Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I Am a Guardian

Sounds serious, doesn't it? I was just over at Lola & Dahl, my friend Linda's blog, and she was talking about personality tests and referred her readers to a couple free ones. I just took one here and these are the results...
Free Report for: Cheryl Dack

"You are a Guardian"

"Guardians are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply--and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.
Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly--they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.
Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.
Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population."


So fascinating, since that is all very, very true about me! Try it out and see what you come up with. However, I think it is most fascinating to me that the questions I had the most trouble choosing the "correct for me" answer for were those about creativity versus order or spontaneousness versus predictability and that sort of thing. And that's because of the relatively newly-discovered "creative" part of my life as (dare I use the word???) an artist. And I love that! I love that this artistic part of me has emerged and that inside of my art I can be someone that I normally am not! I'm the girl who has her babies scheduled so that by 6 weeks old they sleep through the night...and not because I let them "cry it out!" I'm the girl that eats the same thing for breakfast every single day. I'm the girl that had straight A's in school and wasn't satisfied...I wanted the HIGHEST 'A' in the class. In every other area of my life besides my artistic endeavors, I am anything but a spontaneous dreamer. I love that through art and the community I have found in all of YOU, I have such a NEW, exciting and very FREEING space in my life!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Monday Yummies, A Giveaway and More!

Oh my goodnes...what a DAY!!!!!!!! Did anyone know it was Official Fussy Baby Day and they just forgot to tell me??? Good HEAVENS! And of course someone wanted to look at the house at noon so I spent the morning getting it ready for that (we are selling it) AND someone else wanted to look at it this evening AND it was our Date Night. CRAZINESS. Ya know????

And top of it all, it's Monday and you have gotten so accustomed to your Yummies being served up, now haven't you? :) And lest you think I forgot, I have the winner of the giveaway to announce. And my dear friend, Linda, finished my new eBay ME page, part of which is my new blog banner above (you DID notice it, didn't you, Sweets!) and I want to show it off! More on that in a bit....






FIRST....can I have a drumroll please.....




The winner of the giveaway is..... Jeanetta!
And lest you think I have big huge hairy hands, please rest assured that that is my husband's very manly hands picking Jeanetta's name out of the bowl! ;)


And here's some more pics of The Ice Queen Tussie Mussie that I will be sending to Jeanetta!
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by this weekend and left SWEET comments! What a treat! Joli Paquet was such fun and such a success and that is because of all of you! Be sure and head over to my etsy shoppe if you are still interested in purchasing some of my kits.

Today is Monday and that means, as usual, I'm inviting you on a whirlwind trip through cyberspace to see some of the yummiest things I've found lately! Here's our ride now....

Hop in....make yourself comfy....and off we go!!!



YUMMY THING ONE: My New eBay ME page!!!!! by Linda of Lola and Dahl

This is just a screenshot of the very top of the page. Isn't it adorable??????? And so ME!!!! If you have seen my past work, you'll recognize those cuppycakes and that little baking girl! ;) But that's just the tip of the iceberg....go HERE to see the whole page....I was SCREECHING with delight when I saw it for the first time last night!!!!!


ISN'T it so amazing????????????? Linda is my very dear friend and more like me than almost any other girl in the world except maybe my own sisters! She is beatiful, talented and SWEET as can be. If you haven't visited her blog, then don't waste any time! She is HILLARIOUS and such a witty writer. Leave her a comment and tell her I sent you! And if you need an eBay ME page, an etsy banner (she made mine!), a custom template for your eBay auctions or even business cards or hang-tags, Linda's the gal for you! She made all my DOLL tags for my line of clothing and is just soooo very good at everything she does. Again, tell her I sent you!!!


YUMMY THING TWO: The Belle of the Ball at Silver Bella!

ACK! Talk about confections! This is my sweet-as-can-be bloggy pal, Miss Jennifer Hayslip, who is also the talented assemblage artist behind the oh-so-very-yummy "Sweet Eye Candy Creations." She went to Silver Bella this past weekend (insert jealous sigh....) and had a BLAST. Well one of the nights the Bellas were supposed to dress up and the theme was Junque Gypsy. Here is Jenn in her prize-winning costume!!!!And here is one of the cute ornaments she took for the ornament exchange! Adorable!

