My Biggest Fan

Apparently my newest necklace is a hit according to one of my biggest fans :-) Just thought that I would share.

Sing A Song

For as long as I can remember I've been having a love affair with music. You know, those special songs that you can listen to over and over again and never get tired of hearing. The ones that are like reuniting with an old friend. Most of you, or at least the ones who've been frequenting the blog from the beginning when I had music on it, know my musical tastes are some what varied. So here are my top ten songs (in no particular order) that I can listen to over and over and over again:

1. Black Balloon - The Goo Goo Dolls

2. Hey Hey What Can I Do - Led Zeppelin

3. Gravity - John Mayer

4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles

5. St Theresa - Joan Osborne

6. Satellite - Dave Matthews Band

7. Cowboy Take Me Away - The Dixie Chicks

8. I'll Cover You - RENT Soundtrack

9. Warning - Incubus

10. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - The Wizard of Oz

So whats songs can't you live without??

Etsy Feature: ♥Rubee Designs♥

Etsy Feature: ♥Rubee Designs♥

Shop Name: RuBee Designs

What do you make? Decorative Ceramic Coasters

How did you first pick up your craft? I love decorative paper but couldn't find a use for it. Well, I soon did!What are you inspired by?I'm constantly inspired by the Etsy Community as a whole. I really enjoy chatting with other sellers and buyers and find motivation from them.

Tell me about yourself: I live in Milton, ON, Canada. I've always had an entrepreneurship spirit so when I discovered Etsy, I was in my element. I have the best 10 year old son, and a fiance who I'm marrying next year. ;)

Some of the shops I adore are:
SpiderCamp
Terbear Collectibles
nissalisa
Plush Off
Mindy's Embroidery
Suzanna Anna

Advice for fellow artists/crafters? Take baby steps. Work on your craft a little each day, keep your head up, and promote yourself! ;)


♥GIVEAWAY♥
This weeks giveaway is fabulous!! RuBee Designs does such beautiful work and I'm so excited to offer you all a chance to have some of it grace your home!

Rebecca of RuBee Designs has graciously offered her stunning Owl Coasters - Set of Four from her etsy shop to one lucky reader of this blog! And let me tell you, these are beautifully crafted!!

How to enter:: RUN, dont walk, on over to RuBee Designs and leave a comment here stating your favorite item from this spectauclar shop! I guarentee that you'll have a hard time picking out your favorite because RuBee Designs' pieces are absolutely stunning!!

Standard Rules apply ---> You must leave a way for me to contact you in case you win! On Wednesday 07/02/08 I'll announce the winner provided at least 10 people have entered this giveaway!..... what are you waiting for??? Go and check out the amazing goodies at RuBee Designs!!!

Wednesdays Words of Wisdom

Ok so I suck and didnt do my Tuesdays Words of Wisdom - I was having one of those less than inspired days yesterday - anyways today its on! Quotes to love, share, and inspire:

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world. "
- Mother Teresa

"I was driving across the burning desert
When I spotted six jet planes
Leaving six white vapor trails across the bleak terrain
It was the hexagram of the heavensit was the strings of my guitar Amelia it was just a false alarm."
- Joni Mitchell

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic."
- Anonymous

"Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives."
- Tony Robbins

"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open."
- Sir James Dewar
We Have A Winner Folks - This weeks blog giveaway is officially over!!

As always I used the Random Number Generator website to make sure that the prize is awarded fair and square. BIG Thank Yous to all 171 of you who entered for a chance to win, making this the most sucessful giveaway ever on this humble little blog of mine!! You all ROCK!

CONGRATS to Starshine3 who wins the beautiful Sterling Silver Studs from Solo Artworks!! And of course be sure to be here tommorow for this weeks new giveaway featuring the stunningly sweet items from RuBee Designs!!

Tag! You're It!!

