Creative Chaos

Happy Easter.......And, We Have a Winner.....

So much to post.....so little time!  I'm trying to get this in before we leave to Easter dinner.  We are going to my best friend's house to have ham, pierogies and kielbasa.  A typical Polish Easter dinner shared with her family and mine.  Then we will be swimming and lounging in her pool. A typical San Diego Easter afternoon shared with a bunch of happy splashing kids....... I finally got to do some Easter craftin' as witnessed in the above picture.  It was totally inspired by Theresa from Bellatoria E-zine.  I had so much fun with it that the next night I did a bunch for little gifts for my best friends, aunt, mom and best friend's mom.

So are you ready?!?!?  Unfortunately, we had some issues over here at Chaos Industries picking the winners.  The CEO of Tomfoolery claimed that he was on "Spring Break" and was too busy eating Easter candy to pick any names out of the hat. So, it was left up to me to pick names out of an Easter bonnet. I then realized that I didn't have an Easter Bonnet, and, frankly, was too lazy to cut all the names out. So I did the only thing I could think of..... I held the chocolate Easter Bunnies and jelly beans hostage while the co-CEO shouted numbers out........

And so here we have it!!!!  I have the numbers......You have your winners..... and all children now have their chocolate bunnies back in hand....... (I'm cracking up at the sequence of numbers picked.  See if you can tell the pattern.)

The winner of the first pair of earrings is........

#10 ....cute giveaway :-) love the way you displayed the earrings too! :-)
xo britt :-)

Posted by: britt-sparkledvintagecharm | March 12, 2008 at 02:56 PM

The winner of the second pair of earrings is.....

#11....ohhh I'm still dragging from forgetting to set my clock ahead sunday night but those earrings could perk me up...lovely!

Suze

Posted by: Suze | March 12, 2008 at 03:27 PM

And the winners of a gift tag set is.......

#20.... So glad that someone else lives the same life I do :) I especially love crazy sock day and wish I'd have thought of that !
Your earings are beautiful ! and anyone would be proud to wear them.
Happy Easter !

Posted by: Jill | March 12, 2008 at 09:50 PM

#30.... Karin, your blog is always funny! Hope you're better soon!

Posted by: Tammy | March 13, 2008 at 08:55 AM

#40 ....Hey! That's my day. Well, change socks to the special tights my DD must have on occasion or she will not be able to dance. And mac&cheese - yeah! Unless, you're my older DD, and then it has to the box of white cheddar mac&cheese. My younger DD - frozen wheel mac&cheese please. It's a wonder we have any time to blog, much less create & clean lol!!

Posted by: Kelley | March 14, 2008 at 02:59 PM

#50.... We are showing a few signs of Spring here in Ok this weekend--my Forsythia sports a few bright yellow blossoms and the Azaleas are waiting in the wings with bright red buds on the branches, so your Spring Give-away is right on time! Love your blog and get better soon!

Posted by: Susan | March 15, 2008 at 06:05 AM

#60.... I just love the tags - they are so beautiful! Glad to see you are on the road to recovery!

Posted by: Bethanie | March 21, 2008 at 07:54 PM

So then after we were done picking numbers, Carlos says to me...."are there people who don't win?"....to which I replied,  "yes".... He then says..."That's not fair. I want to give everyone a prize.  Then they won't be sad.".....I told him he could pick 3 more numbers....he said 20....I said 3....he said 20.....I said 3.....he said ok.....

Here are the 3 extra numbers....(again, see if you can sense a pattern) 

#1........I empathize with the weariness. Daylight savings time has added to the general exhaustion. Hope you're feeling energized soon. I'm in the gold group for the Hippety Hop Swap, so I'm hoping to win some of your pretty earring this way! - Amy Bauer

Posted by: sadie527 | March 12, 2008 at 12:04 PM

#2........This whole spring forward thing doesn't work for me either. I appreciate the longer lasting daylight but the morning darkness and the exhaustion from just losing one lousy hour is crazy!
Karla

Posted by: Karla | March 12, 2008 at 12:24 PM

#3........ Karin, great idea for a giveaway.It seems to take forever to get over the tiredness of these bugs everyone is picking up.Trouble is Moms still have to keep up with their 'stuff' while they are sick and that makes it harder to recover.
Take care.
Alison