Jenn, I'm coming next year!!!!


YUMMY THING THREE: Madame Fifi by Sophie Rose Designs

Isn't she a little Sweetie Tweetie? I love her so! Dara of Sophie Rose Designs is soooo kind and sooo talented. I just love her trademark sweet, feminine style. I would recognize one of her creations from a mile off!


YUMMY THING FOUR: Magic Forest Hairclip by Bukubuku

I adore this little clip. Something about it is just positively...well, magical!


YUMMY THING FIVE: 1950's Prom Dress!


If you haven't heard about the "Virtual Prom" Miss Natasha is hosting, go here and get the details! WAY TOO MUCH FUN!So now I'm on the look-out for a prom dress. Yes, you heard me! I'm going to the Vintage Prom, Baby! Look at this cutie....

Well, Sweets....that's it for tonight! The Bachelor is on tonight... ;)

I have a shoppe update coming up, probably Friday. I've got all kind of pink yumminess I've been cooking up for you. Plus, I'll be getting all the Jolie Paquet kits ready to ship, so if you bought one, you can start looking for it in your mailbox around Monday of next week!

Hugs to you, Sweets! Jeanetta, be sure and send me your mailing address and I'll pop this tussie in the mail for you!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

I'm just a blogging fool!

Good gracious, I'm turning into a tussie-mussie-making-machine!!!! :) What is it about these sweet little cone shaped confections that are so irresistable? I really like the shape, I think. I love that they look pretty empty, hanging from a doorknob, or full of candy and given as a gift. I am working on a sewing-themed one with vintage sewing supplies in it, perfect for hanging in the sewing room while we sew! I think these would be the PERFECT thing to stuff full of sweet somethings and leave on a friend's doorknob...you could ring the doorbell and then hide! ;) And gosh it's so much easier to fill up a tiny little cone to overflowing than to fill a giant gift-basket, don't you think??

And don't even get me started on how fun it is to MAKE them. I think that's one of the reasons I've been enjoying creating these so much. They are just so DOABLE! They don't take days and days. And if you have a kit to make them with pre-gathered ruffles and pre-cut trims and pre-embroidered pretties, all you really to do is glue with a glue gun! Very exciting to go from prety materials to gorgeous finished product in such a short period of time.

I thought, just for fun, I'd show you ALL the tussie mussies I've made lately! If you visit me regularly you've seen all of these before, but gosh it's fun to see them all together like this! My husband thinks we need to name them something besides tussie mussies...I think he thinks the word is a little wierd sounding?? Maybe because it rhymes with hussy? I don't know. But here's all the tussie mussies this tussie-mussie-HUSSY has made! ;)

This one is the one that someone is going to win tonight!!! I'll be posting WHO that lucky friend is tomorrow morning!And last but not least, here is my newest Tussie, available in a kit in my etsy shoppe! It's called Red Peppermint! Slurpity!!! No sewing skills necessary....everything is included for you to make this sweet confection...all you need is a glue gun and a pair of scissors. The fabric is pre-cut, the ruffle is pre-ruffled and the little yo-yo and hand-embroidered covered button have all been pre-handsewn. Stick a few candycanes inside and PRESTO! You've got a fabulous holiday gift, hostess gift or decoration for your home!

And welcome home to all the Silver Bellas! I heard it was a BLAST and I have even seen a few piccys from the weekend trickling in on the blogs and flickr! Gosh I wish I could have been there but I am already making plans to be SURE I am there next year. Nothing can stop me!
Tonight after my FAVORITE t.v. show, Desperate Housewives (I know, I know...), I will be having my sweet hubby reach into my little jar that is positively BURSTING with names of sweet friends that stopped by and commented this weekend during Joli Paquet, and pick one out! Stop by tomorrow morning to see who won the Ice Queen Tussie Mussie I showed a couple pics up and of course....YUMMIES!
Have a lovely evening, Sweets!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

A Few New Things Flying Into My Shoppe!

I've had this little creation in my mind for literally MONTHS and it finally came together and I'm so pleased with the result!

