Creative Chaos

I don't call this blog Creative CHAOS for nothing........

Nope. No siree......If I can't find the chaos, it comes looking for me!

Now....I know many of you think that I really did run away with Count Chocula.  And, frankly, that wouldn't be so far off the mark if Target would actually carry the cereal. They didn't this year and I'm going through serious withdraw. 

Actually, the truth is that I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  I just found out last Thursday after 6 looooong days of waiting.   Note to self: do not get a biopsy on a Friday at 3:30pm.  Like my best friend Gail said, I couldn't have waited longer if I would have gone in and requested the longest wait  myself.   "um, yes, I would love the appointment that would give me the absolute maximum heart wrenching wait time.......Friday at closing time? Perfect! I'll take it!"   Seriously, my wait time could only be surpassed by an appointment on Christmas Eve at 5:00pm during the annual office ski retreat.     

So, now, I realize I am offically part of a statistic.  And, unlike my usual disorganized self, I managed to do this during breast cancer awareness month.  I've never noticed more pink ribbons in my life than the 6 day wait for results.  There was one on my milk carton and everytime I opened the refrigerator door I was reminded that I could very well be the 1 of 8. 

One of the people I have to thank for my even getting to my annual mammogram is Melissa Francis.  I don't know if you remember, but I had taken a class when she was in town at Paper Tales.  She is a breast cancer survivor herself and did a whole talk on it before getting started.  So I carried that little voice in my head until I finally made my year and a half late appointment.  Thank you Melissa.   

My surgery is scheduled for Nov 7th and I will be doing chemo after that.  I will be around popping in out when I can........ and in usual Chaos fashion trying to find the funny in my life.  I'm actually trying to get as much done for the North Park Mafia Craft fair as I can while I'm feeling good.   It keeps my mind busy .....plus..... I paid good $$ for that damn table.  I don't care if I have to send Cosme out to hawk my Christmas snowflakes......it's going to happen! 

Also, thank you to all that have sent emails to me wondering where I've been.  It means alot to me.  So, although I wish I could say I ran off with the Count  during a mid life chocolate crisis..... I will be back to crazy crafting chaos in no time......Talk to you soon!  Karin

In case you missed the details of my lurid affair last year.......

I have a confession to make.....

There's another man in my life.  He's sweet, yummy and a bit of a bad boy.  It's a once a year fling.... as he is only in town on business for a month.  He arrives at the beginning of October and is on the road by November.  It is literally short and "very" sweet.   By the way, there is no need to wonder....my husband knows all about him.  He tolerates him because he knows he will be leaving town after a short stint, and therefore, puts up with my indiscretion and bad judgment.  The kids adore him and wish he could stay all year long.....but, alas, it's not to be. He leaves as quickly as he arrives.  I feel like a kid again when I'm with him.   Would you like to meet him?  Now remember.....what he lacks in good looks, he by far makes up for it with his exquisite taste............

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I love October and all that it brings......

There's another man in my life.  He's sweet, yummy and a bit of a bad boy.  It's a once a year fling.... as he is only in town on business for a month.  He arrives at the beginning of October and is on the road by November.  It is literally short and "very" sweet.   By the way, there is no need to wonder....my husband knows all about him.  He tolerates him because he knows he will be leaving town after a short stint, and therefore, puts up with my indiscretion and bad judgment.  The kids adore him and wish he could stay all year long.....but, alas, it's not to be. He leaves as quickly as he arrives.  I feel like a kid again when I'm with him.   Would you like to meet him?  Now remember.....what he lacks in good looks, he by far makes up for it with his exquisite taste............

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I love October and all that it brings......

Some Halloween Snippets.........

   

I keep forgetting that Halloween is still three weeks away.  After my declaration in the last post, I feel like I should be buying a Thanksgiving turkey for this Thursday.  But, alas, I still have Halloween things to do.  I first have to show you the piece of art I bought from Donna at Under the Red Roof. 

 

LOVE this.  My photoraphy skills do not do it justice. However, you can still see the details and the beauty of this piece.  Thank you so much Donna!! 

 

So we've been doing some other fun halloween kid stuff around here.......

 

Constructing scary haunted houses were one of them.  I'm not sure what was scarier......the look of them, or the fact that my kids were happy eating candy that was over a year old.  I got the houses last year in an after-hallowen sale for $3 bucks apiece.

 

As you can see from Carlos' face the black frosting was delectible......

 

I helped Andres a bit with his design. However, the "layered" roof construction was all his.  I told him there was no way it would pass inspection for the building permit....He didn't care.

 

Carlos design was well thought out, yet sparse due to the eating of his construction materials.

   

In the end the houses were completed and put on display........An elephant even stopped by to check out the craftsmanship......

 

After all that work we rewarded ourselves with some mexican hot chocolate in friendly ghost mugs.....

Talk to you soon!  Karin

Pink Saturday.......

 
1. Gerbera Daisies, 2. 1 Year Blogiversary Cake, 3. Flower frame, 4. Gift Tag Mania......, 5. best friend, 6. Winter Bella Bingo Project....., 7. Altered Notebook, 8. Ornament Swap Cone, 9. Friendship Tag

Just a few of my pink creations......

I am Done, Done, Done.......

 

with Halloween crafting. Done I say. Other than the creations that I'm sending to friends and family, I'm done. I know....I know.... I've already said that. But this time, I'm serious.  I even packed up my papers, ribbons and pom poms. I set them aside so I can get started with Christmas.

I finished up some swap items and half-done projects.....Like this little tin.

 

I was so happy with it until the unfortunate glue glun incident....

 

When I was hot gluing the tinsel around the can, some dropped glue on the crepe paper and tore it.... Luckily, it happened in the back.