Alrighty folks, I've been again tagged, this time courtesy of the one and only Annie of Cassarole. So its time for another 6 wonderfully strange and random facts about yours truely :-)

1. I'm a speed reader. I dont know where or how I picked up this trait but I can read an entire book in just about 3 or 4 hours - and yes I'm absorbing every word and bit of information and all of that jazz - aka I don't skim. I attribute it to my constant and never failing love for books. I learned to read when I was 4 and since then I've always prefered reading to television. We have an awesome old bookstore here where you can trade in the books that you are done reading and get credit towards other new and used books - its one of my favorite places, the words, the books, the worn covers and bindings, and particularly the smells.

2. I'm 50% Italian. But my skin tone is pasty white. My mother is full blooded Italian where as my dad is German, Greek, and Irish - I have very dark features naturally but that little bit of German in me makes my skin creamy white. My 3 little brothers however have a darker complexion, so I'm the oddball of the family.

3. I dont like Chocolate - yuck, eww, gross. Its NOT good! The only exceptions to my no chocolate rule are Reese Cups and Tagalongs (Girl Scout Cookies) Outside of that, chocolate is gross! (and I'm often called insane because I dont like it)

4. I'm a college dropout. Yup, tis true. I went to the Johnstown branch campus of PITT for creative writing. I was married, had a kiddo in tow, and was working full time and carrying a full course load of 15 credits at college on top of it all. My advisor was a joke and never really did any sort of "advising" and by the time I figured out that if I really ever wanted to do something with a creative writing degree I would have had to double major in something and was didnt take the right classes and would of had to go to school for almost an extra year and a half. It was like I had an epihiony, hey Amanda, you dont need a creative writing degree to write! (Dont worry folks, I write/type how I talk on my blog, I specialize in, and have had ooodles of personalized essays and poetry published in various magazines, books, and collections.)

5. I have really bad anxiety and terriable migraines as a result of it. I don't like overly crowded public places at all. I live in a small town and all we really have here is a Wal-Mart, which I avoid like the plague. I HATE that place! But unfortunatly even still on occasion we need something and have to go there due to the lack of any other shopping nearby - and, but of course, everyone else in town goes there too. I can't set foot into that store alone, Mike has to come with me, if not I get panic attacks. Yup, Wal-Mart gives me panic attacks.

6. I'm a scrapbook embellishment horder. I love little paper odds and ends and bits and pieces and usually buy them in bundles. I even have embellishments for China, Australia, and Mexico - and I'm pertfiried of flying, so its pretty doubtful that I'll ever visit China, Australia, or Mexico.

And as always, I'm going to cheat and not tag anyone. Why? Because I'm a stinker! But I do think that you all should do this because its fun! So if you want to play along, consider yourself tagged from me :-)

Extravaganza

I've been one busy bee the past few days - making journals like there is no tomorrow. Running two shops is HARD, particularly when you're trying to balance them with life - spending time with my kiddos, little league baseball, the everyday normal household upkeep.

When I first signed up for etsy I thought that this would be a-ok ... I wish someone would have told me how utterly and completely addicting it all is!!!

I get into ruts where I'll embrace one of my etsy shops head on for a week or so, relisting, and making new items, and tweaking my photos and so forth. As a result the other shop often gets neglected for that week - and then the whole process repeats itself but only in reverse order.

Well this week is Journal Extravaganza week! I've been making and listing (and selling too!!!) new journals like crazy!

In other news, I've been doing a bit of cleaning in my closet, getting ready to donate some things that I don't wear anymore to goodwill - and I found this super fun silk scarf that I bought WAY back in high school ... you know, back when wearing scarves around your neck was all the rage (not the 1950's but rather the resurgence of that fad via 2000ish). Its an awesome zebra print, and its really rad I must say, I forgot all about it until I uncovered in in the bottom corner of a box of crazy metal loop belts and old man golf hats I used to think were awesome a zillion years ago

So but of course I had to have an Amanda-Percy (who was less than thrilled to be wearing a scarf) fashion show with my newly found treasure!

Etsy Feature: ♥Solo Artworks♥

Etsy Feature: ♥Solo Artworks♥

Shop Name: Solo Artworks

What do you make? Timeless and classy jewelry, handforged in precious metals, including solid 14K gold.

How did you first pick up your craft? I have been making jewelry to sell for 16 years, since I was 8! I started working primarily with metal just over a year ago.

