have a nice weekend!

im going out of town tonight! we are going to exeland, wisconsin which is about 30 miles away from hayward, wi. i am excited but UGH i hate packing. joe is at work, so once again i get to pack alone and load all the camping gear into the car. this would be fine if we didnt have 4 flights of stairs to walk up and down at our apt!

it should be a nice weekend. relaxing, hopefully. im kicking myself for not having a camera to bring but thats okay. its going to be beautiful outside- mid 70s- so im sure the nights will be cool enough for a sweater (yes!!).

i think ive asked you guys before, but have you heard of west elm? oooh its so lovely, great design for affordable prices. i get about 6 design catalogs in the mail, and this one is by FAR my favorite. i obsess over it all the time. here are my current favorite photos:


salt and pepper shakers
i'd love to make a mirror similar to this, but i would stain mine a dark color.

i NEED a serving tray and the one on the bottom is so perfect! (and so dear to my heart!)

something about this bedroom makes me think of sleeping late on a sunday morning. oh, and the rug and dresser are to die for!

i want the orange one! mmmm, cozy.

today i will find out if i am accepted for art vs. craft! yay!

okay, have a good weekend everyone! see you on monday!

flickr

ive been messing around with flickr tonight...not a whole lot, only for about 10 or 20 minutes. here it is!

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i plan on working on it more tomorrow, perhaps.

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its 12:30 am. i wish i was tired. this morning i was...but im a night owl, so i guess i will never be tired when i should be!

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my sleep paralysis problems are coming back agian, full swing. i hate it- its to the point now that i know its happening, that its not real, so its just an added annoyance. this morning i had 5 episodes. i call them that for lack of a better word...but damn are they annoying. its so difficult for me to even begin explaining what goes on during these episodes, but ive come a long way with them. i remember the first one quite clearly. a slender man stood next to my bed, right next to me. i could not see his face, because i was under my covers. he wore a dark blue zip up hoodie and his jeans were light colored. i could see his hand. he just stood there, and then he touched my shoulder. i tried to scream, i was TERRIFIED, but nothing came out. i tried to move. nothing. he shook me and told me to wake up. the whole time i could hear what sounded like somebody violently shaking out a sheet (did you ever play with giant parachutes in gym class? it sounded like that. it sounded the way a flag sounds in a gusty wind.) i could hear it so close to my ear. everything was so incredibly VIVID. i finally woke up, he was gone. but what just happened?? i knew that i wasnt imagining it, it was just TOO real to be a dream. the next day something similar happened, but this time he wasnt there. it was just really load noises. my bed kind of shook, as if somebody bumped into it. the flapping noise was back and louder than before. i tried to scream. i was laying on my stomach, with my arms and hands extended towards my head. i tried to push myself upwards, to sit up. nothing. i couldnt move. my eyes were barely open, it was a struggle trying to keep them open. i finally woke up and thought "it happened again". i spent the next few weeks researching what it could be. i found out about sleep paralysis rather quickly, although my journey was nowhere near over. the next morning a man was yelling in my ear at the top of his lungs. he told me not to move otherwise he was going to shoot me. then he started whispering, and then the flying bats started again. well, that was my newest perception of the sheet/flag/parachute noise, bats flying out of a cave, their wings flapping next to my ear as they left. it finally stopped, i got up and cried. what the hell was going on? over the next few weeks i learned more from my experiences with this. i learned that right after coming out of each episode i was extremely tired. so tired that sometimes i would just fall right back asleep even if i tried to roll over first. this was the worst thing, because as soon as i fell asleep, i slipped right back into an attack. over and over. one of the times i was able to see the clock. it said 8:43. and then 8:44. i couldnt move or do anything, it was hard enough to try to pry my eyes open. i finally snapped out of it. i looked at the clock; 8:46. no way. now i knew that it was so real, yet so fake. i still didnt get it. when i first started having the episodes, it was pretty bad- happened almost every day for a little less than a month. a few weeks passed and i had a couple episodes here and there. probably between 10-15 total. the very first one i had was in february or march, thats when it lasted almost a month. they came back again in may. then kind of faded away. now its late august, and this morning was ridiculous. i heard my bedroom door handle turn and my door open. (the sounds are ALWAYS SO DEAD ON) then i heard joe snoring. neither of these were really happening. and i KNEW at that they werent real, i KNEW that joe was already at work. while i heard the snoring i thought "damn it, joes at work. SHUT UP." but i had to just lay there and wait for it to pass. i am getting so frustrated. its to the point where i can tell whats real and whats not, if that makes sense. i dont get terrified anymore, or at least not as much. but it still freaks me out each time it happens. i have learned to switch positions after an episode so i dont slip right back into it. but this morning it didnt work. i kept rolling over after each one, i even moved to the foot of the bed. it still happened 5 times. i just wish that it didnt seem to make me so tired. whenever it happens, i am so tired, like i never went to bed. for awhile i would get up in the morning and literally run into the walls after this happened- i was that tired, even after an okay amount of sleep. oh yeah, and the thing is, i have NEVER had an episode when joe is home. only when he is gone at work already. i hate it. when we first moved in together i had a bad bout of insomnia, it lasted for about 6 months. then i finally (FINALLLLLY) slept like a normal person. but then i started having really bad nightmares. oh god they were bad. and then, this sleep paralysis thing. i cant wait till it passes. oh please tell me it will eventually pass, for good.