Here are some swap items I sent out.....

 

and this..... 

I just love this stamp I got at Paper Tales......

I hope she likes it!

So in other "I'm such a loser mom but I can't help that I'm so tired at night that I tend to forget things" news.   The Tooth Fairy finally arrived at our house last night. Oh yes....you read correctly.  Last night.  Seriously.  On Sunday, after we went up to the mountains for a hike, Carlos says to me...."Since I pretty much kinda figured that the Tooth Fairy isn't going to come, I'm going to sell my pottery out front for some money."   So, two things come to my mind.....First, "How much does this kid think he's getting from the Tooth Fairy. I mean, historically speaking, it's only been about a dollar's worth of quarters."  Secondly, "OMG, I have forced my child to sell his belongs out in the street because our Tooth Fairy has memory rention issues. And, gets very tired at night." 

So here he is...playing the harmonica in order to "woo" the customers in......

I love this kid!  After about 15 minutes of slow shopping traffic, I told him it's just the retail economy hitting the skids.... and, then, Cosme bought the cup and saucer for $10. 

So, as it turns out, I'm talking to Cosme last night, telling him to not let me fall asleep under any circumstances what so ever, until I put money under his pillow when he informs me that he put $2 under there last night. What?!?  He goes on to say...."I did it when after you fell asleep."  Ugg. 

So I snuck back into Carlos' bedroom take the previous $2 out from under his pillow.....add another to $2 to it..... and place it on the nightstand for him to find in the morning.  And, then hope and pray that it was the last tooth to fall out.  I can't take this kind of pressure anymore....

 

I just got the new Somerset Life.  It's a beautiful issue.  I just love the cover!

Mary from Oh Merci has the cutest little bag in there....

 

And, I LOVE these pages from Julie Collings.....

 

 

She has the whole journal on herflickr site....I love the simplicity of the pages....Yet, they are so artistically created they just sing to you.  I could just stare at them all day long.......

Well, that's it for now.....Talk to you soon! Karin

Pink Saturday......

 

1. shabby cupcake ornament, 2. Hand beaded flower accent, 3. Altered Bath Jar, 4. Sweet Tiny Ice Skater Pink Plum Fairy Ballerina Box, 5. Vintage-style Pink & Glitter Garland, 6. Handmade Glitter, 7. Pink Acorns, 8. rosanna's crown 7, 9. Pink Glitter Posy Pocket, 10. Vintage Collage, 11. Antique glitter station!, 12. ATC's

Yay!!!! I FINALLY figured out how to include the credits to the pictures in my post!!! Woo Hoo!!  All of a sudden I feel like a Web Designer!

Enjoy!

The Tooth Fairy is so Lame.......

My mornings usually start the same way.  After my husband gets up in the morning, two little children migrate down the hall from their room into ours to snuggle with me before having to officially start the day.  Here is the conversation that happened while I was still feigning sleep:    

Carlos: I almost forgot.....Andres...you wanna come with me to see what the tooth fairy left for my tooth?

Andres:  Awight. (Always up for a good adventure at 6:00 in the morning.)

Me (thinking to myself) Holy crap! I totally forgot to leave him something last night. Please let there be a real tooth fairy who actually left something. Maybe a bunch of change fell out of Cosme's pocket when he tucked them in....Anything...I'm begging for anything here...... Arrrrggg....

I could the hear them down the hall trying to figure out how the tooth fairy could have possibly forgotten him. Much chit chat went back and forth. Andres, of course, offered no good explanation for the absence of cold hard cash, lost interest in the whole ordeal and then decided to play with his trains.

Carlos, on the other hand, came back to me demanding answers.

Carlos:  Mommy.... why didn't the tooth fairy leave me anything.

Me: Well. I don't know. I heard this is her busy time of the year.  (thinking to myself that I also heard she fell asleep in front of the tv last night while watching Dr. 90210 and VH1' 100 greatest Hip Hop songs)

Carlos: But I left it there on the table to make it easy on her.

Me: (thinking...poor kid could have left the change in my hand and it still wouldn't have mattered) I know but remember this happened before. She was really busy and forgot.....

Carlos: No...she never forgot before.

Me: (thinking to myself, once again....damn.... that was "Santa" who forgot to fill the stocking....)  Oh. 

I can only hope that the Tooth Fairy can make it through Vh1's Best of Hip Hop tonight. It's #20 through #1 so it should keep "her" on the edge of her seat until he falls asleep. 

  

I doubt it it though..... And, I don't think he will buy that she's that busy.  It is her job after all......

 

She's so lame.

Not really feeling the fall........

It has been so hot here.  It reached 100 degrees in the inland areas.  Ack.  Poor Carlos has been waiting forever for October 1st to arrive.  It's our official "Halloween Unveiling" day. Well, mom was not getting up in a 500 degree oven of an attic to bring down tombstones and skeletons.  Poor guy was crushed, but fortunately he understood.....kind of.  Plus, given unlimited free time on the computer as a consolation helped.

 

So in working with my "Queen of Treats" theme a made this Halloween cone.  I did another one, but gave it away as a gift.  I could have sworn I took a picture of it...but I can't find it anywhere on my computer.  It was really cute too.  I made it with vintage wallpaper and tinsel. Hmmmmm....I may need to steal it back from Amy to get some pics....

 

I put another couple kits on my etsy.  These are more "glitterfied" (I made that up) I put some extra glitter hearts and stars in there, plus I put glitter on some of the pictures.

 

Just a short sweet post today.  Carlos is home sick with a sore throat and I'm not feeling so hot myself.  I'm going to poke around a little bit more on the computer and then maybe lay down and watch last night's episode of Project Runway......Talk to you soon!  Karin