What are you inspired by? I love looking at textures and tiny detailing, and incorporating that in an abstract way into my design. Whether it be filigrann detail like the tiny balls on these Fancy Bezel Set Prehnite Earrings, or the multi-angled facets on the tiny Le Petit Hammered Stacking Rings).

Tell me about yourself: I'm kind of a goofball. My two favorite non-crafty things are Star Wars and bunny rabbits. I have two that run around my living room all day, and on occasion inspire me to make things like this.

Other etsy shops you love: I LOVE Waterfall's glass rings, Art by Nakisha's amazing watercolor paintings, and swear by YouStinkSoap's Happy Shave Bar

Advice for fellow artists/crafters? Don't be afraid to do what you love! With a strong conviction and a willingness to do the work, you can turn even a hobby into a full-time job :)


♥GIVEAWAY♥
This weeks giveaway is absolutely AMAZING!! As a jewelry lover and a serious fan of the gorgeously handcrafted work of Solo Artworks I am absolutely thrilled to be able to offer such an incredable giveaway on my blog!

Nicole of Solo Artworks has graciously offered the her simply beautiful Sterling Silver Studs from her etsy shop to one lucky reader of this blog! And let me tell you, these are fabulous!!


How to enter:: RUN, dont walk, on over to Solo Artworks and leave a comment here stating your favorite item from this spectauclar shop! I guarentee that you'll have a hard time picking out your favorite because Nicole's pieces are absolutely stunning!!

Standard Rules apply ---> You must leave a way for me to contact you in case you win! On Wednesday 06/25/08 I'll announce the winner provided at least 10 people have entered this giveaway!..... what are you waiting for??? Go and check out the amazing goodies at Solo Artworks!!!

Winner Wednesday!!

We Have A Winner Folks - This weeks AMAZING blog giveaway is officially over!! And I dont think that I could have featured a more nice and totally awesome etsian!

As always I used the Random Number Generator website to make sure that the prize is awarded fair and square. BIG Thank Yous to all 87 of you who entered for a chance to win!! You all ROCK!

CONGRATS to Swtlilchick who wins the gorgeous, and oh so retro The Girl, Set of 3 Screenprinted Notecards from Cutiepie Company!!. And of course be sure to be here tommorow for this weeks new giveaway featuring the stunningly sweet items from Solo Artworks!!

Tuesdays Words Of Wisdom

More Quotable Quotes for you all to enjoy :-)
“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live!”
- Bob Marley

"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning."
- Bertha Flowers

“Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected”
- Mahatma Gandhi

"Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot."
- Jim Rohn

" Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world."
- The Dead Poet's Society

I'm Baaaaack!

Hello all I'm baaaaaack! After a wonderful and relaxing vacation I am indeed back to the computer and all things etsy - including my little blog.

So I've decided to go with a bit of a different "feel" for my TwistThis jewelry shop - a little more simple and natural and a little less whimsical, so with that I've switched up my banner (after some major tweaking!) and I've started to really focus pretty heavily on necklaces and bracelets and simplier earring designs and have started to use lots of antiqued brass and vintage lockets and so on and so on.

So but of course I have to clear out some of my old inventory to make way for new - I'm petrified of flooding my shops with merchandise. All this in time for the first annual YART Sale!!! I have an awesome Yart Sale section in my shop - Buy any 2 items from the SALE section and get one FREE, and the prices in that section begin at only $4.50 to begin with.... awesome deals people, awesome deals :-)

Anyhoo - my vacation was absolutely FABULOUS! Sitting in the woods for 4 days and enjoying nature and the earth and letting go of everything - I can't tell you just how relaxing it was - even with two kiddos in tow. Unfortunatly it rained alot, which put a damper on some of our plans, but we all still had a blast none the less :-) And now I suppose its back to work - refreshed and ready to create!

Shawnee Lake

Etsy Feature: ♥Cutiepie Company♥

Etsy Feature: ♥Cutiepie Company♥
Shop Name: Cutiepie Company

What do you make? I make screenprinted notecards, journals, and art prints.

