Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies...

OMG...I am in love! This weekend, I watched Across The Universe and it has to be my new favorite movie of all time. I never thought a movie could come along that would top Amelie, but this movie did it. If you haven't seen it, I HIGHLY recommend! I'm really not one for musicals, but this one was so different. Fair warning: if you're not into The Beatles, you probably won't enjoy this film. Myself? I love The Beatles! And, the remakes of the songs (the cast sang the entire score) were brilliant. I even bought the soundtrack...also amazing. And, I'm sorry but, move over Johnny Depp...I have a new celeb crush: Jim Sturgess. Gah! He's gorgeous, and so is his voice:



Here's a couple more amazing stills from the film. Very artistic, very colorful film. You gotta' check it out!





Moving on... I finally got some pictures of the puppies! They are only a couple of days old in this picture. Their eyes are open now, and we should have more pics soon!



This weekend, I finally tied up some loose ends on some projects that I had been working on. My Christmas banner is finally finished, and boxed up with the rest of my Christmas decorations for next year. The one I had made before was a gift for a friend, so now I have my own. :0)



And, I also managed to get that Hambly project put together. It's really hard to photograph where you can see the whole concept. The tree rubs and buttons are on one of the Clearly Heavy Overlays. Then, the overlay is mounted to the wooden plaque that's covered in the woodgrain paper. The overlay is raised off of the wood by about 1/2" so that it gives it dimension to the piece. It's really cool looking in person, but doesn't photograph so easily. I had planned on giving this as a gift, but this first one got a little fudged (it was hard to fasten the overlay where it laid flat, and didn't bow outward). Now that I know what I'm doing, if I decide to make another one, it will go together more easily.



Other than that, I did a little cleaning and a little organizing this weekend. I also made a run to the flea market that they hold every weekend at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. I got a couple of choice finds, but I'll save those to share tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend! :0)

And then some...

So, I went a little overboard on the retail therapy. Just a little, though. I kept it under control at Urban Outfitters. I have been wanting this rug for my entryway FOREVER, and finally scored it!



And, who doesn't love Kurt Halsey? I just adore this print! And at $12, I couldn't resist. I'm not sure where I'm going to hang it yet, but our living room is black/white and red. So, I'm thinking it will find a home somewhere in there.



I had to have one of these for what Bryan loathingly calls "the pink room." Our guest room is done completely India-style. A sari patchwork bedspread, all kinds of Indian artwork...elephants, etc. Consequently, it has lots of deep pinks and purples (along with every other color in the rainbow). It used to be our bedroom gear until Bryan finally talked me into the turquoise and chocolate brown room we have now. The new colors are so relaxing, but I still find "the pink room" to be so romantic.



My last little Urban Outfitters treat was one of these trays that I hope to use as a vanity tray for my bathroom. Unfortunately, you don't get to pick the color. So, I am really keeping my fingers crossed that they send something in a green or purple scheme.



So, today was one of those absolutely wonderful days where everything just seemed to be going right. I woke up this morning with a quick little e-mail from the folks at Poppy Ink. Apparently, the had some extra add-on kits left over from January. I had been dying to get my hands on the With Love Poppy Project, but wasn't quick enough when it first came out. I wanted to use it to make Bryan's Valentine's gift. Luckily, I was able to get one today! It's okay that it won't get here until after V-Day. Since Bryan is leaving soon, I can't send anymore packages over to Afghanistan. We'll just have to have a little belated celebration when he gets home. But, look at this yumminess I have to play with in the meantime!



I also had missed out on the February Poppy Project that I wanted so badly: My Coloring Book. I decided to take a look while I was buying the With Love kit...just to make sure there didn't happen to be an extra Coloring Book kit. And, what do you know? There it was...just one...just for me! I have grand plans for this kit! Just look at all of the yummy colors here:



I can't wait to get my hands on these goodies! So, that was where my retail therapy went a little awry. But, how could I resist with the lovely kits that Heather puts together? And, the day just continued to get better...

After my shopping spree, I took a little trip over to SIStv. Lo and behold, my little dress from the previous post was selected for The Catwalk! And, by Gigi Kennedy...one of my two FAVE Fashionistas (the other is Kerry Lynn Yeary). So, the selection was extra special. Plus, Gigi sent me the sweetest little message ever. It totally made my day!

