HodgePodge by Amanda

Blog stalking

No, the title of my post is not as sinister or scary as it sounds.  Just my funny way of referring to my daily visits to fav blogs.  Today I checked in on one of my fav artists Claudine Hellmuth.  She has an interesting post about Freeing your creativity!  I highly recommend checking it out!

I find it difficult to call myself an artist.  I usually refer to myself as a creatist.  Strange I know.  If I tried to explain it, my post would be very, very long.  I tend to ramble.  Anyways... this article that Claudine found is just what I needed to see right now.  I am in the midst of creating away for a variety of shows coming up, and I seem to get caught up in that creative drag. 

In our new house (someday) I will have a wall where I can just write on it graffiti style, random thoughts and doodles.  This quote will be there, "The job of the artist is to create, not to assign value to our creations."  I just need to keep creating, not everything I make will be what I envision and that is OK!  Being an artist, (there I said it) means taking risks, challenging yourself to continue to grow and experiment, and having fun!  Next to being a mom, it's the coolest job in the world! 

Happy Creating everyone!

Experiencing a Blond moment!

    It occurred to me that I failed to post a picture of my little give away!  Not sure what happened other than a Blond/mommy moment!  So here is a picture of what you could win just by leaving me a little note...
    The piece is titled, "Someday, my prince will come!"  It is a custom made charm featuring sterling silver accents, shimmering crystals, and vintage pearls.  Oh, and the cute little sterling silver ball chain comes with (it says it's 18", but I think it is closer to 16"!)
    Just a little way to say Thank You for taking time to stop by every now and then to see what is going on in my little corner of the world.

    So, as I said, I have been experiencing what I like to call Blond Moments.  Call it sleep deprivation, low blood sugar, whatever... it just means I am not functioning at 100%.  The Fall show season is fast approaching, and I have been working on some new pieces.  Check out the Fall Guy...

I still have some finishing touches to add, but I like where he is heading. 

    The summer isn't complete without a trip to the fair and a trip to the zoo.  Here are a few of my fav pics from the outings with my boys...

finally a good hair day!
This is a new installation at the zoo.  A large Monarch Caterpillar for the kids to climb on...
and here is a picture of Cameron riding the rooster on the carousel at the fair...

Well, I had better get back to work...  I have this little voice in my head saying, "just keep working, just keep working..."  Ya know the little blue fish (Dori) from Finding Nemo (she actually says, just keep swimming, but whatever works)

New adventures

The LolliShops:  The froufrou friendly marketplace.  I am thrilled to be one of the talented artists selling their creations at this fabulous site.   Go on and sign up to receive the latest news about opening day!

The start of the school year brings new work for me.  I already have a few sub jobs lined up, and I am sure there will be plenty more.  I decided to do some back to school shopping for myself, and boy is that ever depressing.  What is it with the latest fashions today?  It used to be fun.  Of course, that was pre-college, marriage, and babies. 

I did manage to find some nice fitting, comfortable pants.  No tops though.   Seriously, I only want to look pregnant when I am actually pregnant!    Fortunately, Old Navy has some simple basic tees that fit great.  Just gotta get back there and pick up some more.  Maybe, I will check out ordering online...

Have a great weekend!

It's a blog-a-versary!

HodgePodge by Amanda is turning 2!  Well the blog is anyways...  2 years of posting my ramblings and creative endeavors.  You have been there with me through it all.  I look forward to many more posts to come.  Lots of fun things in the works, more swaps, and of course more give aways! 
    To say "THANK YOU!" the best way I know how, I am giving away one of my latest creations to one lucky reader.  Just simply leave a comment below.  I will draw a winner on September 1st at 6 pm CST.  
    Good luck and Happy Creating!

10 days and counting...

In some ways I am ready for the summer to be over and the new school year to begin, and in others, I am not. Hopefully there will be a few days break in between jobs to catch my breath and sanity.  It has been a wild and crazy summer at daycare with the school agers.  All the field trips, water play days, and projects.  I have learned a lot, and hopefully I will take that with me when the new year of "guest teaching" begins.  Isn't that a nice term.  So much better than substitute teacher.  I still like "wandering educator" myself. 

Today is a beautiful day here in Nebraska.  The weather is simply gorgeous for a summer day.  I hope it stays this way until winter.  Ha Ha Ha!  We plan on taking in the county fair tonight.  Hopefully I will have some pictures to share. 

Got some fun goodies at the local antique shops today.  Can't wait to start using them in some pieces.  Well I hear the battle cries of my little ones, and I think the oldest is winning... Have a great weekend!

Simply Charming, darling

I had so much fun hosting my first charm swap!  Thank you ladies for joining me in all the fun.  Each charm is absolutely beautiful!  Take a look for yourself...
After this photo was taken, I did receive one more charm, and I wanted to share a photo so that all my guests were included...