sorry for the longest blog post ever. i wanted to write about it since this is my journal.

hello

hello all- what has everyone been up to?

i just made a few new cards- i'll be able to show them to you soon, hopefully! im thinking about ordering a camera tonight or tomorrow, perhaps.

nothing new here really. hope everyone is doing well!

thanks

thank you for all of your help in my situation (read my last post if youre confused!)...you are all so sweet!

the 25% off sale is still in effect for blog friends until today at 2:00 pm, EST.

all ive been thinking about is my poor camera and that im so upset that i had it for only a year and now its useless! i also think its because it was one of my first big-ish purchases after we moved in together. but i guess i can look at the bright side...new camera means new technology. and new technology means more megapixels!

i guess this will give me time to crank out a few more of those things that i told you i wanted to show you. i only have 3 for now, and they are all mediochre. i know i can do better...i mean, i like them all but i had so many new ideas this morning, i just need to get some paintchips from the store. when you see them listed on here, you'll know that i got a new camera! uuugh but that wont be until mid sept! unless i can figure something out real quick.

of course something HAD to go wrong...

remember yesterday when i told you i had new stuff to show you? well i did. and i still do.

but there is just one thing...

about 15 minutes ago i broke my digital camera. i was taking pictures of myself in my dress, with my accessories and such, and as soon as i was finished and about to look at all the pictures, i dropped my camera.

this is definitely a really bad situation, with the wedding being exactly one month from today, the honeymoon right after that, and oh yeah- a thing called blogging and etsy from now till then.

SO since there is no way that i will be able to save enough money at my job for a new one, i am offering everything in my shop at 25% off. its the only thing that i can think of that MIGHT work.

i dont know if it would be worth it to just get it fixed because 1) who knows if they will actually fix it in time and 2) its the zoom lens part thats broken, and i imagine that to be a pricey piece. so i figured that i will try to get a few extra bucks through etsy and then either buy one from ebay (which would be scarey too, what if IT doesnt work?) or try to find one on sale somewhere. its a canon, and i want to keep using canon. joe said i could probably borrow his sisters camera, but you know how learning a new camera goes...or, at least learning one when youve never taken a class on photography- its a slow process (for me anyway!).

something new.

