Creative Chaos

Coming to an infomercial near you.......

 
Me.   It's been a whirlwind couple of months. Between kindergartner lunch room capers,  lice management and control,  washing endless amounts of laundry and filming an infomercial, it's a miracle I have time to type this.  However, I had to tell you about this fun little adventure that Denise, Gail and I did back in January. I talked about it briefly HERE.  But I was under strict orders to keep my big, blabbering mouth and blog closed until further notice.  Well, guess what!?  Further notice came knocking at the door today!  So anyway, back in December, my friend Kelly, who I met during "CHA Stalkfest 2010: Meeting Carol Duvall," asked if I wanted to do a video for Xyron's Creatopia.  As Carol Duvall's longtime producer, she was apparently unfazed by my lunatic actions a year ago. Not only did she think I would be a good fit, but trusted me to ask some friends to participate also.  Yay! 

I pulled up this video that gives you a pretty good run down on what it does.  I'll do another post to show you some of the projects that I did.  I had never used a machine like this before so it was quite a learning experience.  Luckily it was easy to use so my learning curve was pretty good.

  So here are my friends that I pulled along for the ride Gail and Denise.......

   

Here's the schedule.......

    

It was a blast.  Food flowed from craft services like a river after the big storm.  I was in heaven.   We started off with breakfast...had mid-day snacks like homemade tacos and brie cheese platters....a full course lunch....and, if that wasn't enough, the day ended with three-cheese grilled cheese and homemade brownies.  There's a tear in my eye just thinking back on it.....

We were also collectively known to the production staff as the "Crafty Ladies."   As in "we need the crafty ladies on set"......"crafty ladies in 5 minutes at their chairs"...."please tell that grilled cheese eating crafty lady to put down her brownie and get back to work...."  

It was so much fun being a crafty lady.

 

 

 

There's Beth Dreyer Kingston.  She's the spokesperson for Xyron and an all around fun gal....

 

Loren Chase was the host of the show along with Beth.  Super nice and so much fun to work with......

 

Here are all the things that Denise made.  She is so amazingly talented.  She blew them out of the water with her creations.....
 

 

 Ok...time for dinner with my boys.  I'll talk to you soon!  Karin

Some inspiration.......

Source: stylemepretty.com via Karin on Pinterest

 

I love this. All the creamy whites.  Found it on Pinterest along with this......

Source: sweetpaul.typepad.com via Karin on Pinterest

 

I adore the color combination in the picture above.  And it looks like the "flower" on top is made with cupcake liners.  So much inspiration out in blogland.  Ok...gotta run....talk to you soon!  Karin

 

All in a Day at Paper Tales.......

 

I love when there is a ton of new stuff to look at when I go into work.  We got in the new Melissa Frances.....

 

I already have big plans for this......
 

And this....

 

Oh, and this too.....

 

A surprise visitor....Amy Tan of Amy Tangerine showing us her layout in one of our magazines. She was visiting San Diego and decided to pop into Paper Tales.   We're so glad she did.....She is  super nice and fun.....it was so great to get to meet her! 

 
 

A paper mache bunny who walked twenty miles to bring this cone to the store......love him.....

 

These vintage reproduction Easter boxes that I thought were real vintage.  I thought Diane had gotten them at one of her estate sale shopping trips.  Had Julie not told me they were 21st century, I would have shown up twenty years from now at the Antique Roadshow looking for my big payout....... 

 
 

Some more Easter decor......

 

Which reminds me...I haven't done one crafty thing for Easter this year......

 

Helle behind the register mugging it up for the camera.....
 
 

She was working on a scrapbook layout with a friend of hers.....

 

Julie Haymaker Thompson is coming to teach two classes on August 5 & 6th.   Here is one of the projects.  I couldn't get a good shot of the other one so I will have to get it later.....

 
All new Girl's Paperie came in......

 

 

 

Love it. 

 

Well, that's it for now.  I'm settling in with a bowl of chili and two boys who want to play some games.  I'll talk to you later!  Karin 

Here's an illustration of the $83.00 lunch tab saga......

 

sigh....

As it turned out it was him all along. 

All. Along. 

So, not only do I owe the lunchroom a grand total of $83.00 for various plates of pizza, hamburgers and the ever popular cheese sticks, but I feel like the biggest idiot that ever an idiot was for defending him to the end. 

$83.00

Even Cosme wasn't buying his story 100%.  He suggested that maybe, just maybe, he was indeed getting in the line and grabbing a hamburger....or two.  Of course, my response was "absolutely, positively not.  There is no way he was doing it.  No way."  Besides, he knew how much love and effort I put into his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.....not to mention his little bag of carrots.  I refused to believe that he would toss that all aside for a mozzarella cheese stick.  No matter how tasty.

Ok, here's the story.  As you know, in Part 1 of ......."There's No Way My Kid Ate $83 Worth of Pizza" and Other Misconceptions of the Kindergarten Years,  I was under the impression that my innocent little angel was exonerated due to a highly publicized case of mistaken identity.   After all, we had a thorough and effective perp line up, we got sworn statements from his friends, associates and the lunch lady, and we even brought in the same lie detector official that Maury Povich uses.  It was a solid open and shut case.   And, once I got the ID clearance from Lunch Lady A, I walked away without looking back.  

