{creating myself}

are you comfortable with yourself?

For a long time, I was.

First I started to feel uncomfortable in my clothes.
They were tight.

and then I started to feel uncomfortable going out with my friends.
I felt unsexy.

and then I started to feel unhealthy.
I was eating whatever I wanted and not getting to the gym as often due to my crazy new work schedule (excuses, excuses.)

I'm generally a good eater and I exercise intuitively, meaning when I feel the need or desire, I do it.
I could blame my unmanageability on work, or stress, or any of that stuff.
But the truth is I relapsed. I lost the care and the drive to be who I know I am.

a healthy, comfortable, sexy, active woman.

I needed a jump start. So I picked up this book in Barnes&Noble and I read it. and I liked it. I read online accounts like this one and this one. and I felt inspired. So I tried it.

It's 5 weeks later and I'm down almost 12 pounds. I wish I could say that I feel a lot different, but I don't. My clothes are definitely more comfortable, and my confidence is good. But I am frustrated because I want immediate results. I keep telling myself slow weight loss is sustainable weight loss.

If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them, and if you have any tips or ideas I'd be happy to read them! :)

 

This is a "before" picture. I know it may not look like it here (these are the only recent full body shots I have), but I had 22 pounds to lose. I'm halfway there! Check out my pinterest board for more inspiration and strong, beautiful women.

every now & then.

It's not often that I find a blog that is new to me that I truly fall in love with.

but every now & then, there is a gem waiting to be found out there
that really gets me.

and by gets me I mean piques my interest, captures my attention, and has me in a haze for hours on end with a teensy bit of drool on my cheek.

and by gets me I mean understands my exact interests, desires, dreams.

I would consider it a disservice to you, dear readers, to not share such blogs with you.
Like my most recent find.

 
click here for happiness.

 

 



 
all images via cupcakes&cashmere.

I am on inspiration overload.

the progress of a painting.

 
gather supplies. sit. shuffle Incubus' greatest hits on the iPod.

 
sketch and fill in the forefront of the design.

 
 
fill in the background.

 
 
add in some details and voila!

 

 
present to your well deserving friend and
watch him choke up with graciousness.
your work is done! :)

the dap.

My friend Jen and I have a word for our favorite hobby in the world, and it's called "dap".

"Dap" can be used in many contexts.

"Let's dap." [verb]
"Hey Dap, whatcha doin today?" [noun-name]
"Check out this dap I just made!" [noun-thing]
"That pic is so dap!" [adjective]

Have you guessed what it means yet? Of course, it's scrapbooking!



scrapbooking=scrapping=dapping=dap.

You get the idea.

PS, here's a layout.






xo, amy

advice for climbing out of an inspiration rut : take a class & GIVEAWAY!

Seriously... classes are my number one way of getting my mojo flowing! You can hit up your local craft or scrapbook store and take a class there, OR you can choose from the myriad of online classes available these days! Ahh, technology.

The best online class I ever took was Summer of Love by Kara Haupt. Kara is the best scrapbooker/art journaler there is, in my humble opinion! She shares techniques, prompts, photos, and pages to get your right brain pumping. Seriously, you can't go wrong with these classes.

Her newest class, Out of the Blue, is a mini class providing several photos and prompts for get this.... $10! but waaait, there's more! Kara is offering one FREE SPOT in her class to one of my lucky readers... how kind is she?!

Leave a comment here with your favorite way to climb out of an inspiration rut and be entered to win a free spot. I will choose a random winner on Monday, March 21.



and THAT'S NOT ALL! order now and SAVE 20% off the cost of the class with the code BLOGLOVIN. Yep, this makes the cost of the class $8. EIGHT DOLLARS! I'm losin my infomercial-pickin' mind over this deal.

I'm also really looking foward to hearing your favorite ways to get inspired :)
xo, amy

advice for climbing out of an inspiration rut : copy.

I've been looking for inspiration lately in odd found places, and I really liked the shirt my little sister was wearing :)







Tip #1 for getting out of an inspiration rut... lift of recreate a pretty design. This isn't an "original" design of mine, but it helped to just get the charcoal (paint, markers, pens, whatever..) to paper and make something. Everyone gets a blank right brain at one moment in time, but it's important not to lose momentum :)

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I'll be spending the next few days sharing tips, photos, and maybe even a giveaway, all related to climbing out of an inspiration rut! You can find all related posts here.

living

This is me.

