New Jewelry :)

So, its been a while since Ive done any kind of jewelry or shop update.

Here is a bit of what you can look forward to in the new year.

These are all posted and in the shop already.

I am loving them all, I am beginning to really come into my own as far as knowing exactly what I love working with. Hopefully others will agree :)

Etsy Buy Handmade violetbella

Later I will post a NEW YEARS entry!

Click on the etsy mini above and go check out the newbies in the shop!

Peace,

Laura

Sick Day

This is me yesterday and today.

I feel sick and lack all motivation to do anything.

I tried crocheting, but didnt get too far.

I took a long bath.

Blah.

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Highlight of today, my friend Renea stopped by and gave me my Xmas present.

She made me one of her most beautiful scarfs:

I am so happy, it is my favorite in her shop!

Go check out the rest of her items, she is making some really cool hand stained wooden boxes too!

Penny Threads

Thank you Renea!

And she also brought me yummy treats from the fam!

Spiced chai cookies and mini pumpkin loafs (i think they are pumpkin), among other goodies!

It was a nice treat in the midst of not feeling good, but the nicest part was just seeing her for a bit. We chatted crafts for a while and it was just nice to see her!

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Argghhh, believe it or not, we have to go to the laundry mat when james gets home tonite, at like 10:30, and its cold and rainy outside! I so dont want to go out!

Out for now...

Peace,

Laura

Christmas Part 2

And here is my Christmas 2009:

{mega photo overload}

First, is the LOVE I felt with my hubby.

:)

We went to my Nanna's house first thing in the morning.

This is me playing in a box with Aiden, my brother's son.

He was sick, but he still had a good time.

This is me and my cousin Emily. We are usually inseperable when we get together. She looks up to me in a big way.

We played in the leaves and took pictures!

James got me this adorable slouchy beanie!

I love it!

NOW FOR THE PRESENTS!!!

First I will show all the presents I got...

all from James except the last one...

I love love love this business card holder. It is personalized and handmade by

Concentric

check it out with my cards in it!

And this is the adorable stamp he got custom made for me for all my packaging! You saw how I used it on my xmas gifts in the previous post!

Its a little girl holding up a button, so cute!

made by

Sribbling Club

The Handmade Nation DVD, I cant wait to watch it!

The cute little note he put on my next gift!

The Seams to Me book!

25 new sewing projects, I am going to be one busy girl in 2010!

His parents got me a $100 gift certificate to Michael's craft store, omg!

I cant wait to go shopping!!!

And my Nanna and aunt Lisa (my mom's sister) got me a dress form!

I couldnt believe it!

Here she is all dressed up in my favorite Violet Bella handmade outfit, and a scarf I made for my friend!

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AND NOW FOR MY GIFTS TO JAMES!

I made a skateboard with on of my photos on it!

I have been wanting to do this for a long time!

He says its too pretty to use though, he he!

I made his this robot plushie, its suppose to be the robot from the front of The Get Up Kids, Something To Write Home About album. Excellent album, check it out if you havent already! We just saw them in concert for the 10 year anniversary of this album!

I got James a Bullet Cable for his guitar, maybe he will actually play now!

look, it has little guns on the end!

James wearing his new brown argyle sweater! and his stocking!

My first completed Style School project went to James, a pocket pillow!

I love how this turned out.

I embroidered our faces!

He loved it!

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NOW FOR THE BABIES!

We wheeled Nico into the living room for present time!

James is holding his stocking!

he he, so cute!

This is his cage cover I made for him!

Giving Violet her stocking...

She loves her new bunny, she has been playing with it ever since!

Bella opening her present!

I made her this little quilt. She loves to help me every time I make a quilt and she always lays all over them, so I thought she needed her own.

She freakin loves it! She lays on it, and plays with the little ball string I attached to it, she runs and slides under it! It is so cute! It makes me so happy!

James and Violet snuggled on the couch afterwards.

We kept Nico in the livingroom to watch an episode of Criminal Minds with us before bed!

He got to stay up late for christmas!

Then we played scrabble on our NEW DIAMOND EDITION board I got from my cousin Shane!

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A FEW GIFTS I MADE FOR OTHERS, I STILL CANT SHOW THEM ALL!

A pocket pillow for my nanna and her new beau!

Ornaments for the girls, I put Broken China charms on them so that my mom would be a part of it!

I embroidered this scarf for my cousin Emily, she is obsessed with Green Day, I think its so cute!

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AND IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH!

The day after xmas we got this in the mail!

The sweetest card ever from Lexie, from

Cupcake Sniper

It so made my day, I was jumping my way out of the post office!

Thanks so much Lex, you are the best!

She gave us hot chocolate and a candy cane, how cute!

We made the cup of hot chocolate to drink while we watched our last episode of Criminal Minds!

Okay, so now that you are blinded with photos...

I shall go get to work!

I will be posting new items in the shop today!

click here

And I just made an awesome treasury you should go check out and give some love!

BIRD OF ANOTHER FEATHER

PEACE,

laura

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY WINNER!

one lucky person gets an extra christmas present this year, just for being a follower and supporter of my blog and art!

we tried to get Bella to pick, but she wouldnt pick one up...

So James did...

Congrats to JAMIE of

INSPIRED MESS

{I dont think Bella was too happy about that on her head}

Jamie, just email me your address!

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AND...I just reached my 100th follower!

Thanks Poor Pitiful Pearl!!!

You get to pick out your favorite 5x5 photo from my shop!

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PEACE,

laura

The Pumpkin Roll

First things first, as promised, The Pumpkin Roll:

For those of you who did not read my earlier posts, I made my cousin Shane a pumpkin roll for christmas. My mom used to make it for him every year for his present, so I decided this year to carry on the tradition. It was my first time making one!

So here it goes!

started off quite simple, basic ingredients... I was feeling very confident!

of course, I had my little helper by my side, she always sits right here while I am baking/cooking in the kitchen!

my favorite bowls! James got me this bowl from anthropologie last year, I love it and use it all the time! and the green measuring cup is from there too!

So I got the crust baked and on the tea towel, so proud! I was feeling VERY confident by now!

Until this happened! Eeeek! I knew something was bound to go wrong!

So, I sucked it up and decided to make a pumpkin sandwich!

Full of yummy cream cheese icing!

But I had just enough pumpkin left to try again! So I did. This time I baked the crust 5 minutes less, and I used cheese cloth to roll it up in. I set it in the fridge for about an hour before unrolling it for the filling. Worked like a charm, but I only had a bit of filling left from the first one and was too lazy to go to the store for more ingredients! So, its beautiful but not as tasty as the 'sandwich'. So I gave my cousin the 'sandwich' one for his present!

It was alot of fun to make though, I will definitely try again!

A HUGE THANKS TO HOOT-N-ANNIE FOR THE RECIPE!!!

And here are all my chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies getting ready for packaging!

Heres the inside packaging...

And the outside! The little stamp is my new Violet Bella stamp that James got custom made for me for christmas! Is it not the cutest thing? I will post more pics in my next blog of gifts!

Some of my calendars wrapped for christmas!

So much more coming. I have a ton of pics, so I will be breaking up the posts! And today I am getting together the winner of the giveaway!

PEACE,

laura