Lauren Ferguson | There are no mistakes in art, just opportunites to embellish. (tm)

She's How OLD??

I cannot believe that 7 years ago, I was giving birth to my daughter. Right now at this time, she was only 1.5 hours old and had been whisked off to the NICU because she was only 4 pounds and 32 weeks old.

I can remember my dad being there with the video camera and all he kept saying was "OMG what is that? Is she suppose to look like that? Why is she so pink? She's so little."

And she was. You could fit her in the palm of your hand. My dad still taunts my mother by tell her that he saw "his granddaughter" being born.

I cannot believe that my life has changed so much in these few years.

Time has taken long to go by so quickly.

Is it that they just keep having birthdays and it is not until that day when you stop and look back on the whole year.

Or is there something that happens on birthdays that makes you wonder "How the hell did I make it through another year and they have all their limbs attached?"

Every year, I try to do something fun and crafty special for the kids birthdays. This year, I came home from my normal Wednesday Mama Run-A-Round, I made Chi-Chi a Happy Birthday Pin.

She loves it! She is so funny. She saw a ribbon in the store that said Happy Birthday. She wanted to buy it. I told her "Put that back, Mama can make one."

And then she proceeded to give me all the details of how I needed to make this the best Birthday pin ever with flowers, glitter, curly ribbon, and a BIG Happy Birthday in the center?" Without hesitation, I said "Of Course I can".

This morning she told me that I was the best Mom ever and off she went to school, on the bus, my big girl.

until we meet again,

Mascara, Lip Gloss and Nail Polish, Oh My!!

I had the best time on "Creative Living with Sheryl Borden".

I never realized just how quickly the time passes when you have only 7 to 9 minutes to say and do it all. 

This a half-hour television show designed for the active lifestyles of the new millennium.

It is currently carried on more than 118 PBS stations in over 40 states, as well as in Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico.

I did not know how much prep time it takes to get ready for TV. And I do not mean the getting the projects and step outs ready either.

Of course, I was given a list from my friends and my mother broken into two parts those things that I had to do and the things that I should do. By the time it was all said and done, one list ran into the other.

I had to get my locks tightened, wax my eyebrows, put on mascara, wear eyeshadow and lip gloss. Once I had all that done, I figured I should clean all the crud out from my fingers and put on some clear nail polish, buy new personals!

I promise next time I will do ear rings and a necklace. I just could not handle all of it on the first go around!

I normally only take 7 minutes after my shower to get dressed and out the door.

It took me over 45 minutes to put it all together and get ready to face the harsh reality of the snow storm in Portales, NM.

Everyone was wonderful! The time that I spent on the set was fabulous. I really can't wait to do it again.

The first segment that I did was called On the Rebound: Old Book Covers get a Second Chance.

Here is an easy way to re-purpose vintage book covers for pennies on the dollar. It makes a perfect keepsake for your travels! These journals are great when space is at a minimum but you still need a journal that can handle more than just short notes. This blank book is designed to be easy to carry yet still have plenty of room for your thoughts! Making a text block can be time consuming and take hours of hand stitching. Not any more, with the Your Story™ from Provo Craft you can create in just minutes. Advanced Book Artists and Novices alike will enjoy!

The second segment that I taped was called Live Out Loud: Canvas Covered Journal.

Keep in your purse or pocket for handy access to jot down phone numbers, names and other information. Handy when you want to write down ideas and random thoughts while on the run. Stylish and unique, a great replacement for the shards of paper that get lost all too often. What better way to keep track of all of your adventures and discoveries? Advanced Book Artists and Novices alike will enjoy! The covers are made using the Yudu™, Ready-to-Go!® Blank Canvas Book and EarthSafe Finishes Shimmer Gel Medium.

I have to admit that this was one of the best experiences that I've had since I started on my road as a professional Mixed Media Artist.

I can't wait to do it again! I'm off to take pictures so that you can see projects up close it finally stopped raining here.

until we meet again,

I'm ready for my close up!!

I'm going to be on television!! 

You heard me. I am going to be on the little screen!!!

Back in September, I received an email from Sheryl Borden, the Producer and Host of "Creative Living with Sheryl Borden". 

It's a half-hour television show designed for the active lifestyles of the new millennium.  They are celebrating their 33rd season on PBS.

Well, of course I decided to do it why not. It is going to be a blast!

So in between watching Hoarders and keeping up with homeschooling for the boys, I have been making projects for the show. I decided to commit two segments. Each segment is 5 to 7 minutes.