Tired, overwhelmed, surrounded by boxes. After two full weeks of packing&purging, it's finally moving weekend.
Why didn't anyone warn meeeee?

I'm trying to stay postive about this transition but in reality...
I'm tired you guys. I'm worn out. I'm sad. I don't want to leave my apartment. I love it here. It's cozy and it's home.
My mom says I could make any place feel like home. I'll keep you updated and let you know if she's right.*

and these are two things that I came across today that MUST immediately be shared.
+ the last image on this post by jamie.
+ in a blogging rut? not sure if blogging is even for you? read this post by kara. you'll thank me later.


*Derrr moms are always right.

ooooh! aahhh!!!

I can't get enough of Crate & Barrel! I walked through the other day looking for some baker's twine (all sold out, by the way) and I couldn't resist taking photos along the way, pretending like I wasmaking a gift registry.

Is there a such thing as a "I'm a recent college graduate who is single and needs cute things to furnish her apartment" shower?

And let's not forget the greatest window displays in the world... I swear Anthropologie only hires scrapbookers.

in the mood to blog.

It's been a while since I've been really motivated to sit down with a fresh cup of coffee and a blank blog post.  For some crazy reason I woke up at 8:30 am this grand Sunday morning. Maybe it was because I fell asleep when I was supposed to be getting ready to go out last night.. our bodies tell us what we need... Or maybe it was the fact that I was having a lovely dream about a cute boy who is NOT the same one who recently broke my heart.
Wow, when do those stop?
anyways.
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I'm finding myself unable to believe this story...
Snow Present in 49 of the 50 States
guess who's the only holdout?!
I'll give you a hint...

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Also the change in astrological signs shook up my world for a good long minute, but I just read this article and felt slightly better. I don't really follow any of that crapola, but I definitely fit the character description of a gemini to the T. Who just decides they are going to change 2,000 year old information? I suppose the same people who decided that we would turn our clocks ahead and back twice a year and everyone in the world should play along. told you I'm a gemini.

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Have you guys noticed that Ashley is donating 100% of her shop proceeds to Friends Like Us (helping children with cancer)? I think that's supercool.
shop here.
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una mas cosa.
All recent orders including planners and those of you who shopped my closet shipped on Friday.


loves&hugs, amy

donna's sewing bee

On Monday nights, Mom goes to a sewing class with her friends. Of course, I can't attend. It would be a long commute each Monday from Florida to NY. But this week, I got to spend my night in a supercute studio with these supercrafty ladies! Everyone worked on different projects.. check it out!


[my mom]


[my cousin Kelsey]


[Kelsey's ornaments]


[Kelsey's cupcakes. She's a real Martha!]


[cousin Lori]




[I totally want to make this!]


[busy bees]




[hand stitched by one of the ladies!]




[a peek at my project]


[me, hard at play.]







I've been wanting to make this bunting for a long while, and finally got around to it! I cut circles, probably about 2 inches in diameter, and decorated them with tiny pearls, rhinestones, and circes cut out of glitter paper. My project didn't quite fit in with the others, but that's what was fun about it!

helloooo christmas break.

From now until January 4th, I'm officially on break! If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I have big plans of doing nothing, watching bad TV, revamping my blog a little, doing some crafting, a little reading, goal planning, and more of doing nothing. Holla!

In other news, does anyone watch US of Tara? I'm not sure if it's because I'm a psychotherapist with a special interest in Dissociative Identity Disorder, or just because I have a general interest in psychology and multiple personalities, but I love it! It's funny, witty, and interesting with amazing acting. I've only seen season two, and it was fantastic. You should netflix it... I watched the whole season in one night.

I also think it's really inspired (Tara is an artist and so are some other characters), especially the graphics and the opening credits. Check it...











I've also been trying to get into Dexter, but I'm not getting the hype. How about you?

lovely evening.

Friends are away for the weekend.

Boyfriend is working all night.

Family just left after I made them a delicious eggplant parm dinner (if I do say so myself.)

and now it's my time.



Check out that "todo list" next to my laptop on the floor, full of journaling and layout ideas. And I just had to buy this pillow, you know, for butt support.
Lovely.

Tis the Season!

In the spirit of the holiday season, and the generous nature of my friend Kara, I wanted to share this amazing cause with you.

Kara put together a charity fundraiser selling postcards by six amazing artists. How pretty are these designs?

Read more about the cause here.

do you ever craft outside?