Posted by: Alison Gibbs | March 12, 2008 at 12:42 PM

I hope everyone has a great Easter!  I will be leaving on Monday morning to go up in Los Angeles to visit my friend Gail until Thursday. So I won't get anything mailed until the next week.  Until then, I will be lounging on the couch gabbing with my friend Gail simultaneously catching up on Tivo'd trash tv while our children think they have died and gone to heaven playing endlessly on the computer......See you then!! Karin

Grab a cup of coffee and plan on staying for awhile......

because I have a boat load of pictures to show you. Talk about "Spring into Action"!  I feel like I've been propelled into action........ But first I want to thank everyone who stopped by and left such nice comments and emails about my blog, earrings and Etsy.  The blog and Etsy has been so neglected lately since I've been sick. I'm working on some stuff for etsy so hopefully it will be stocked soon.

I think I've emailed everyone back about the Spring into Action giveaway.  I'm going to do the drawing on Saturday.  So make sure to come back then!

Ok.....do you have your cup of coffee?  Because I've got everything from Hippity Hop Swap..... to stuff I've been working on..... to crazy dad picking up kids from school to pictures of blooms in my yard.  So let's get started......

First...... "Crazy Dad Picking Up Kids From School"......

So much fun to be had on a bicycle.  We live about a mile and a half from the school. So occasionally when he has the day off he will pick the kids up from school on the modified tandem.  They love it....but then again what's not to love.  I drove home if your wondering.

Next.... "Hippity Hop Swap".....First I need to tell you that there were over 50 women in this swap.  It was a undertaking of gargantuan proportions. #1... Heather Bluhm is still alive and somewhat sane after this whole thing was over.  Which I can can tell you would not be the case had it been me running the thing.  #2...No one dropped out of the swap!  Isn't that amazing!! Everything got to where it was supposed to across the country....Wow....

Day 1....Holly from HollyDoodles...... As per usual, so beautiful, soft and sweet.  The nest is surrounded by vintage millinery, ribbons and velvet leaves.  I just love it Holly!!!

Day 2... Martha Brown.... This super cute pin made from a variety of beautiful fabric came in the cute little pouch shown. Even the number is a little piece of art..... Thank you SO much Martha!!

Day 3....Shoshanah of Hannah Grey....made a tiny little bunny egg covered in glitter and a beautiful blown glass bird ornament! Just adorable!!! I have the bird hanging in my studio..... Thanks so much Shoshanah!!!

Day 4..... Jeanne from Dream..Create..Inspire made this beautiful fabric collage that is currently hanging in my studio....so beautiful!  Thanks so much Jeanne!!

Day 5....Heather from Bluhm Studios...the cutest little collage of chicks in a basket....So sweet and adorable!  Thanks so much Heather!!

Day 7....Donna from Under the Red Roof.....This amazing collage.  It is just stunning....Love it Donna!!! Oh. also look at the packaging....it's like a piece of art in itself....

Day 9....Jenny from Everyday's a Holiday.....Love it!! So adorable and soooo Jenny!! I tried my best not to rip the packaging while I was oping it because the dots are all handpainted.  Thanks you so much!!

I still have days 9-12 to do from Beth Quinn, Debra Schoch, Heather of Pretty Petals and Cerri from Little Pink Studio...woo hoo.....so stayed tuned for more Hippity Hop Swap!!!

So I'm finally feeling better.  I sat down with just a little project and got some more done than I thought I would.  I was making some little gift tags for the giveaway and went a little gift tag crazy.....

I even started a crown. It's a work in progress. But I like it so far.....

This is a collage I did last year for a swap....But since it's spring I thought I would dust the cobwebs off of it and show it again.....

Look who made a bracelet......

Here are some pictures of flowers in my yard....I can't wait to get out there Saturday and do some work.... See you on Saturday for the giveaway!

You have no idea how many titles this post had.....

within a span of five minutes......

First it was "Don't Hate Me Because I Live in San Diego"......then it was "Holy Crap! I Just Lost All the Pictures I Took Yesterday When I Tried to Download Them. I Hate My Computer!" ..... then it was "Lady Luck is in the House!  I Just Recovered Them!  So Now You Can Hate Me Again!".......

Phew!  That was a close one.  When the pictures didn't come up I felt like a piece of history was erased.  But here they are.  And this is what we did all day yesterday.......

