gift for a scrapbooker (even if that person is yourself!) It's full of stories that all scrapbookers can relate to and Lain is a great (and witty) writer. You'll love it!


And finally, a copy of Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian! Yes, THAT Photo Freedom! The one that you can't find anywhere because it's out of print! The one that everyone talks about! The one that you have been wanting for a while but haven't been able to find anywhere! I have one to give away to one of you! :-D

Here are the details:
- The giveaway will run until midnight CST on June 30th.
- I will choose three winners using Random.org and email each of you to get your addresses.
- Please make sure you either have your email address or blog in your profile or leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win!

How to enter:
- MANDATORY ENTRY: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would prefer to win (this may not be what you end up winning, but I will do my best based on the order I draw the names!)

Bonus entries:
- Leave another comment letting me know of a blog or person or website or book or anything that inspires you most. I am always looking for new sources of inspiration! :-)
- Blog about this giveaway! (Leave another 2 comments linking to your blog post!)
- Tweet about this giveaway using this text (or something similar) and come back here and comment to let me know you did:

Enter @sampiette's 500th Blog Post Celebration Giveaway for a chance to win one of three great prizes! http://tinyurl.com/26zybl9

That's it! 5 ways to enter, leave one comment for each!

And a little extra for those of you who don't win (or even if you do!)... a free digital wordart pack from me! :-)
[Download here.]


GOOD LUCK and thank you so much for reading, commenting, supporting, and laughing at with me through 500 posts!!!


PS - Full disclosure: I bought or made these items so that I could share them with my readers. I was not given any of these products or asked to post my opinions about them. They are all just things I thought you, as crafters, would enjoy because I enjoy them. :-)