hey guess what? i have something new to share! i will show you after i get home from work today. im really excited about it...but PLEAASSE tell me if its something i should kick to the can. i mean, if you dont like the direction im heading in, let me know! okay, see you soon. oh yeah, dont you hate when you make chicken and then forget that the package is in the trash, you wake up, and your house smells awful?? uuughh. nasty. actually, i should take that out before i shower. oh yeah, if you ever get a chance to buy floap (floating soap) from this shop, DO IT. if you have an extra $5 get 2 bars- you will be so incredibly happy. i definitely recommend "so delicous", if you end up having a hard time picking one out. (oh- and you will have a hard time picking just one, trust me.)

watercolors, anyone?

im thinking about messing around with watercolor again. i took a painting class in highschool, but i dont remember much at all about watercolor. i just remember i liked it, and i always wanted to get a watercolor set. SOOO, im asking you guys- whats a good set to start out with? should i just go to hobby lobby and pick something in the mid price range from the ones on the shelf? or is there a certain brand i should look for...i dont know, any info would be great!

green green green

so lately i've been doing a lot of recycling and ive been thinking more along the "green" lines. joe has even been calling me earth girl erin, so obviously my efforts are shining through! today he even asked me "can we recycle this" which i thought was totally awesome because i didnt think he would take to this "conditioning" very well.
a couple of things that ive been doing are:
-i recycle as much stuff as i can so it doesnt become part of our landfills.
-when i take my garbage and recycle out to the dumpster, i pull a few random things off the top of the pile of trash inside the dumpster and i recycle it. usually these are just things like 2 liter bottles and milk jugs, but every little bit counts!
-ive walk as much as possible when i go to the post office to ship orders. right now i cant walk there, though, because they are doing road construction and there is no room for me to walk. this is quite annoying.
-ive been cleaning my tub and other things with baking soda and vinegar. goodbye bleach and 409. i'll miss you, scrubbin' bubbles, but not too much...sorry. look at these tips. also, check out this site for a place to buy eco-friendly products!
-i love to buy local. i dont mind paying the extra money, it makes me feel better when i support local farmers and other vendors.
-we are big fans of lots of blankets in the winter, but my mom gave me an electric blanket for christmas...its something that i dont think i can give up, but its better than heating the entire room i think...im not sure, though.
what im going to start doing soon:
-stop purchasing so much plastic and aluminum! joe just bought me this pitcher that i have been oh so in love with for almost a year, so im going to start making lots of juice.
-buy new lightbulbs for the apt- the energy efficient ones.
-i dont want to use my dryer on sunny days as soon as we get a house, thats for sure!
-im going to make canvas bags for when i go grocery shopping. this will be fun! i cant wait, im going to do an apple one for sure!
-starting tonight, i will turn my computer off every night. i guess this is just a habit i brought with me from my parents house...does anyone else leave their computer on all night?...err, all year even?!? i cant believe how much time its on when its not being used!
-when we get a house, im DEFINITELY going to make a few rain barrels. these things are great- they are barrels that you put under your gutters and connect a faucet at the bottom to connect a hose. they can hold about 65 gallons of water! great for our garden!
there are A LOT more things, but these are a few of them. what do you do to be green? im interested in your ideas. also, does anyone know of any good zines that cover topics like this? hmmm, i miss writing zines, maybe i could write one on the issue. i'd have alot to say, i think it would go over well.
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i found this cool site today. it tells you where the best place to live is, according to your tastes and preferences! i KNEW that i belonged in oregon, the little quiz even says so!
so i just found out that wisconsin is in the top 5 "most-time-wasting states". i believe it! have you ever been up north, to northern wi? im not saying they waste their time...they just take their time. im going up there in 2 weeks and i am really looking forward to it. i love everything there, the air is so fresh, the trees stand so tall, and the sky seems so blue. beautiful lakes, wonderful trails. lots of lovely farms that we pass on the way up too. i love seeing the amish out in their buggies- the way they live is so peaceful...charming, even. i know that they work hard for what they have, but what they have is just so real. ive also been thinking a lot about whats real and whats not real...more on that later, maybe.
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i leave you with a few new shop things...no journals, though.