 

So all my midwestern friends, family and readers can all feel free to hate me right now as we spent the day at the beach.  Although it wasn't exactly hot (it was probably somewhere in the range of 60 degrees with a chilly wind) it was warm enough to feel like summer is on its way.  The water was COLD though.  But that didn't stop some people from going in.....or slipping in as the case was for Carlos.  Poor guy was trying to build a dam and then slipped and fell into the puddle of water.  But, as all kids do, he managed to recover nicely and didn't seem to mind wearing wet jeans for the remainder of the day.

Andres preferred to stay dry and play with James in the sand......

And, cavort with the local squirrels who were looking for a snack.....

 

Yes, that is a woman in a bikini.  I intentionally cropped that in.......

So much work to be done on the beach....so little time......

So on Saturday I did some "Spring Cleaning" at the Chaos household by tackling my extensive flower collection.  Back in the day when I used to design and manufacture picture frames, I managed to build up quite a stash of flowers.   They have been stored away in my garage/once my studio collecting dust.  I decided that this was the day I was going to clean and organize all the flowers.  While the kids were playing in the backyard, I took out almost all the boxes and went through all of them.  I got inspired with some new ideas for them as well as decided that I will sell a bunch also.

Here's a small portion of my flowers looking all organized in their nice clean boxes.

ooohhhh Look!  A valentine for my 2009 Collection! 

Oh alright.  It's from the 2008 Collection that never happened.  Whatever.

Talk to you soon!  Karin

It's time for a Spring Giveaway......

because there just doesn't seem time for anything else.  For example this post was to be written over the weekend.  I feel as though I'm still catching up from being sick.  The main problem is the exhaustion that comes at the end of the day.  I feel like I can take on the day upon waking up.  And then around 3:00 I'm so tired I could crawl in bed.

Here's how my day usually goes since being sick:

7:00: Wake-up.  Plan the day.....I'm going to write that super witty blog post containing tons of pictures of crafty goodness I create throughout the day while simultaneously entertaining my children with fun and wholesome activities inspiring warm memories for when they are adults...... Clean bathroom and possibly paint sink cupboard.....go grocery shopping for delectable recipe for dinner that will garner applause from thankful family......do ten foot pile of laundry so son does not have to wear mismatched socks to school......hope and pray said son doesn't realize that's it's not "crazy sock day" like mommy promised while she puts on one white and one black sock on said son's feet........learn spanish.......write heartfelt responses to all blog friends who have commented and emailed me, profusing my undying gratitude that they still come by and read my boring blog........start the boys' creative and inspiring journal .......unload dishwasher........

10:00: Cross off half of the items on the list.....

11:00: Cross off other half.......

12:00: Decide that wholesome activities are highly overrated and not enough attention is given to how Thomas the Train videos can save one's sanity.....

1:00: Conclude trip to the grocery store unneccesary as macaroni and cheese will get wild applause and tears of joy from children......

2:00:  Wonder if "crazy sock day" will go over again tomorrow......

3:00:  Hear voices from the pillow in the bedroom calling my name.....

5:00:  Start countdown to bed time......

6:00: Wonder if anyone would notice if I set the clocks ahead another hour.....

8:00:  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...............

So I decided in order to perk things up a bit here at the Chaos Blog I would do a "Spring into Action" giveaway......

I'm going to giveaway two pairs of earrings and some gifts tags that I made extra for the Hippity Hop Swap. 

 

I really had fun doing the earrings for the swap and did a couple extra pairs. Just leave a comment on this post and spread the word....the more the merrier. I think I'll pick the names on the first day of Spring.  Hopefully this will "spring" me into action..........Talk to you soon! Karin   

Oh boy....no one told me that there are Real Housewives in New York too!!!

And, WOW....can I totally and completely relate to their lives!!!! It's uncanny.  It's as if they took my life and filmed it. Well, sort of....well, kind of.....well, not at all......

Disclaimer:  The next paragraph is for all my reality show loving friends out there. I talk about crafts lower in the blog post! .......Well it looks like those wacky producers over at Bravo drove the crazy bus straight from the gated community over in Orange County to the Big Apple and gathered themselves up another batch of nut job women who would love for us to believe that we are extremely envious of their life....and style...and class and whatever else they seem to think they possess.  Although, apparently there IS one thing money can't buy........and that is the proper use of the English language.  One of the gals who was extolling the virtues of a young face and body said "if you work at it, you can appear younger than your cronical age."  I swear I rewound it three times to make sure that's what she really said.  Also, cracks me up that her 12  year old daughter is the most mature member of the entire cast......