~THE LOVE NEST~

This sweet little couple are snuggling together (as love birds will do!) on a yummy pink ticking tuffet that is just a little bit too small for the two of them. But as you can see, they don't seem to mind too much... Their Love Nest is a little white wood house, complete with a "chimney" and little windows! It has a sweet pink interior, of course, as any good Love Nest WOULD. ;)
The girl half of this loving couple is wearing a tiny little tiara that was actually a charm and she wears a vintage seam binding "scarf" and rhinestone "buttons."


You can find this sweet little Love Nest in my etsy shoppe...HERE.

And there will be more new treats there in a jiffy!

Friday, November 9, 2007

The Giveaway!

Hello, Sweets! Well first I must say THANK YOU to those of you who purchased Joli Paquet kits today! I was a little bit overwhelmed, I have to say, that all of my Tussie Mussie kits SOLD OUT by this afternoon! WOW! Thank you so much! I still have a few of the Ice Queen box kits so if you are interested in this little kit, hurry on over to my etsy shoppe....



Now for the giveaway! I know it's late and you girls in the east have probably given up on me and gone to bed! But I wanted to show a piccy of what I'm giving away tonight like I promised I would....

Ice Queen Tussie Mussie
This sweet cone is a glittery confection and I will be giving it to one of YOU! I'll show you some more piccys tomorrow. Be sure and comment on this post or any of the other Joli Paquet posts here on my blog from the last couple days for a chance to win! I will pick a name at random Sunday evening and announce the winner here Monday morning. Be sure and visit the other Joli Paquet gals for a chance to win other wonderful prizes on their blogs, as well!

HUGS to you all....

Cheryl :)

Joli Paquet Kits Available Now!

***The Ice Queen***


Finally! You can now purchase The Ice Queen kit in my etsy shoppe, here. There are limited quantities of both my kits, so hurry on over if you want one!Check out this incredible German glass glitter and precious vintage millinery flowers! The glitter looks like ground diamond dust and has such a lovely vintage-looking patina. And don't even get me started on the vintage millinery flowers...they are definitely CONFECTIONS. Ice blue velvet forget-me-nots and sweet white baby roses have only gotten prettier with time. Ice Queen: it's a term that usually conjurs up visions of someone cold, cruel and not very attractive, but this little Ice Queen is anything but! She rides in her ice-sculpture swan atop a glittery "pond" that is actually the lid to a sweet little box with sweet vintage and new wintery blooms surrounding the pair.






All that's included in this kit:
~Vintage image of the Ice Queen



~Tiny paper mache box (3")



~German glass glitter



~Vintage and new artificial flowers and leaves



~Plastic swan



~Cardboard "base" for the queen to stand on that fits into the swan






All you'll need is the paint of your choice and a little brush or sponge, hot glue and scissors! What a whimsically-sweet project for the holidays to display or give as a gift. This little box is the perfect size to hold a pretty trinket or even candy.






The sweet little flocked trees and "skating pond" are not included in this kit, but I am happy to sell some if you are interested!
Also, I'll be adding these teeny "presents" to my etsy shoppe in a bit...glittery and sweet and decorated with vintage millinery flowers, the way all presents should be!!! :)



***Vintage Red Roses Tussie Mussie Kit***


(Edited: SOLD OUT!)And now this kit is available, too! You can find it HERE in my etsy shoppe!



I'm a collector of vintage Wilendur tablecloths, so when I found this gorgeous red and pink rose print, I of course fell instantly in love! I made this sweet little fabric covered cone from a piece of it and then decided I HAD to offer these as kits for you to make, as well! Don't you worry...no sewing will be necessary! Everything you need to make this sweet mussie will be included in the kit, except for a hot glue gun and glue sticks!



You will receive:
~Heavy carboard cone
~Vintage Wilendur fabric
~Pre-ruffled red-and-white polka dot fabric
~Pre-made red-and-white polka dot "yo-yo"
~Pre-embroidered red rose covered button
~Length of red-and-white polka dot ribbon "handle"
~Length of ivory satin ribbon for the bow "tail"
~Page from a vintage book for the "lining" of the inside of cone



By request I can include the red and ivory ticking you see in the background of my photos, in lieu of the red-and-white polka dots. Both look very yummy with the Wilendur roses!



And here it is in what is now my favorite style: red ticking ruffles and yo-yo, instead of the red and white polka dots! You can pick which style you prefer.



Let me know if you have any questions!!! :)