Scary thought for Halloween!

I was at a little local Halloween parade the other day and, since I didn't want to hold onto anything, left my purse and my tote bag with my journal and giant bag of pens in the car (I take my journal in the car with me frequently ... you never know when you're going to have 15 minutes to wait somewhere and you could be journaling!) Several years ago, I was at a Halloween parade in Georgetown (anybody who has ever been to that one knows how crazy it can get!) and left my stuff in the car. Well, someone broke in and stole my purse, etc. Well, the frightening thought I had while watching the little parade this week was, what if someone breaks in my car again ... and takes my JOURNAL?! (who *cares* about the purse?) Talk about SCARY! Rest assured, everything was still there when I got back. Here are a couple creepy crawlies I made for the holiday ... Happy Halloween everyone!

KEYS!

We've been out of keys for *ever* so long. During my recent three day treasure hunt, I was delighted to find 50 keys. Unfortunately, they went back in the wrong car to my sister's house. She was going to bring them when she flew east recently for a funeral, but all I could envision was the TSA pulling her bag aside and confiscating my keys! So my sister kindly sent them to me and they arrived yesterday and now they're available in the store. http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/vintage-keys.html Enjoy!

Classes with Donna Downey

This past weekend, I took 3 classes with Donna Downey http://www.donnadowney.com/ at Scrapdoodles in Fredericksburg, Va http://scrapdoodles.com/ Donna was a hoot and the projects were so charming. Didn't finish all the projects, but had a ball and I know I'll get them done eventually. Here is a sneak peek ...

And speaking of Donna, her company contacted us about doing some advertising on her site and e-newsletter ... I was so tickled. So we're going to be working with them. We'll keep you posted.

While I was unpacking my suitcase of supplies, I was overjoyed to find my favorite pair of scissors that I've had since art school and thought I'd lost at Art & Soul in May! They'd fallen between the lining and the side of the suitcase (literally, it's a suitcase on wheels). I've put my name on them in case they get any more crazy ideas and told them to cut it out!

And lastly, I've been super busy posting some of the treasure hunt finds to the store. They've been selling almost as fast as I can post them, but don't lose heart ... there's plenty (and I mean P-L-E-N-T-Y) to go around ... I'm posting everyday so keep checking back.

Road trip!

I just got back from three wonderful days of treasure hunting with my mom and sister in some tiny towns out in the middle of nowhere USA (this is the cabin where we stayed ... very rustic, but cozy!) And just look at all the goodies .. buried under there are oodles of keys, receipts, letters, little books, Bingo cards and lots and lots of other good stuff! I'll be posting the new finds ASAP. Also, be sure to check my sister's site ... she'll be posting her finds soon, too http://www.classyjunque.com/

My Little Pumpkins

I had so much fun with my Christmas trees on a stick, that I've been experimenting with other shapes. Here's a pumpkin! And speaking of pumpkins, Daisy was "helping" me open a bag of fiberfill the other day ... she had a great time right up til the time she fell asleep. She does the same thing with her squeeky toys ... I'm starting to think I'll save money on toys and just put stuffing in bags for her to tear apart!

Found treasures pendants

I've been itching to make some necklaces lately, but just haven't been able to get to it this past week!* Today I ran across this image of some I made earlier this year and wanted to share.

* Do you ever have about a zillion ideas bouncing around in your head and there are so many that you don't even know where to begin? That's been my problem this past week. I guess I should be grateful I'm having a bumper crop of ideas instead of a draught, but sometimes I feel paralyzed, unable to start. I'm trying to get over this by making lists and just doing a little bit each day. It's very hard, because I'm so anxious to get it all done NOW. But I've come to realize it's OK if I don't get everything done all at once or even right away. OK, stepping off my soapbox ...