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

Being a member has its priveledges

You know when you just look at your family and they do something and there is no denying it is a direct reflection of you.

I am not saying all the little mini me things that my kids do or the expressions or silliness. Living in my house that is to be expected.

But I have actually rubbed off on my husband. Get your head out of the gutter, I mean crafty thinking related.

When I was coming home from CHA, he was sworn in as a US Citizen. Yes, while I was in the air crossing from sea to shining sea, he was taking the oath to be a citizen.

Guess what he did,He had someone take a picture of him while he was taking the oath with his iPhone.

Now has he been trained up or has he been trained up.

It is nice to now finally not have to worry about him having the proper visas for us to travel and take family vacations.

I did not have a chance to tell y'all it was a good day here in the Nwachukwu Family.

until we meet again,

I'm teaching at INSPIRED Artist Workshop!!

Well, the cat is out of the box! 

Can you believe it?!

I am teaching two mini workshops at Inspired hosted by Donna Downey.

Remember that I met Donna and Kandi -- Donna's absolutely fabulous, keep it together, could not do it without you assistant -- at CHA. Well they asked me submit a few classes to the evening workshops.

At first, I had a different set of plans and then once I got my head around teaching for only an hour. Yes, you heard me for just an hour, I came up with these two classes.

I am going to be teaching them twice during the weekend. I am so fired up.  I am also going to hang out with my peeps in NC, they just dont know it yet.

Yes, I am talking about y'all. And you know who you are.  My Peeps from the Mountains and the clean air.

I just sent my final class schedule in and this is how it looks.

The Other ATC - Acrylic Trading Cards

Friday, May 8, 2009 10.00 - 11.00pm
Saturday, May 9, 2009 8.00 - 9.00pm

These mini pages make the perfect Acrylic Trading Card.

In this FAST PACED mini-class, you will learn how to stamp on, add collage images, staple through, sew into and transfer images onto acrylic.

By combining one or more of these quick and easy techniques you can add layers and texture to your projects. I will also share the ins and outs of how to work with other types of mixed media junkets on acrylic.

At the end of the hour you will have three beautiful little works of art that are worthy of being traded.

Price: 20.00

Items to bring: Craft Knife and Scissors, White & Black Staz-On Pad,
Favorite Stamps, Liquid and Dry Adhesive

Maximum Number: 40
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Crazy for Clear

Thursday, May 7, 2009 4.00 - 6.00pm
Saturday, May 9, 2009 9.00 - 11.00pm

I must be crazy!!! You will be able to fit 10 – count them with me 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 – photos on this clear mini album.

Clear is one of the hottest items in scrapbooking. We see it everywhere. It is cut into fun shapes and used to make quirky embellishments.

You can ink it, stamp it, rub on it, and add embellishments that hang off the edge. Of these, stamping is my favorite.

You will need to bring at least 10 wallet size photos that can be cropped to fit.

When you are finished, you will be Crazy for Clear!

Price: 30.00

Items to bring: White & Black Staz-On Pad, Favorite Stamps, Liquid and Dry Adhesive, 10 Wallet size photos

Maximum Number: 40

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So come on out and hang with me for the weekend.

until we meet again,

I wish I could tell ... but I can't

Since coming home from CHA, life has taken me to all kinds of places.

I have so many irons in the fire, that I have started to singe my brain cells.

So what can I tell you...

No, I am not pregnant.
No, I am not done with any projects that I should have finished months ago.
No, I am not ready for prime time.

Yes, I have started back at the gym.
Yes, I have been making art, but I cant show any of it.
Yes, I have been spending as much time as I can with my kids.

So I will blog again in the next few days as soon as I can wrap my hands around it.

until we meet again,

News from my Aussie friends Down Under

Some of you may or may not know of the wild fires that are ravaging Australia.

I got an email from one of the manufacturers that I work with, she is about an hours drive away from the fires.

Here is what it says:
============================================

Hi,

I’m sure you have heard about the horrible bushfires here in Victoria. The news is just terrible and although we are safe and still an hour or so drive away, we are all touched by this devastation.