apple and nature stationery...

waiting...

ive been waiting for the ups man all day.....i wish he would get here already! we got one of those little golden yellow notes stuck to our door saying that they will attempt to redeliver today between 10-2. so ive been hanging out, waiting for him to come back. i think its a him, anyway- its usually the same guy.

i made this moleskine last night and finished it up today...i just added it to my shop, they usually sell pretty quickly so we'll see how it goes.

im also going to be adding some tree stationery to my shop in a bit. the only problem with selling stationery is that i need to go to the store and buy more envelopes...maybe i will go tonight.

withdrawal...

aargh. i dont know how much longer i can take it- im seriously going through crafting withdrawal. maybe if i would get off the internet for a minute i could go make something. duh.

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i promissed myself that i wouldnt make any journals till after the wedding. i dont think im going to make it that long though! basically it came down to this- none of the wedding "crafts" were getting done because i was putting them off so i could make journals and the like. finally i put my foot down and got on the card box, unity candles, and a couple other things- the MAIN thing was the invitations. i mean, those HAD to get done.

so now, we have a to do list still, yes, buuuut a lot of it is stuff we cant do for another couple weeks- contact stray rsvp's (oh. i. cannot. wait.), making a seating chart, meeting with the dj again, stuff like that.

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the things i can be doing NOW for the wedding are things that im totally dreading- contacting a tailor to alter my dress just a TINY bit (its just so slight but i cant have it falling off to our first dance to the groovie ghoulies- this isnt a slow dance, so im a little worried that i might "shake it" too much and the dress will slide right off me.) anyway- i am not looking forward to bringing it in to get it fixed. joe asked me why not, i dont know- its just not my thing! i dont like talking to people on the phone...this will be my very first phone call for the wedding! joe called the reverend, and as far as the vendors go- we communicate through emails. oooh yeah, i got the beads for the bridesmaids necklaces yesterday, i dont want to start those because ive never made necklaces before. and my original idea for the necklaces fell through, sooo yeah.

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anyway, i cant take it anymore! i am going to craft today, and then im sure tonight will come and i will end up whining that our wedding stuff is never going to get done, blah blah. it would help so so so much if my MOH could be here to help (she moved to VA right after we got engaged, hasnt been back since...is coming on friday but i will only see her for a couple hours...), joe works all of the time, i HATE it because it pushes all of the wedding stuff onto me and only me. he's been helping a little more lately, but his job really interferes with it.

okay so enough bitching. basically i just wanted to tell you guys that i might make a few things today and tomorrow, but i dont know. i just did a custom order for a guy but it was just stationery that i printed from the computer (his request) so i didnt do a whole lot really- i get to cut it all today and ship it out. im also going to my parents house to pick up the lanterns for the bridesmaids so i can get candles for them, and im making french dips with mushrooms for dinner- mister slow cooker, how i love you so...then i have a few other little things and THEN COMES A JOURNAL i hope. please be the day! ooh crap. never mind. after writing this whole post, i just realized- i have to drive out to vernon hills today...its about 45 minutes away. oh im thrilled. okay, im going back to bed now.

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well, on a lighter note- i can see some pine tree silhouettes from my window right now. the sky is pink, purple and orange and they look so nice. i can only see the tops of the trees, but i love it.

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anyway, have a good thursday!

hmmm...

