A little scrappy thing.

At our school, we have a fundraiser where each class makes up a gift basket and they are silent-auctioned to the highest bidder. For Audrey's class I donated a family photo session, and for Margret's class I whipped up this mini journal. It's from 7gypsies, and covered with some old 7G paper, with a bit of blue watercolor added. I added the paper flowers and brad, and a black flourish rub-on. Finally, I glued a ribbon down along the left side. Voila. Done. And delivered.

Busted.

Audrey, to Mommy, after school yesterday: Did you get a haircut?

Mommy: Actually, I just cut my own bangs.

Audrey: WHAT! I'm going to tell your mom!

Moscow Ballet Nutcracker ticket info.

For those of you who have expressed interest in seeing Margret dance in the Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet, here's all the info you need.

The event takes place Sunday, December 8 at 3p at the Cannon Center (downtown at 255 North Main). Here is the seating chart.

I don't have specifics as to exactly which seats cost what. But I can tell you that $65 seats are discounted to $50, $45 seats are $35 and $35 seats are $30, and we will get the best seats available in these price ranges. This is the performer discount, and I must have your money and number of tickets by the end of day Monday, Nov. 3. If you miss that deadline, you can order tickets directly from Ticketmaster.

Also, there is no photography allowed at the performance. The company will shoot a video and Margret will be professionally photographed in her costume. Yes, it will just about kill me not to take my camera. But I'll live. And I can't wait to go!

The heat is on.

I really wanted to hold out til November 1, but this morning it was 36 degrees outside...and 59 in. I've been tolerating 64 degrees in the house for the past few days, and it was no problem as long as kept moving around, or I got under the covers to read. But 59 does not sound conducive for a day of work at home. So while I made breakfast for the girls, I switched over to "heat" on the thermostat.

This summer I tried to keep the AC around 77, as a cost-saving measure. It was livable, even though we used to keep it down toward 73 or 74. Now I plan to adjust the programmable thermostat to keep it a bit cooler inside this winter. Not sure where we will end up, but we all have fleece pullovers that are going to get used.

I feel like I've made such strides in cutting grocery and household costs, and we've paid off two credit cards (with another designated for the chopping block in the next few months). I've got money saved for Christmas. I use as little gas as possible. I want to do everything I can to maximize our income. A little cold is worth some financial security, don't you think?

Halloween costume sneak peek.

Our neighborhood held a Halloween party this weekend, and of course the Lambert girls had to go. It was also the reason I was working so hard on Margret's costume. I started sewing on Friday, in between picking up the girls from school and taking them to Margret's ballet practice. Time was at such a premium I kept telling Margret to go into the kitchen and read me the numbers off the digital clock.

On Saturday I had a photo shoot in the morning. After I got back and we had lunch, I finished the belt and headband, and then we started on the necklace. I've never done any beading before, so I just asked John for some fishing line and got out some small needles. I may not have done it right, but I did complete a turquoise and silver necklace. And I did it just in time.

The party was great, with lots of things for the kids to do, like decorate goodie bags. You can see a bit of Margret's costume here, and Audrey is a lovely little witch. But the hat got in the way of playing. I'll post full costume pics later this week.

Winter must be coming.

Don't just sit there looking at me, dude. Go hide some nuts.

Blog Followers review, part 6.

And finally:

Fudge's Art Stuff: Richard is a co-worker of my husband's and a painter. And he's married to Fresh Fudge. Check out his recent stuff.

AmyRehnae: you should go take a look just to see her header. Seriously beautiful. If I ever win a lottery I'm going to go buy some of her mixed media work. Just lovely!

Off the Vine: this is the blog of my neighbor and friend, Brooke, who never met a stranger. She writes exactly as she talks!

Sparkitecture: art from a different perspective, this blog is gorgeous!

I Heart Toast: don't you just have to go visit a blog with that title?

Remodeling this Life: I stumbled upon this blog when I was deep into home improvement earlier this year (more on that in the future). It's lovely. When I grow up I want to be Emily.

Native American girl costume.

I love homemade Halloween costumes. It's not even about the cost (I've spent over $25 on this); I just think it's cool to have something no one else will have.

My mother-in-law brought the girls some costumes for their dress-up trunk. Audrey was happy to latch on to the witch costume for Halloween. I bought her a hat to complete the outfit, although now she wants a blue wig. I'll see what I can find.

Margret at first was going to wear a genie costume, but then changed her mind. That's fine. I think kids should get to decide (within reason) what to be for Halloween. So we went to Goodwill and bought a $4 brown ladies shirt. I had to add a brown felt panel to the deep V-neck. Then I took some cotton duck material I already had and make a collar out of it. Margret and I went to the fabric store and bought two yards of beads on ribbons (on sale, about $11).

Yesterday I went to Michael's and bought feathers and some turquoise beads (another $11) to make a necklace. And we started sewing in between school and ballet practice. Today we have a neighborhood Halloween party and I still need to whip up a belt (I made a small purse with beads and feathers) and a headband. But first I need to dash out to a photo shoot...another crazy day.