The first is called "On the Re-Bound: Old Book Covers Get A Second Chance". I using the Your Story from Provo Craft with a vintage book cover and new signatures. I no longer have to rig up the hot plate and the clamps to get a nice seal. It is clean and safe.

There is a joy that I get when I stitch a book by hand, but it can take hours to complete and you must do it in one sitting. Maybe that is the Librarian in me.

The second is called "Live Out Loud: Canvas Covered Journal".  I am using the Yudu and the

Ready-to-Go!® Blank Canvas Book from C&T Publishing.

But can I tell you the most exciting of all, I am going to be flying from Atlanta to Roswell, NM. That's right you read it right, I'm going to the land of aliens and UFO's.

Now what more could I possibly get.

So I am off to shave my legs, brush my newly waxed eyebrows and put on some mascara for my close up.

until we meet again,

Join me on the dark side...

**Warning** Apple says that this is an illegal activity. **Warning**

I have been debating for the past few months whether or not to Jailbreak my iPhone 3Gs.

I did unlock my husband's phone when he had to travel to Nigeria and needed to add a different Sim to be able to use the phone abroad.

Yeah Yeah, I did it because it would have cost us more than a monthly mortgage payment for all the incoming and outgoing calls to Nigeria.

So now here I am with another 199.00 bucks invested in an upgraded handheld device that still does not let me have access to all its potential.

Well after much reading, I decided that this was going to be my next move once I got over the initial fear of FUCKING UP MY PHONE.

I read over and over all of the crazy stuff that people had happen when they did this. Come to find out if you follow the instructions, it is the easiest thing in the world.

Here are my reasons for doing it:

I wanted choices for my home screen. This one is called Blueprint. I even changed the color from blue to black so now it is my Blackprint.

I wanted to be able to control all of the functions at the base level. I am a bit of a geek and did opt to take advantage of a few other features. In particular I downloaded a terminal app to remove a number of files that were dragging my phone's performance.

I wanted to have access to VERY COOL games, utilities and other functions that Apple told me I could not. I no longer have to scroll between a million screens. I have only 2 thanks to an app called Categories. Everything gets put into a set of personalized folders. Ziggy is my little artist. He wanted to be able to "finger paint on the phone". So this is his masterpiece. I also have an app that lets me zoom the camera on the phone. Now how many times have you wanted to take a picture and zoom in.

I can still give Apple my money and use the apps in the AppStore. I downloaded two episodes of Hoarders that I have not seen and rented a few movies for the kids after I jailbroke the phone.

In the end the best reason to do it was to stick it to the man and claim my independence with the millions of other iPhone lovers in the world.

I have been liberated for the past few days and I am loving it. Plus it has given me something to do while I quit smoking!

I have been feverishly working on getting different apps then trying them out. You download, set them up if you don't like them you delete them and move on.

I am in love with my new look.

So all I have is one question...

What the hell are you waiting for!! Join me on the darkside.

until we meet again,

It's a new day, its a new dawn, it's a New Year!!!

Oh my the holidays have been exhausting this year. The kids are older and I am now finally at a point where I can sit still long enough to catch my breath.

I must say that it is official... I am a NON-SMOKER!!

It has been a long hard road. I am on the other side of the crazy. I have had to change my whole life.

I have not been in the basement or my craft room for days. I have had to drink my coffee in the evening.

It all happened a few days before Christmas. I asked my daughter what was the one thing that she wanted from Santa more than anything. She said without missing a beat that she wanted me to quite smoking because I was going die and she wanted me to live forever.

OMG!! I now know how my Dad must have felt when I asked him to quit smoking 30 years ago.

She looked at me and said that she did not want a pie crust promise. I had to pinky swear. Then she looked at me and said that she did not want to be disappointed. She told me that she wanted her heart to sing with my success.

You know how they say that what you tell the kids comes back to haunt you. Well there it was. What can you say to that.

I have never smoked in my house. My husband is a non-smoker. I personally hate the smell of smoke and I am constantly spraying and chewing on mints. So why did I do it??? I am way to smart to say that I do not know any better.

This is my first promise to her that is all about me.

I feel good and I have not had a craving thanks to Chantix. Yes, there are side effects.

I cant sleep and I am not hungry. Not bad for side effects. I have actually lost 5 pounds in the past few days. And as soon as I can get down to my craft room, I am expecting good things to come out of it.

I hope that your New Year is filled with wonderful choices, great opportunities and new challenges!

until we meet again,