UPDATE...nevermind this post. everything is fine!

hey, has anyone heard from amanda from frenchtoastcake? i havent heard from her in awhile- i hope everything is okay there. i always worry when blog people go missing, or anyone i talk to on the internet regularly, because here's how i look at it- there is NO way that i could go without the internet for more than a few days (this would be when im on vacation). if something happened to my internet connection, i'd find a way to get online with a quickness! i'd probably have to go to a library, but it would be something that i couldnt live without for more than a couple of days, ya know? im sure most of you are the same way- i mean, think about how our life revolves around blogging, photo sharing, emails, IM's, message boards, selling online, ETC- its become a HUGE part of our lives. so yeah, when i dont hear from or about a blogger in like, almost 2 months i guess its natural to wonder.

not a whole lot to say...

heres the latest...the blue didnt come out so great in the picture, i think its because i used a setting on my camera that i dont normally use and i didnt realize it until i had already uploaded the image.
so today somebody from work called me and asked if they could work my shift tonight...AWESOME! i hate working friday nights, you guys know this. so yeah, that made my day. but i have no clue what we're goig to do tonight. i feel like a bum just sitting inside on this beautiful day. im going outside in a bit i think.

so guess what?! i have anywhere from 4-7 craft shows lined up from october 21-dec 16. im going to be SOO busy with all this craft stuff after we get back from our honeymoon- i cant wait! i have lots of ideas, and its been TOO long since i made a new journal. i have a lot of ideas for the shows, hopefully all goes well with it. im sure it will.

so i have been trying to decide on a song to walk down the aisle to for awhile now. i cant come up with anything! ive looked through countless threads at indiebride.com, and while i found some other great suggestions there, i have not found THE song yet. hmmph. i really dont want to settle on canon in d major- its like the 2nd most used processional song i think. i want something diffffferent people. and its making me crazy trying to find something! ive tried a lot of different things- string quartet covers, classical, introductions to songs (before they get to the lyrics), a few bands, etc...i think im going to look into some accoustic stuff next or something, even though i dont know if thats what i really want.

anyway, i hope all of you are doing well. i am off to look for my song. take care!

oh my god- the wedding is in 6 short weeks! i cant believe it. oh! but that also means that we will be in aruba in 6 weeks! ahh! im so excited that i will be finished with the wedding stuff soon and then sipping daiquiris on the beach. we are going to the bucuti hotel and staying in the tara beach suites. it will be so much fun!

so, we tried registering at target the other day...we only came up with 13 things, all under about $25. i mean, half are under $15 i think. we just dont NEED anything, ya know? and not only that, but target isnt on the top of my list for items for the home. yes, they have cute clothes and i could easily spend thousands if it was just going to be stuff for ME- like clothes and accessories- but it is so difficult to register when we've lived together for over a year. we created a honeymoon registry online, but i dont know how that will go. i wish crate and barrel was closer to us! i would most definitely register there! so many things come to mind when i think of that store!

im really tired today. i didnt get enough sleep! i have to leave for work in 20 minutes, but first i should package an order that has to go out so i can stop at the p.o. on my way to work. yay. the post office, my favorite. not. there's a lady there who is a real bitch to me, ugh and she's there almost every time i go in.

anyway, i should go do that. take care! sorry no pictures this time...maybe next time i will have some!

happy trails...

the day has finally come...this journal is getting shipped off to a new home!

it's going to be difficult to give this one up! it was "hearted" by a lot of people on etsy and its the one that made the front page too. somebody finally bought it! goodbye, blustery day, you will be missed!

so now i only have 2 journals in my shop. i dont like only having 2 in there, but i promised myself to stay away from journal making until the wedding is over, because otherwise thats what my time would be devoted to. i plan on making at least one journal a day after we return from our honeymoon- christmas will be just around the corner and i need a lot of journals to offer! im also going to have a lot of christmas/holiday cards to offer as well, and i have a few other plans too. im going to be selling packs of cards for the holidays so people can buy in bulk and send to friends and family. im thinking packs of 3, 8, and 16, but that could change by then. okay okay, no more talk about christmas!

i should be sleeping right now but i have too many little things running through my mind. mainly about future journals and other things, heh, i cant wait until i can devote all my time to crafting again! but also about the wedding. i was able to pick up a shift at work tonight, which takes a lot of stress off from paying the honeymoon off by next week. im hoping that we will be busy tonight and i will make good tips.

alright, anyway i need to try to sleep. take care everybody! oh, and happy august!