Or in public? I'm recently obsessed.
If you have a Starbucks near you with outdoor seating, I highly recommend setting up shop.
My way of shipping inspiration from my brain to yours.




thanks for the last two photos, Hollie.

do you have a life list?

I'm working on mine :)

It's a constant goal. One of those lists that lasts for pages&pages and years&years. Do you have one? I think we all do, in the back of our minds somewhere. I have two. One for art and one for the rest of my life. The one for art consists of art-related goals, things I want to create (personally and professionally), ways in which I wish to expand my business, etc. The life list is everything else.

I keep a bookmark with all of the life lists that I find online and on my friend's blogs... I thought it would be nice to share them with you. I am so inspired by people's goals, and I don't think there's anything wrong with sharing and/or copying goals. :)  Here are some people who always share great goal lists... do you have any other links for me to add?

just a titch
art=happy
dirty feet and a wide open mind
enjoy it
run with scissors
just sweet love
delight in life
ruby claire
ilovelife
elle on earth
a beautiful mess
huly seventy

And I'll share mine when it's more organized and extensive... this is consuming a lot of my thought process.


[goal one.]

Operation Granny Square update

Way back when, I hosted a little fundrasier called Operation Granny Square. You can read about it here, but basically, I collected granny squares from all over the world and donated $.50 for each square to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund (Red Cross). I received about 60 squares. It was a really great experience, and I'm still putting together the squares to form a tablerunner for my living room. (WOW! putting together granny squares is tedious.)





This is how I store them when I'm not working on them... lay all of the squares out on a long piece of muslin fabric, and roll it up tightly into a log. the finished rows are wrapped around the "log".

thoughts & more thoughts.

I'm not sure how to word this correctly, but I'm going to give it a whirl. Lately, I've been working a lot lately, on art-related projects and paintings and custom orders and such.


I've been dreaming about scrapbooking, art journaling, just-for-fun projects. I have this idea in my head of a minialbum, filled with transparencies and photos and memorabilia and canvas art paper and watercolors. I want to make magic.

For now, I do have some recent layouts that I've made! Enjoy :)



THe background is an Urban Outfitters bag :)






This is the back of the layout, which I plan on using as my next canvas. :)









The green piece is fabric that i pleated and covered in K&Co flowers and sequins. The slide is also K&Co. The Brian Andreas quote was printed from google.


XOXO

Upcoming Shows...

It's been almost a week since I've last blogged, and I don't think I've vacated this space for that long a time since The Spring Break Hangover 2009.

I've missed you.

The main reason for my absence, I suppose, is that I had a show this weekend. Which brings me to my future apology of absences, as holiday time is quickly approaching. And all my fellow crafters know... that means work.

Holiday time means craft shows. And I'm booked almost every weekend. As of right now, here is where you can find me as a vendor: (stalker alert!)

- Boca Town Center Mall
September 25 - 9am-9pm
September 26 - 12pm-6pm

- Coral Square Mall
October 2 - 9am-9pm
October 3 - 12pm-6pm

- Indie Craft Bazaar, Ft. Lauderdale
October 17
info here.

- Boynton Beach Mall
November 6 - 9am-9pm
November 7 - 12pm-6pm

I'm constantly adding events, so check back!
If you're local, I would love to meet you!



And now...
Amy's Five Great Reasons To Attend a PLC Show!
...or any craft show!!!


Five: I offer huge deals & discounts to my shoppers. This weekend I knocked 40% off all original art. Mention my blog for a free gift!




Four: I often have a ton of products you can't find on my blog or shop like these awesome agendas, bracelets, postcards, and holiday card packs!










Three: Meet some of the great people in cast of characters in my life! Here's my friend Melissa and one of my dad! Thanks for helping :)







Two: New art! I always spend hours/days/weeks creating new paintings and designs for a show (I'll share them on Etsy soon :)




ONE.... Come say hi!! I LOVE new friends, especially blog readers! Mention that you're a reader for a free gift :)



love, amy.

hello, inspiration.

Here is what I'm super inspired by right now...


+via


+via


+via


+via


+via


+via


+via

I'm working on a new line of paintings "carnival-inspired"... bright and flashy colors, graphic geometric designs, yummy food, fun rides, shining lights at night, loud music... what's inspiring you right now?

Guess what I've been doing?

scrapbooking!!!!!

Yeeeeah. That's right. The past two two nights, I've taken to my studio and made a few layouts. It's been relaxing. Fun. Creative. Heartwarming. Inspired. And it's hard to put into words, but whenever I scrapbook, it feels like going home again.