It is so interesting to me to see the different interpretations of the theme.  Thank you all for waiting to see the end result...

Wait a minute Mr. Postman...

Ok ladies I know you have all been patiently waiting... Charms will ship out tomorrow!  As you can see, I was able to recycle almost everyone's packaging, PHEW!  It is such a good feeling seeing them all packaged up, just waiting to travel!

It's been a crazy weekend, between getting ready for a show, finishing up last minute swap details, work, life in general, and finally going to the show... I am ready for a nice long rest  HA HA HA!  No rest for the weary!  I still have things in the works that I need to focus on right now. 

I did post some fun creations on etsy.  I hope you stop by and take a look. 

Have a great night!

A quick note before bed...

Well, I tried my best to stay up and work, but I am not as young as I used to be.   The kids at daycare can literally suck the energy right out of ya.

Yesterday (Thursday), we went to Boyscout camp for an all day field trip!  Lots of fun in the sun, thankfully the rain held out until we got back to the center.  What do you get when you take 3 inflatable pools full of water, 1 slip and slide, and 30 or so kids?  1 crazy game of kick ball.  The pools were bases, and the slip and slide was home plate.  Talk about fun, so much so that I even kicked off the shoes and gave my best for a cannon ball.  The counselor took a photo of my splashy slide, but I haven't seen it yet. 

Needless to say, I was worn out by the time I got home.  I had every intention of working on more stuff for Plum Pickens, but Mother Nature decided I needed a break.  Yep the power went out!  Off to bed I went just in time for the power to return.  I stayed in bed!

So today, I decided to get one of my fav treats from Sonic... a Mocha Java Chiller.  My DH bought me a second one after work tonight.  Hello sugar!  Anyways, I thought some adult beverages might help me out while working.  I have a tendency to over think every little detail.  I think it helped, but now I am just plain exhausted!  I know your reading this thinking, "GET TO BED!" which is precisely what I plan on doing.  I just wanted to share a picture of one little creation...
He got a few finishing touches, not seen here.  Now if I could just stay motivated to work on more of these frosty little friends...

New pieces in the works

Just a few more days until the most wonderful show in the Big O!  Plum Pickens Christmas in July!  I have been busy creating a few custom pieces, and of course some fab stuff for the show.  It has been a crazy few weeks around here, and I would sure love to get my dinning room back.

I got to hang out with my BP Cara Friday night.  We were trying to make a video for my blog... it would help if I had a voice, yep lost it!  Go figure!  We had fun anyways, and I did get a few pieces finished to share. 
The last one is a custom order.  I just love making these.  My goal is to create the add on elements like the elephant rather than use pieces from the scrapbook store.  Check out my rocket and my car.  I like how they turned out.  I have a few more ideas whirling around my head, but I need to get a few things ready for the show this weekend.  Time just keeps getting away from me!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Oh my glittery goodness!!!!

So much to share today!  I just received a confirmation email for Silver Bella today, it appears that I am registered for all the classes that I requested.  To say that I am excited doesn't even begin to cover it!  I don't know how Teresa does it, but I am thankful that she does!  If you haven't been to a Bella event, you should check out the info and then start saving those pennies!

Today we went on a field trip to CiCi's pizza.  Amazing group of people, they invited each student back to make their very own pizza!  28 pizzas to be exact.  Then they brought out 2 pans of their cinnamon rolls.  YUM YUM!!!  I gained at least 5 lbs just looking at them.  I won't even tell you how much butter they put on them!
So here is a picture of my extremely stuffed students...
Here is a picture of what a few of them left behind...
I cannot believe how much each one ate today.  This was eaten by one person, and no it is not a personal sized pizza.  It looks like there were 9 pieces there when she started out.  Keep in mind all of my students are on average 8-10 years old. 

The biggest surprise of the field trip was the cost... FREE!  That's right nada, zip, zilch!  They didn't charge us a dime for all 28 pizzas, drinks, and cinnamon rolls.  Absolutely amazing!  I have some work cut out for me making a thank you card, but it is a small price to pay for their generosity today!  So if you live here in Lincoln, be sure to stop out at the new CiCi's Pizza on Hwy 2 by Lowe's.  The staff is great, and the place is sparkling clean.  The price can't be beat either, the buffet is just around $5 without a drink.  And don't forget the cinnamon rolls! 

Well I am off to hang with my BP Cara tomorrow night!  Going to be making some new tiaras and other little goodies for the show next weekend... seriously where does the time go?  Yep it's Christmas in July with the artists of Plum Pickens.  Check out the details below...
Hope to see you there!