Anyway...... on to crafting and the "Hippity Hop Swap" that I renamed to the "Just in the Nick of Time Swap"

I had big plans....Big Plans for this swap.  I got off to a great start.....and then got sick.  An entire week that I was supposed to be working on and finishing up my project came to a crashing and sniffling halt.  So I had to rework my entire blueprint so that I could get these things out the door. 

There was NO WAY I was going to be the one who is responsible for bring the entire Hippity Hop Swap to its knees.  Everyone would blame me......blog post sullying my name would crop up everywhere....Heather would bar me and my children from all future swaps......I would have to go underground and create a whole new blog persona just to participate in swaps again..... So I thought it would just be easier for me and everyone involved to just do earrings.  I know that it isn't anything remotely related to Easter, but I did try to use "Springy" colors.  And, Heather's pair has a rose quartz bead that's shaped like an egg......so there.

I used Swarovski crystal and sterling silver for all the earrings.   I really, really had fun doing this.  I have tons of beading and jewelry stuff that I had set aside to to paper crafting.   So it was really fun to pull out all my findings and pliers.   I hope everyone likes their earrings!!

Here they are before I sent them out the door.....

 

Also, here's a little fun thing that I did for my Grandma.  I used one of those acrylic photo holders and did sort of a pseudo scrapbook page with it.   It's so easy...and such a great way to present pictures.

Talk to you soon!  Karin

The Flu Kicked my Ass.........

And how I survived to tell about it....  OMG....Last time I left you all, I was complaining of a few sniffles and coughs, making fun of those crazy kids we call weather people over here and showing off chicken soup garnishes.   Honestly, it was as if I was hit by a truck. 

Here....Let me illustrate....

One minute....

The next....

You think I exaggerate...but I don't.  It all started as a normal Tuesday morning. While my mom was watching Andres, and Carlos was at school, I was filling out an application for the San Diego School district so that I could start subbing.  All of a sudden, somewhere between "where can we reach you in an emergency and what special skills do you have," an Arctic wind measuring 21 degrees below 0 blew through San Diego and right into my office.  All of a sudden I was freezing and shivering and hit with a wave of exhaustion that I haven't felt since both my kids were infants and prone to midnight feeds.  I stumbled over to the couch where I lay down my 30 pound head and hope that the three blankets I just threw on top of me can warm me up.  I then realized that I still had to pick up Carlos in about 45 minutes so I stumbled back over to the phone, called my best friend and secured his ride home.   I lay back on the couch awaiting his arrival and wondering if it was snowing outside because it was so cold in the house.   He finally arrived home and stormed through the door armed with graphs, charts and depositions as to why he should be able to play on the computer today even though he got a warning at school.  Despite his being welcomed at the door by a mom wrapped in a multitude of blankets and mumbling incoherently, he was completely oblivious to my deteriorating plight. The conversation went like this:

Carlos:  Mommy.  I got one warning but it wasn't my fault. But I still got four stars but......

Me:  Carlos. Go on the computer or watch cartoons.....

Carlos:  But Mommy...it wasn't my fault it was Juniper she wouldn't let me open my book and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.....

Me: I don't care. Go on the computer or go watch tv.....

Carlos: But let me show you what happened she took my book blah blah blah......

Me: (thinking little does he know he could be telling me he was expelled and I wouldn't care) GO PLAY ON THE COMPUTER......I'm going to lay down.....

Carlos: (Incredulous that life could take such a quick turn on easy street for him) says "OK"

I then go lay down in bed and don't get up for approximately another 30 hours.....

So there you have it.   This is where I've been since last Tuesday at exactly 1:10 pm.  I know a lot of you have been hit by this....but geez oh man....the way it just hits you is something else. Has that happened to anyone else?   

I finally crawled out of bed to the couch on Thursday and spent the whole day there, as well as Friday, watching tv.  Finally a started feeling human on Saturday.

I now have to catch up on reality and life as it was left last Tuesday......I'll catch up with everyone later! Karin