I'll photograph my layouts tonight and share them here, but for now, allow me to share some of my favorite scrapbooking inspiration with you.
These are all from my inspiration folder on my desktop... I think it's cool when I can see a layout of someone's and know exactly who made it, immediately. That's the case with all of these lovely people. :)



Kara. Kara is a dear friend, and her layouts covet a good 75% of my inspiration folder. I'm pretty sure I've bookmarked every thing she's ever made. Plus she is a freakin' frackin' sweetheart.


Jeremy seems like such a sweet guy, and has such a great eye for design. I always love what he does for The Dares.


Christina is the queen of minibooks. I love her funky style and bright mix of colors/elements.



Vee. Sprays, mists, sewing machines, great photos... need I say more?



I know I've blogged about my friend Julie before, but her scrapbooks and art journals and quilts are the most creative things in the world.




Kristi has been one of my favorite scrapbookers since the beginning of scrapbook time. You can still see some of her amazing work here.




Last but not least, the amazingly talented Mandi. Does this girl have an eye for vintage design of what?



puh puh PLEaSE link me to some of your favorite layouts or scrapbookers/art journalers!!

xoxo

I'm not sure if I'm more inspired or more busy.

Let's see.

Today will be filled with work, a funeral, helping my friend make a baby gift, a spray tan appointment, and Friday night (which usually consists of great friends and music, heels, dresses, & vodka/sodas.)

But today is also filled with a ton of inspiration.

this sentiment.

+via


this beautiful girl. WOW. is anyone else as obsessed with this show as I am?

+via


this fall trend of skinny jeans, baggy tanks, and boots.

Untitled by hil34


the new cupcake.

+via


the greatest guacamole ever. which I made.




this necklace. and the way it came packaged, to my door, within days.

from The Shabby Apple

yes, inspired.
happy friday.

something I think you might like.

I thought it would be fun to share some of my craft show photos. I always love seeing the way artists display their work at shows, especially the table set-ups.
So this is the way I set up my extravagant delight.

I adore questions and suggestions...









Some advice I have on setting up your front:

• group similar items together
• be visually inspiring
• have a small price list handy. people don't like asking for prices and may walk away from your table if they aren't sure.
  
• reflect your brand. creating a brand is equally important for your online store and your real-life store front or craft show front. When people see my table, they recognize me as bright colors, graphic lines, pretty designs, emphatic black handwriting, and always a smiling face.
  
  I hope you enjoyed these tips! Please feel free to share some of your own.

love, amy.

To*Do...

This notions holder is definitely on my project list of things to do... It's the perfect size to carry with you to sewing parties and classes, and so cute! My aunt made it and it seems fairly easy enough to replicate. Now if I could just find that scissor fabric...









backtoworkbacktoworkbacktoworkback...

24 Hour Tuesday

You guys are so wiley.. how did you know it was Kara and Mandi?!





The projects I have seen so far are fall-off-your-chair gorgeous. They should all be up later tonight!

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24 HOUR TUESDAY
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Today's special is in celebration of the new kits- use code BLOG8310 in the notes to seller and receive $2 off each kit that you purchase today only! Discount will be reflected in your Pay Pal balance same-day.

I ♥ Thrifting... KIT REVEAL!

I've been working for the past few months (okay, like 12 months) on these minialbum/scrapbooking/art journaling kits and I'm in such a great, crafty mood lately that I think it's about that time to share them. I'll share the photos, then the details, and I'll be posting samples all well of what myself and two other incredible designers have done with them :)



I ♥ Thrifting : Vintage







Included:
12- 5x7 pattterned and specialty papers
1- 5x7 self adhesive woodgrain paper
1- 5x7 plastic mesh sheet
1- large doily
1- small doily
2- vintage flowers
1- label
2- jump rings
vintage dress patterns
1- 2x8 self adhesive mesh happy tape
crocheted lace ribbon
1 packet of thrifted/vintage goodies

Click here to purchase I ♥ Thrifting : Vintage for only $18.50



I ♥ Thrifting : Retro






Included:
6- 5x7 patterned and specialty papers
1- 5x7 patterned fabric (shown in heart pattern)
1- label
1- ft of ribbon
4- carnival tickets
1- sticker sheet (shown in pandas & monsters)
buttons

Click here to purchase I ♥ Thrifting : Retro for only $8.50



These kits are a compilation of all of my favorite thrifted and vintage-style scrapbook supplies. I've been collecting goods for months. I hope you love them as much as I do!