To top it all off, it was an absolutely GORGEOUS day here in North Carolina! The sun was shining, and it is finally starting to warm up! I made a quick run to Home Depot to get the screws for that Hambly project, and came across these beautiful primroses:



They are the most perfect flowers. Seriously...flawless. That's really surprising for plants that come from Home Depot. I'm a total gardening freak, and usually only buy my plants from local nurseries. But, these were just too gorgeous to pass up (especially at $1.97 per pot). Now, I'm just waiting for some little vintage tin cans that I won off of eBay to come in the mail so I can plant these babies in them. I also got some blackberry bushes. I've been looking to buy blackberry bushes ever since we moved to NC. I heard they grow wonderfully here, but couldn't ever find any for sale. Now I have 4 plants of my very own! Hopefully, the weather will hold out tomorrow so I can get them in the ground.

Now, I'm finishing off my lovely day with a yummy midnight snack of a grilled cheese sandwich. Mmmmmm... I'll try to have that Hambly project ready to share tomorrow. But, it's been a little tricky to put together. There's a trick somewhere in the whole process that I just haven't figured out yet. Maybe I can go at it with a clean slate tomorrow, and get it done...

So much for suspense...

So, those of you that guessed that the cute little papier mache dress form was going to be used to create a mini-dress...give yourselves a nice little pat on the back! :0)







This was my submission for round 2 of the Fashionista try-outs over at SIStv. Unfortunately, I didn't make it past this round. But, I'm not surprised...there was an AMAZING amount of talent amongst all of the ladies! Big congratulations to EVERYONE who advanced to the next round! I'm not totally crushed...everything happens for a reason. But, I would be lying if I said that it didn't sting just a little bit. I still LOVE what I created! And, that's all that really matters. :0) And, at least it means that I get to share it with all of you! I was dying not being able to share. The challenge was to create a LO or project that represented why we wanted to become a Fashionista. So, each of the 6 little chipboard flower petals had one word on it that explained why I wanted to become a Fashionista.

Anyway, thank goodness for happy mail to lift my spirits, right? Thanks so much to the lovely Marie for sending me this ADORABLE little owlie book as a belated birthday gift! Amazingly enough, it was my favorite out of all of the ones that she made! Lucky me!



It's just too cute, though! I don't think I will actually be able to use it...it will just have to find a nice little home on my display shelf so that I can admire it all the time. :0) And, I was super surprised to find a package from my lovely Poppy Ink girl, Rebecca Coolidge:



What a lovely, LOVELY surprise! And, I have big plans for that time card on a future LO! I'm convinced that my mail is the sole source of amusement for my mailman's entire day. We live in the rural hick-a-boo suburbs of Fort Bragg, and I doubt that my young mailman sees very much interesting mail come his way. I can always tell that he's amused by all of the craftily decorated packages that come my way. And, then today, he got to deliver this little gem:



He looked totally confused when he brought this little tube to my door today. He probably thinks I'm totally weird. But, I bought Hazel a little ladybug habitat for Christmas, and we finally ordered the ladybug larvae a couple of weeks ago. She was SO EXCITED to deposit these little guys into their new habitat to watch them develop. I must admit, ladybug larvae are rather disgusting looking. I love ladybugs, but these things look like mini earwigs. I wish I had a great macro lens so I could photograph their development. Oh, well.

I'm off to do a little retail therapy. Shopping always makes me feel better, and I feel some Urban Outfitters goods calling my name! I'll be back tomorrow to share my purchases. Oh, and hopefully, to share that Hambly project I was talking about yesterday. I thought I had the screws I needed to finish the project off. But, silly me...I'll have to make a run to Home Depot tomorrow to get some. Happy Monday loves!

Looking back...

Wow! I can't believe that photo was taken one year ago yesterday. Looking back on it, I remember feeling like I never knew how I would make it through a whole year without Bryan. 12 months seemed like a lifetime. Then we found out that it would actually be something more like 15 months. But, now that we're coming out the other side, I don't know where the time has gone. This last year just flew by. Thank God for small favors, right? I can't believe I only have about 2 months before he comes home. I have to admit, though...2 months seems like forever when you're anticipating something so exciting. I can't publish the exact date that Bryan is expected to come home (due to security reasons), but let's just say that he will actually be home for our anniversary. So, for anyone who actually knows when that is...there's your answer. This will be the FIRST anniversary that he's been home for since we got married. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that everything goes as scheduled.