So here at Buzz and Bloom we have decided to donate a percentage of all sales this month. If you can post the following on your sites in an effort to help us get the word out, we’d really appreciate it.

"Sending our LOVE"

We’ve all been so touched by the devastation of the bushfires here in Victoria. The death toll climbs, entire towns have been destroyed and so many lives have been affected.

As Victorians, our Aussie spirit of pulling together and helping those in need has us asking what we can do. In an effort to do what we can, Buzz and Bloom will donate 5% of all sales from now till the end of February to the Victorian Bushfire Fund.

Read ABC news www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires/

We also have no minimum order requirements at the moment, so if you’ve been thinking about ordering, now is the time. If you don’t have an account with us, sign up today and help us to help those in need.

Thank you so much for all of your help, love and support.”
============================================

Even if you can just cut and paste her email onto your blog for just one day as the entry, maybe we can really make a difference.

until we meet again,

Oh my how time files...

Once again, I have had an epiphany, a revelation, an awakening, or as my friends say reality has once again smacked me in the face and used my children to do it to me.

Last week was Chi-Chi's birthday. Oh it was funny. She just thinks that being six is as good as it gets and all is well with the world.

Now, I originally thought that maybe she was under the impression that all was good because I had made sure that the Birthday Fairy came and had balloons on the end of her bed.

Or maybe it was the fact that she had a great dinner at her Nana's house.

Or maybe, just maybe it was because we are going to Disney in a 3 weeks for her birthday.

Let me digress for one moment...

My parents, nope, stop, reverse that...

Chi-Chi's grandparents decided that they needed to have a timeshare when she was born to have a place to celebrate her birthday every year until the day I die.

And every year we are in Florida for Mandatory Family Bonding.

Well, this year Disney was booked during the week of her birthday so we are going at the end of the month.

Ok, My Bad...

So here I am a few days later at an IHOP with my parents eating breakfast on a Saturday. Everybody and their mothers are at IHOP.

The kids love it. We are done eating and off we go to the potty.

I start to walk into the stall with her and she stops me dead in my tracks.

The conversation runs something like this.

"Mama, I can do this myself."
"So are you saying that you want me to leave?"
"Yes, I can go 'peeeeeee' (in that 6 year old sarcastic tone) by myself."
"Well then go on with your bad self. I will wait for you out here."

Next thing she does is close the stall door and LOCKS it!!

When did this happen? When did she get so big that she does not need her mother in the potty?

So now, I get one of those notes sent home about all the activities that are planned for Valentine's Day. Please bring a card for each kid deal.

Well, why oh why did I decide that I needed to say anything.

Chi-Chi says to me "Mama we need to make a box with a heart on it and some candy inside and some ribbon. I saw it in one of your magazines and I want you to make it."

So of course, I shuffle her off to bed thinking that I am not making any crazy boxes.

Well, I woke up this morning with a plan to conquer the boxes and Chi-Chi helped get them done.

Well, after a 2nd visit to Archiver's and 90 minutes of Muzak, I have finished her 37 boxes with a heart on them, some candy and ribbon.

Yes, 37. By the time I started Chi-Chi decided that she did not want her brothers to be left out. As if I was going to only do her class and not her brothers. Oh how she underestimates my Mama powers.

When did they get so big?

until we meet again,

And the Winner is....

I have enough flowers for everyone.

I will box them up and have them ready to go out next week.

Kris, Tami and Tisha send me your snail mail address to my email.

You were only 6 flowers apart!

It was great. I had to laugh at some of the guesses.

To all my peeps who just came by to see what crazy stuff I had on my blog for the week, Thanks!

To all my peeps who sent me all the crazy email begging to know what they were, Thanks!

To all my silent peeps who just came and hung out for the laugh, Thanks!!

until we meet again,

The Answers to the Flowers REVEALED!!!

OK, so you have hung in there with me thorough all the flowers.

Here are the answers.

If you click on the photo or put you mouse over it the answer will show up.

I am now off to re-read posts and I will let you know who won!!

   

until we meet again,