Purchase both kits at a discounted rate of $25! Refund will be reflected same-day in your PayPal account.

The exciting news doesn't end there. I have two very, very talented designers working with these kits as we speak! I can't give away their names just yet, but I'll give you a clue... they are serious Queens of Thrifting.

More clues:




Any guesses? ;)

We started a flickr photo group for our projects... please join our group and share what you make!

The. Best. Package. Ever.

eta: this post was originally drafted on may 20th, 2010.
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I've been sad.

And lonely.

And homesick.


But on this day, I felt loved.

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A participant in a "craft swap" makes a certain amount (in this case, 30) similar crafts and mails them to the craft swap organizer (in this case, Janel.)  Here is what I made.


 
Polaroid Magnets

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The Organizer puts one of each craft in a box and ships it out to all participants, so each participant ends up with 30 different handmade crafts.

I've swapped crafts before, but I've never been so amazed and inspired by the ladies than I was this time. 
Each product was beautiful, creative, and some were even personalized. It was SO cool to see my name on some of the crafts.  I received a lot of polariods, pinks, owls, and granny squares. WOW... do you guys know me or what?!











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This package made me happy, and inspired, but it was so much more than that. This package of priceless, handmade goodies brought a feeling money that can't buy.

I can't begin to thank you enough...

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If you have time and enjoy finding new etsy shops and creative people, check out the list below:

pixies and bears
cut and paste
one artsy mama
potluck designs
no wooden spoons
michabella
paper camera scissor
krummcake
sew graciously blessed
inspired mess
smiley eyes
tjbirdonwire
hoot-n-annie
the foxy robot
that is charming
run with scissors
time after tea
whoopsie daisy
strumpets crumpets
unkamama
lunie bin
awkward unicycle
pretty simple art
arianna's universe

Somebody's Been a Crafty Fox...

+via


I made three (3!) paintings this week (two because I'm in love, one for a commission but that I have also grown to love.)  I haven't photographed them in their best capacity yet, but I'll share a couple peeks.





This is my favorite painting yet! If you haven't seen Up, you totally should.  The name of the painting is across the side, my favorite movie quote- "I hid under your porch because I love you."  It says "magic" on the front, wrapped around the pink balloon.

I'm having another art show sometime soon, but I always like to share news with my online readers first. I plan on selling this painting there,  so feel free to make an offer.

I love large paintings! yay.

Friends are like stars.. you can't always see them but you know they're always there.

Overused but beautiful- I love this quote because so many of my friends are far away but I love them more every day!

This is my friend Janel. I'm sure most of you know her, one because her blog is famous and two because I talk about her all the time. :)





Anyway, her and her husband are amazingly sweet and beautiful people, and they are saving to adopt a baby girl, who they want to name Pita...



To raise money, Janel is offering a journaling class (she's the greatest journaler of all time.)
I can't wait for the class to begin!

***

Meet my friend Lindsay.  I'm sure you know her as well! Her blog is amazing and her shop has taken the blogging world by storm.

She has created a new line of badges in her shop, and my favorite of all is the "Bringing Home Pita" badge.. all the proceeds go to Janel and Adam.

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Aren't my friends incredible?

***

I definitely want to play a little part in Bringing Home Pita. I've chosen the Home print for this very reason...



It's a 5x7 high-quality print for only $7... and all proceeds go towards Adam and Janel's adoption cause. Please support this amazing family. :)

Hello, Miss Garland.

Sometimes I feel the need to create.
But I'm tired.
I'm lazy.
I just need a short, small, no-need-to-think project.

And this garland was perfect. :)





I used a chain stitch for the "strand" and a made up pattern for the half circles, which I could probably verbalize (type?) if you're interested.

xoxo, amy

Really exciting feature...

Funky Finds is an amazing website dedicated to the sharing and selling of art and crafts of all mediums. If you love indie, art, and handmade, you will LOVE Funky Finds!

The Funky Finds blog is so inspiring and features wonderful artists and designers from all over the world, and I was lucky enough to be featured this week! Jessica's words were so sweet.. please check it out. :)

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I've updated the shop with tons of new prints recently, including the "Keep Calm" series! I know you've been looking for a new 8x10 print to dress up that inspo wire... :)






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Don't forget to check out my upcoming Etsy Workshop and add yourself to my newsletter. Lots of big happenins' around here.

xoxo, amy