I had so much fun creating this weekend! I actually made my first canvas, and I LOVED the whole process. It's a sign that I made for my studio with my business name: Charmed Girl Creations. I even found a Maya Road chipboard crown that is shaped EXACTLY like the crown that an artist friend drew for my company logo a few years back! And, Jill...do you recognize those nifty little vintage buttons attaching the hanger to the canvas? I have been DYING to use those ever since you sent them to me for Christmas!





I also came up with a pretty nifty idea on how to use some Hambly rubs and a piece of their Clearly Heavy Overlays. But, I'm not quite finished with the project. I'll probably have pics of that to post tomorrow. Let's see...what else? Had a little Super Bowl gathering with a couple of my neighbor gals. All of our husbands are deployed together, so it was just us ladies. We had the game on in the background, but paid little to no attention to it. We spent most of the time eating and chatting. The kids all had a blast playing together. All in all, it was a nice escape from my house for a couple of hours. I also got the nicest little surprise today! I actually got asked to do my first guest DT spot, and for one of the most FABULOUS of kits! But, I have to keep that under wraps for a while. I can't wait to spill the beans, though. I'm really so honored to have been asked. Eek!

Okay, I am off to play a little blog catch-up. I've been so absent from reading my fave blogs lately. Things have just been crazy busy. So, if I don't get around to checkin' up on you tonight, I'll definitely be back for more catch-up tomorrow. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Oh! I almost forgot...the pay-it-forward RAK! So, the lucky ladies are (drumroll, please)...Melonie, Ellen and Somebody's Nobody. Please e-mail me your addresses at charmedgirlnc@gmail.com, and I will get something in the mail to you in the mext couple of weeks! :0) And, only one person guessed correctly as to what the dress form will be used for. But, I can't tell just yet. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, I'll be able to share!

Thursday Randomness

First off, I have a LO to share...



And, can anyone guess where I might be going with this?



Leave a comment with your idea of what I might be using this for. I won't be able to tell you even if you guess correctly. ;0) But, a while back on Gina's blog, she had a little "pay it forward" RAK that I got selected for. So, now it's my turn to pay it forward! The first 3 commenters on this post will get a special little gift from me. I haven't quite figured out what I'll be giving away yet, but I'm thinking some handmade Valentine goodies! In turn, the 3 commenters selected will have to "pay it forward" to 3 other people. If you don't want to be included in the RAK, you can still leave a comment, just let me know that you don't want to be part of it. I thought it would just be something fun to do to brighten up the winter doldrums. :0)

So, how about 7 little random things from today...

1. My car needs cleaned out...DESPERATELY. I wish that it would warm up outside so I could get that accomplished.

2. I really started to wonder what happened to this band...



The Sundays are one of my all-time favorite bands, and they haven't had a new album in over 10 years now. So sad. If
you've never heard them before, I suggest you take a listen!

3. I got my taxes done today, and got a nice little refund...way more than I expected. I will be using some of the money to have a pergola built over the patio that I built myself last summer. I have grand plans for this area...sort of like an outdoor living room. I can't wait until it's done (sometime before the end of February)! I'll definitely share some pics. :0)

4. My mom's birthday is in a week, and I still have absolutely no idea what to get her. She's turning 60, so I feel like I should get her something extra special. But, my brain is just drawing a total blank.

5. I found out that when Bryan comes home, there is a military ball that it is mandatory we attend. I have to buy a dress...a formal one. I'm not talking little black dress formal. I'm talking so formal that it makes me uncomfortable. As much as I like bling on my art, I'm not into big sparkly gowns. At least, not for me. I am totally not looking forward to shopping for this.

6. I've been craving a breakfast burrito from Whataburger all week. I miss that restaurant...even if it is fast food. Maybe they'll have one in Alabama, but I think it's just a Texas thing. :0(

7. I just planned a quick little long weekeng trip to visit my great aunt and uncle at the beach house they rent in South Carolina. I can't wait to go! It has been years since I've seen them, and they've never met my kids. I'll be driving down there with my aunt and uncle, so that will be double fun!

Okay, I am off to watch Superbad. I hope everyone had a great week!