Mail solution.

A while ago--I can't even remember how long--I talked about trying to find a solution for our mail. The current remedy of tossing it on the kitchen counter and watching it grow was not really working.

When I redid my office recently, I had a small wooden organizer that I loved, but no longer needed. I put it in a spot in the den, with the intention of sorting the mail there. But I never really go in the den except to watch tv, so I never put any mail in there.

Then I moved it into the dining room, which is primarily the room where homework gets done and backpacks get emptied. Even though it's closer to the kitchen, that wasn't working either.

I had nearly resigned myself to putting the organizer on the kitchen counter. But it takes up a fair amount of space and it's in my baking area and I don't need egg whites slopping on the mortgage. This past weekend I took a look around the kitchen and realized that with a little rearranging, I could put the organizer on my shelf above the baking area.

And guess what? It works! The mail may still get plopped on the counter, but I can quickly toss the junk in the trash (to my lower right) and sort the remaining mail.

This makes me deliriously happy. The organizer has four slots; one for each of us. It also has two shelves, one for mail that needs to be shred (which used to be in another place), and one for things that need to be filed. The tall area to the right is for outgoing mail. It also holds our family journal, just because it fits there and is easy to get to.

As the busy photo season winds down in another month, I plan to take a fresh look at the house again and resume blogging on my Housesmart blog as well. I'll keep you posted.

Blog Followers review, part 5.

More bloggy goodness:

Callaloo Soup: Francine is one of my very best scrappy friends. Just because she lives in France and we've never met doesn't mean I don't completely adore her! Her scrapping is to die for.In a good way.

Dawn: I met Dawn through Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. She's an absolute angel who has helped coordinate local infant bereavement shoots. I finally met her for real (we have talked on the phone several times) and I liked her even more.

Sheri's Funny Farm: I met Sheri through a mutual friend who asked me to do a photo shoot of Sheri's family. What a delightful group of people! And I love it when a parent who is reluctant to have her photo taken then uses it as her avatar!

Couture de papier: check out the beautiful paper art here.

Fortuosity: I don't know Karen, but I look forward to reading more about her.

Random photo tag.

I've been tagged by Paula. Apparently I'm supposed to get the fourth photo out of the fourth folder from my picture files. But since my work stuff is mixed in with my personal stuff, that doesn't really work for me. So Paula, I just uploaded some random pics from my camera and here's the one I'm posting. It's better than the one of Audrey's feet that she asked me to take. Because she is a weirdy.

And because I'm lazy/busy, I'm tagging everyone who is reading this. Follow the rules and post the fourth photo from your fourth photo folder, or just pick something random. Go!

Blog Followers review, part 4.

More blogs:

Fresh Fudge: another local friend and one I just got to hang out with. Erin is a super-crafter and I pretty much love everything she does.

Tiff: I don't know Tiff, but I'm pretty sure she's related to another of my followers. You have to go check out her lovely blog template.

The Park Wife: Stephanie and I were friends and co-workers a looooongg time ago! It's fun to keep up with her here.

Perfect Chaos: I love, love, love Liz. We met through scrapping and she is one of my favorite photo clients. She is one of the most lovely people I know.

Inside my head: Kim and I met on a scrapping message board, but haven't caught up in real life yet. She's a sweetie. And I have so enjoyed watching the evolution of her scrapping.

Another trip downtown.

Let's just get this out of the way: I love this family. They are neighbors. The older daughter goes to the same school as my kids. And the mom is wonderfully creative. And funny. And I was thrilled to hear that they wanted their family shoot downtown this year.

I loved this location, but I was a little scared that baby was going to sneak in between the rungs.

This year, I made mom and dad work hard for their shots. I know they love and respect each other. I just had to make them show it.

This is my favorite third-grader. If you've ever seen my business postcards, you've most likely seen her. I've used her photos a lot.

I photographed baby girl when she was brand new. And she just keeps getting cuter.

This was right before she started crying. The baby, not mom. Hey, it happens.

Sweet sisters. Again. Love this family.

Blog Followers review, part 3.

Lookee, lookee:

Collaborative Creations: Amy is from my home state, Maryland, and we run into each other every once in a while. I especially love her clear albums.

Falwyn: she's really on wordpress, but she has a leftover link from Blogger. I love her writing.

Mandy Dake: she's just so dang cute. I think she's been reading my blog for quite a while. She makes seriously gorgeous pages.

Live.Scrap.Repeat: Paula is my buddy. My online scrap buddy. I have adored her from afar for years. We finally met last year in Canada. And I adored her even more. I wish she lived next door to me. Oh, did I mention she is the most fabulous scrapper?

Ashley: this talented party planner and I just recently met for a photo session, although I had done her son's preschool photos last year. Check out her cool Hip Hostess blog.

Mama-to-be.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy doing maternity sessions. As I've said before, it's a whole different type of photography for me and I love the challenge of it. Here are some first-time parents-to-be.