How did you first pick up your craft? I have been doing mixed media and collage for a long time, and have been interested in screenprinting for a while as well. I learned about the Gocco (the compact and easy to master Japanese screenprinting system) through Etsy, actually. I knew instantly that this was something I had to do. It is a really simple system. I combined my new skill with my love for card-making, and Cutiepie Company was born (I have always loved making cards for friends and family).

What are you inspired by? Beauty. I am really inspired by color, light, vintage ephemera, old photographs, food, dusty books, children, my dog, the work of artists Rauschenberg and Cornell, and all the amazing work I see on Etsy! Every day I find something new to love and be inspired by.

Tell me about yourself: Eek! I'm 29, live in Manhattan with my sweet beagle Hunter, and am a motion picture Camera Assistant by trade.

Other etsy shops you love: Wow, the list is endless!
Corporan Glass(my boyfriend's shop)
PaperSchmaper
Bumble Baby Designs
Studiotto
SiebenMorgen
Kaybu
MichelleMoode
Bittystarr
Ice Bear
The Book Room
Birdie
Karen Ondracek
fric_de_mentol
Morris+Essex
Treatzone

Advice for fellow artists/crafters? My advice would be to do what you love. If you are thinking of opening up a shop on Etsy, definitely go for it, and keep at it. Art and craft is really so subjective, and if you are making something you love, chances are there are other people out there that will love it too. If you put your heart into it, it shows.


♥GIVEAWAY♥
This weeks giveaway is seriously wonderful!! As paper crafter, and fan of Cutiepie Company I am thrilled to be able to offer all of you such an amazing prize!!

Milly has graciously offered the her simply beautiful The Girl, Set of 3 Screenprinted Notecards from her etsy shop to one lucky reader of this blog! And let me tell you, these are fabulous!!

How to enter:: RUN, dont walk, on over to Cutiepie Company and leave a comment here stating your favorite item from this spectauclar shop! I guarentee that you'll have a hard time picking out your favorite because Milly's pieces are absolutely stunning!!

Standard Rules apply ---> You must leave a way for me to get ahold of you in case you win! On Wednesday 06/18/08 I'll announce the winner provided at least 10 people have entered this giveaway!..... what are you waiting for??? Go and check out the amazing goodies at Cutiepie Company!!!

We Have A Winner Folks

We Have A Winner Folks - This weeks blog giveaway is officially over!!

As always I used the Random Number Generator website to make sure that the prize is awarded fair and square. BIG Thank Yous to all 74 of you who entered for a chance to win!! You all ROCK!

CONGRATS to ThreadBeaur who wins the wonderfully sweet 3 Flip Flop Summer Handmade Greeting Cards Set from Simply Sentimental. And of course be sure to be here tommorow for this weeks new giveaway featuring the stunningly sweet items from Cutiepie Company!!

--> Tommorow afternoon my family and I are officially on vacation - going camping to sit and woods and enjoy the earth for 4 wonderfully stressfree days! (yay!!!) Yes, the new feature/giveaway WILL be up tommorow - so make sure to enter, but I wont be updating my blog or etsy shops until after the weekend - stay tuned for pictures :-)

Tuesdays Words of Wisdom

My last quote post was so well recieved - and fun! - that I've decided to make it a regular thing on my blog! So welcome to Tuesdays Words Of Wisdom - 5 bits and snippits of a little quotes and sayings from my little quote journal that I've collected over the years :-) And but of course if you have one in mind that you'd like to share send me an etsy convo or email me!!

"I am just a poor boy and my storys seldom told

Ive squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises

All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear

And disregards the rest"

- Simon and Garfunkel - The Boxer

"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright

"There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
- Frank Zappa

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes"
- Lord Byron

"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher."
- Ambrose Bierce

Fun While Glue Shopping

I was browsing the glue aisle of Michaels today for some jewelry glue for cabs when this bottle caught my eye - and of course I had to wip out my cell camera and capture the memory :-)

Ahhh how my mind wanders!!! hehehehe, it takes very little to amuse me!

