best christmas gift ever.

i know, i know, valentine's day is monday so why am i talking about christmas?  

malia made this 'snowman' in school.  i think it's pretty damn awesome.  i especially love that it's made out of a brick.  y'all did know that adam is a bricklayer, right?

it currently sits on the hearth.  i don't think we'll ever use it for it's intended purpose - a doorstop - but, instead, we'll keep it on display year round because we're in love with our daughter's creativity and thoughtfulness.  it really was the best christmas gift ever.

finally!

it is soooooo late {i'm gonna need a lot of coffee in a few short hours!} but i just had to share the news with y'all...

my etsy shop is up & running!

Etsy Buy Handmade maliasma

it is still very much a work in progress and, right now, my listings are pretty much a hodge-podge of things, but i want feedback. give it to me. tell me what you want to see. what you don't want to see. i still have a couple more items to list. i just haven't gotten around to it because i really, really, really need to go to bed {i have to get up for work in less than 5 hours...yikes!}.

merry & bright.

momma's got her holiday groove back, i think. ask me later on this afternoon when i'm pulling my hair out & i might say otherwise. perhaps a trip to trader joe's for some el cheapo {but absolutely divine} vino is in order. why not, right?

anyways, and i'm ashamed to admit this, but i haven't made any more topiaries since this one. cranking out topiaries is on my list of things to do today...along with painting four wine glasses. should be easy enough. the kids are home & they can help me with the pup while i get crafty {they had BETTER help...it's still not too late for me to cancel christmas}.

even though i haven't accomplished my entire list, i am very proud of the few things i have completed - ornaments & shirts.

not all of my ornaments turned out absolutely fabulous. this always happens. but, even my "bad" ornaments turned out semi-decent. i think a little glitter on the outside will make it all better & soon they will have a permanent home as they will be added to our ornament collection.

however, let me share with you the successful ones. they turned out even better than the ornaments i painted last year. they are all decked out in red, green & white christmassy fabulousness. all but two of them were handed out to teachers yesterday...i hope they all liked them:

the last two photos are a bit on the dark side...whoops. the lighting in my kitchen isn't the greatest at o'dark thirty. i'm quite please with these lil' guys. i didn't adorn them with any additional ribbon & i think they turned out quite perfectly!

in addition to ornaments, i made three monogrammed shirts done in a reverse-applique style. the shirts were purchased from wal-mart & target and the fabric i used came from a contest i won over at lauren nicole gifts. all of the stitching was done by my own two hands with embroidery thread. i am making one more to give as a gift {another 'm' monogram because their daughter is named malia...just like mine!} and then i'll create two more for my malia. she already has one {made with scrap fabric from gussy}.

here are the three i made - one for my sister's niece & two for my little cousins - they turned out soooooo cute {if i do say so myself!}:

i'm actually thinking about opening an etsy store and possibly selling these shirts as well as my topiary items. i'm not 100% certain just yet, but it's one of my goals for 2010. i'm doing what i love, i love what i'm doing...so why not try to make a buck or two, right?

anyways, if anyone IS interested in a shirt, just let me know what size you want, whether you want long or short sleeves and what the initial is. the price is $15. pretty reasonable, i think.

so this is the crafty side of me...the baker in me will appear in the next post. promise.

not your typical ornament.

it started as a 4" styrofoam ball. now it's between 5" to 6" in diameter and it's been covered in pink & green preppy goodness {with a bit of light blue thrown in for good measure}. and, it's currently en route to this fun gal.

this is only the second topiary-like item i've made. i have more that i need to create. my mother insists that i sell them. i'm skeptical because my creations are not nearly as fab as some of the others i've seen online. tell me what you think...please...

i just don't know.

i do know that i like making them. i do know that i like giving them {well, you know, when i make more of them}. next on my list is a couple small topiary trees for the holidays & a breast cancer awarness topiary that has been specially requested by my mother.

i'll post pics when i'm finished. promise.

Got Gussy?

I do, I do! And, soon, I'll have even more!! :)

Look what Maggie posted today...aww! ♥ ♥ ♥

Now, go...get you some Gussy. You'll lurves it.

Hometown Swap - All the way from Ohio

A month ago or so, I jumped on the bandwagon and signed myself up to participate in a hometown swap over at Shannon's blog, Welcome to the Nuthouse. The idea of the swap was to be paired up with someone from another part of the country and you would send that person goodies from your hometown. Pretty neat, huh?

I came home this afternoon and there was a big, white package on my porch from Heather (check out her blog, "This is the day..."). It was full of yummy, beautiful and sweet smelling goodies from her town of Lebanon, Ohio:

Heather sent me some yummy donuts made from a local farm...they didn't fare too well while in transit but - trust me - they are so damn good! I also got some homemade apple butter...YUM! I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow - guess what I'm putting on my toast?! The candle is coconut scented and is soy-based and it's heavenly. She also sent a little apple recipe book, a small plaque about family and the most beautiful handmade cards - Heather is a crafty gal!

Heather - you outdid yourself and I am just taken away by your card making talent. Thank you for making some ordinary gal from Virginia Beach happy on what has been a semi-crummy Monday! I will drown my sorrows in a ice, cold Coca-Cola and munch on the yummy donuts and wait for a sugar high to rescue me!

Shannon - thank you for putting together this swap...it was fun, yet challenging! I mean, I had a hard time coming up with things - I even forgot something - so my swap partner will receive TWO packages from me. Oops!