Until I got another call from the school district.  What the....I oughta....uggg...I hate bureaucracy.....

Well, it turns out the only bureaucracy I was dealing with was a 6 year old kindergartner holding a tray full of pizza.   When I went into the school to complain about there being "some sort of horrible mistake"  and "there has to be some other kid eating on my tab," it turns out, according to the head lunch lady, that it was indeed him.  She even went into the classroom to point him out. 

Seriously. 

So after grilling him some more when he got home, it appears that he would eat his lunch at snack time and then just waltz into the lunch room to get his second course.   Sigh.  

It's going to be a long twelve years...... :0)

Talk to you later! Karin

So many things to discuss.......

 

I finally finished the cover of my Mother book that I'm teaching for Paper Tales.  It was driving me nuts.  But thanks to Randi, I got it done.  Here's the current state of affairs on my desk.....

 

It's a wonder I got anything done due to the fact that I'm dealing with a 2nd round of lice. Uggggg.....This time screw the all natural route. Last week I was saying I don't want to put pesticides in my children's hair....blah, blah, blah......

 

Ha...Forget natural schmatual........I put a termite tent on their head.  That should do it. 

 

Since I know you didn't come to this blog to discuss childhood bug problems, here are some more pictures of the book.....

 

 

 

So, can we talk about that show Extreme Couponing?! I was watching it last night as I was bandaging my lymph arm.   Holy mother of preparing for a nuclear war......The only thing separating that show from Hoarding is the precise organization of their "stockpile."    Wow....so many issues...so little time.   But I do have to ask.....exactly, why does the early bird needs 35 bottles of Maalox?....or 100 toothbrushes....or 75 boxes of Cap'n Crunch.....Ok, granted, I can see the reason for the Cap'n Crunch; but the other stuff....wow...

 

Ok, in other news.....

 
I started a Facebook page for Creative Chaos Studios.   Why?  I'm not quite sure.  It did occur to me that it would be a good way to put all my art & craft stuff in one spot so I don't bombard everyone on my regular page.  Right now as we speak, there are 27 people waiting for me to bring them margaritas, appletinis and fun little appetizers. I promised a fun party if they became a fan. I think they are starting to get restless and leave..... 

Will you be my fan?   Just think of the children........

 
 

Oh. Speaking of children.  There finally was a resolution to the $83.00 lunchroom bill.  Let's just say this......See that cute innocent face above.  Well, he's capable of, as Sir Topham Hat likes to say, "Confusion and Delay."   I'll have the whole story for you soon.....it's a real "who dunit" with enough twist and turns to make Stephan King look like a nursery rhyme author.   Sigh.....

I'll talk to you soon!  Karin  

Someone is growing up fast.....

 

And I'm just running to keep up..... 

I'm officially obsessed.....

 

I forgot to post these yesterday.....

I could spend the whole day looking at miniature food.....

 

But, I can't.  Because there is a little boy who is going to learn how to ride a two wheeler today.   If you have the time, you can take a look at all the holidays done up in miniature.  See. I told you. I'm obsessed.......  

Talk to you soon!  Karin

 

 

More Pinterest......slice of cake anyone?

 

1. Lemon Cake - Dollhouse miniature in 1:12 scale, 2. Pink Rosebud Birthday Cake, 3. Strawberries and Cream Cake, 4. Halloween Cake, 5. Violets and Vanilla Birthday Cake, 6. Chocolate Birthday Cake, 7. Pink Birthday Cake, 8. Easter Cake 2011, 9. Strawberries and Cream Cake

I just had to share what else I discovered on Pinterest. Just when I thought it couldn't get any cuter than that bunny, I find this.  At first I thought I thought the cake was real. And then upon further inspection, I saw that it was a little miniature cake.   It's all made by the hands of Caroline at Hummingbird Miniature  who has been doing this for years.  After emailing her yesterday and convincing her I wasn't a stalker, she kindly said yes to my request to share her amazing work.

Look....a stack of mini eclairs......

 

and croissants.....

 

and brownies......

 

I totally got lost in her blog looking at all the sweets treats. I finally came up for air, baked myself a cake and then immediately went back to find these little peeps...... 

 

Just in time for Easter these little cupcakes......

 

She even makes her own plates.......

 
 

Love, love, love it......I have such a love of anything miniature.  But food stuff just sends me over the edge........  

 

Ok....off to eat a slice of cake....and some brownies....and possibly some eclairs.....If you want to see more of Caroline work check out her blog here..... Hummingbird Miniatures.

 

Talk to you soon!  Karin





 

Pinterest......

 

1. Ginger knitted bear with cardigan, 2. DSC07317, 3. DSC07269, 4. DSC07248

I signed up with Pinterest.  It's exactly what I needed.   Yet, another way to get distracted.  But just look at these adorable bears and bunnies......I'd say it's worth it. 

I can't get enough of this bunny by  Rachel Borello.   Are you kidding me?  Look how adorable he is......

If you don't hear from me in a week or so, send in the rescue team....