♥Simply Sentimental - Custom Creations by Sydnei♥

Etsy Feature: ♥Simply Sentimental - Custom Creations by Sydnei♥

Shop Name: Simply Sentimental

What do you make? I create handmade greeting cards and scrapbook paper piecings...Coming this summer Felt scrapbooking embellishments.

How did you first pick up your craft? I first started scrapbooking and then decided to try my hand and card making and soon realized that card making was my calling. I still scrapbook every now and then for people on the side but I'm sorry to say my own scrapbooks haven't been touched in several years.

What are you inspired by? I get most of my patterns from clip art and my boys coloring book pages. My boys both know that when they get a new coloring book that Mommy gets to look through it first to see if there's anything in there I can use.

Tell me about yourself: Not much to tell, I'm a SAHM/WAHM to two wonderful but WILD little boys. Kaden will be 6 in July and Kase will be 3 in October. I've been married to my hubby for going on 11 years now. He works 60+ hours a week so that I have the opportunity to stay at home with our boys. My boys keep me very very busy throughout the day but I do get a chance here and there to play with my paper. I so most of my work on the wee hours of the morning before the sun has even thought about coming up. I also am the fingers behind Simply Sentimental The Blog. When I first decided to do a blog it was going to be about me, my family and my shop but soon realized that I was too boring to fill up a week's worth of blogging so I decided to change my focus and feature other great Etsy Shops and throw in some of my work here and there. I treat my blog just like another business and really enjoy working on it daily. Well that's about it for me.

Other etsy shops you love: Well I have tons of favorites it's hard to just pick a few but I love Weakness. She has the BEST shop labels and I can't seem to get enough of them.

Advice for fellow artists/crafters? My only advice is to keep enjoying what you create because the minute you stop enjoying your work it shows. I LOVE creating greeting cards and scrapbooking embellishments. I always enjoy people sending me emails about how great their scrapbooking pages look with my embellishments or how their friend just loved the card they sent them from my shop. Comments like that always put a smile on my face.

♥GIVEAWAY♥
This weeks giveaway is just fabulous. As as avid scrapbooker, paper crafter, and fan of Simply Sentimental, I am thrilled to be able to offer all of you such an amazing prize!!

Sydnei has graciously offered the wonderfully sweet 3 Flip Flop Summer Handmade Greeting Cards Set from her etsy shop to one lucky reader of this blog! And just in time for the start of summer too!!

How to enter:: RUN, dont walk, on over to Simply Sentimental and leave a comment here stating your favorite item from this spectauclar shop! I guarentee that you'll have a hard time picking out your favorite because Sydnei's pieces are so unique and sweet!!

Standard Rules apply ---> You must leave a way for me to get ahold of you in case you win! On Wednesday 06/11/08 I'll announce the winner provided at least 10 people have entered this giveaway!..... what are you waiting for??? Go and check out the amazing goodies at Simply Sentimental!!!

Its a Good Day For a Trade

I dont do trades on etsy too often, although I am on the traders list. No offense to anyone out there that does them, but if I want your items bad enough, I'll just buy them :-) And I'd hate to trade something that I have the potential to make money off of for something I dont really want or need. - Buying diapers and such is more important to me than having another pair or earrings or so forth.

Anyways, you all get the point. When I do trade, it has to be fabulous. Yes folks, I am picky.

Thanks to Claudia of CVDuncan though, my faith in trading on etsy has been restored! Her pottery is absolutely FABULOUS - and I oughta know seeing as in the past few weeks I've done not one, but two trades with her in exchange for some jewelry.

I got a wonderful package today in the mail from Claudia and just HAD to share::

In other news, this weeks blog giveaway is officially over, and with 114 entries this is biggest viewed etsy artist feature on my blog yet!

As always I used the Random Number Generator website to make sure that the prize is awarded fair and square. BIG Thank Yous to all of you who entered for a chance to win!!

CONGRATS to Candie who wins the absolutely stunning Chenoa Necklace from Ishi's etsy shop. And of course be sure to be here tommorow for this weeks new giveaway featuring the stunningly sweet items from Simply Sentimental!!

Wear Sunscreen

I've collected quote, sayings, little anecdotes, for as long as I can remember now. I have a little book filled with them in fact - its what I use one of my personal journals for. Whenever I'm down or depressed I flip though it and let the inspirational words of some of the greatest minds in the world inspire me and lift my spirts. I've actually come to rely pretty heavily on my little book of quotes. I thought I'd share one of my favorites with you all courtesy of Mary Schmich circa 1997. - (In case you are unfamiliar with her, Mary Schmich is a journalist and a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.)


****************************************************
Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Eeeep!! I've Been Tagged!

Ok, I've been putting it off for awhile. I'm really a pretty boring person. Honestly I am. But someone (the fabulous Christopher and Tia to be exact) "tagged me" thus pushing me to blog and divulge 7 random facts about myself to the members of blogland.

I'm not sure that there are 7 random facts about myself that are even worth sharing! But I was tagged, so I'll give it a shot.

1. I HATE the movie ET. Seriously, that little alien thing looks like something that came out of my butt after binging on Chinese food. I just cant watch that movie, seriously all I see is a little turd walking around saying "phone home". I just never saw the facination and hype.

2. I have a sort of obsession with cotton swabs. I am constantly cleaning out my ears, and I'm talking really cleaning, I shove that little q-tip in as far as it will go! I think it feels good and I'm pretty sure I have the cleanest ears in Pennsylvania.

3. My family and I have been going camping since I was in diapers. Once, as a baby, I even rolled out the back of a camper. My parents still go every year, and we usually go and spend a day with them chilling in the middle of the woods, but Mike and I and the boys have never went full on, sleeping in a tent, camping. Somehow as an adult it just doesnt have the appeal that it did when I was a kid. When I look back at my childhood, though, I recall those summer trips to Shawnee as some of the happiest times of being young and I'm determined to let Brayden and Gage experience that. So this year we went out and bought everything that you could possibly imagine needing for camping and in 2 weeks, for Fathers day weekend, we will all be sitting our butts in the woods with the mesquitos. Mike even bought a fancy-schmancy Jeep (had to be a Jeep!) tent. But rest assure, we wont be roughing it, I'll be bringing the laptop and a pile of dvds.

4. I'm pretty sure my kids watch too much tv. Last easter Brayden asked the mall Easter Bunny for Debbie Meyer Green Bags. Its funny acctually because the only tv I watch is the Food Network from like 11pm to 3am. Love me some Alton Brown and Ace of Cakes. But I can quote every single episode of Spongebob ever made. Seriously.

5. I HATE HATE HATE the feeling of anything on my feet. I attribute that to growing up in Va Beach. I honestly and truely wear flipflops for like 7 months out of the year here. I dont even own a pair of tennis shoes, I have like 2 pairs of dress shoes but I'm pretty sure I havent worn them in the last 3 or 4 years. I wear boots when it snows, and as soon as I'm able I take them off. In fact, I've even been known to wear my flipflops out in the snow to go out and get the mail or run errands. And if I go to bed for the night wearing socks I'll wake up with a fever the next day.... I used to do that alot when I was in school to get out of tests.

6. Things that can usually be found in my purse include: my wallet and ID, a Tide to Go pen, random crayons from random resturants I've snatched for the boys for the off chance that we are at a resturant without those wonderfully entertaining color me menus and placemats, a bag of Fruity Cheerios and/or Teddy Grahams, at least 4 Hot Wheels, at least 2 diapers and some wipes. Yup, so my purse, in my fancy Amy Butler Geisha Fans fabric I had custom made for me on etsy has pretty much turned into a glorified diaper bag. But it sure does beat carring around that hospital issue thing.

7. I think that flowers are prettier dead than alive. I have a collection of gorgeously dried flowers, in sweet little vases and bowls, on top of my TV stand in my living room. I've dried just about every flower that I've been given, I even have my wedding boquet from 6 years ago dried and preserved. Dead flowers rock!!

Ok, there you have it. 7 totally random and weird facts about yours truely. Oh and I'm going to cop out and not tag anyone :-) Why? Because this is my blog and I can! Now you can all see me for the nut job I really am!!