Dad did whatever he was told, including moving furniture. Because if I come to your house, furniture will be moved.

I love bedsheets used as drapes.

And of course, we always have to show the hands on the belly. If I remember correctly, this baby is due next month. Wishing you well, A!

Blog Followers review, part 2.

More blogs to look at:

Making of Moments: I met Michelle through our local scrapbooking store. She's hilarious in real life, and she's a wonderful stamper. Go look.

Half Full Martini: my uber-talented friend, Jennifer, sees the martini glass half full. And she sews and scraps and has her own Etsy shop. She rocks.

Stephanie Drummond: she's a middle Tennessee photographer building up her business. She's got some beautiful images posted.

Hillary: a mommy-scrapper with great work to share.

Rebecca: you have to love someone who will scrap their Zutter Bind-It-All. And I'm totally jealous she's been to Creative Escape.

The urban shoot.

A few of my photo clients have requested downtown shoots. Which I love doing. There are so many interesting nooks and crannies and I feel like I have just scratched the surface.

This is such a sweet family.

Love this one of mom. I think she's using it for an avatar now.

Little boy was so, so cute. I actually took his preschool portraits last year.

I still have a few weekends open; let me know if you are interested in an urban shoot.

Blog Followers review, part 1.

As promised, I looked at each and every follower of my blog and wanted to let you know about all the little gems out there. Just in case you want to expand your horizons a bit.

Happy Daisy: the personal blog of the owner of ScrapCandy.com, which looks like a great site to order your scrappy supplies ($2.99 shipping!). Love the photos on this blog.

Random Pondering: my Canadian neighbor, Colleen, shows off some beautiful work.

Fat and Scrappy: you just have to love the title of Kim's blog. I'm eager to see where her new business venture takes her.

Mother2twins: I met Jennifer when I went to the first ScrapEtc. event in Birmingham. I love seeing how her family has grown!

Drew and Eli: sweet family blog with lots of pics.

Comp book.

Last night I taught a private scrap class to a group of friends who meet monthly. And that's my sample up above: a covered composition book. They are so easy to make, so I thought I'd share some of the steps with you.

First, think about what you'd like to use the book for: a private journal? A big notepad for your purse? A place to write down your gardening ideas? I showed everyone another journal I did, called "from me to you" that Margret and I share. Several of the scrappers last night did husband and wife journals.

You'll need four sheets of patterned paper (I used BasicGrey), a gluestick, letters for the title (mine were BasicGrey and American Crafts Thickers), flowers, brads or other embellishments. I brought my Cropadile Big Bite so we could add a grommet and tie a ribbon and pen to the journal.

To make the journal, rub a glue stick all over the front cover, except for where the black binding is. Adhere the paper right up to the black binding and let it dry a few minutes. It's important to make sure you have glue on the edges so the paper won't separate from the cover later. Do the same thing with the back cover.

After they dry for a few minutes, trim the paper around the cover. It doesn't have to be perfect; just get it as close as you can. Take a file and sand down the edges. That will smooth out any rough parts. At this point you can add your title and any embellishments to the front (or back).

Next you can paper the inside covers the same way you did the outside: rub glue on the entire surface and press the paper down. Trim and sand. You can also ink the edges, if you'd like.

The final step is to add an eyelet or grommet to the top, and then use a ribbon to tie on a pen. And that's all there is to this. I think these could make some really lovely holiday gifts, too.

2008 Holiday cards.

Once again this year I'm offering my photo clients a selection of custom holiday cards. These are sold in sets of 20 for $25 and include white envelopes. I can customize the type on any of these and you can have a personal message as well. The only catch is that you have to use a photo that I've taken. Please email me at marci at makearteveryday.com and we can work out the details together. ETA: the cards are 5x7 flat prints.

By the way, these samples feature some of my recent preschool photo shoots.

Sample A

Sample B

Sample C

Sample D

Sample E

Sample F

Sample G

Sample H

Sample I

The Tuesday that feels like Monday.

Sorry for the no posting. My dad and stepmom just spent a week here and the girls had Friday and Monday off for spring break, so I've been constantly on the move. In between entertaining parents and kids, I've managed to edit a few photo sessions that I'll be posting over the next few days. This is the busy season. And I love it.

I'm thrilled to be back to my regular routine today, but I'm a bit out of sorts because it really does feel like Monday. I think I'll get used to it eventually. How's your day going?

Fire.

Thursday was our ninth wedding anniversary, and since my dad and stepmom were/are in town visiting, they wanted to get us a giftie. They suggested a fire pit and I said "YES!" I picked it out and we got it set up yesterday in time to fire it up after dinner.

And let me tell you: ain't nothing better than a fire-roasted marshmallow on a dark chocolate smore.

This is why the internets need to exist.

Here's a recent comment to one of my posts:

Good Morning! For me, a newish work-at-homer, I am still figuring it out, but like you, I try to do a few (of the same) things household-wise before heading out to the studio. (empty dishwasher, a load of laundry, make bed, etc.) Although lately that has all flew out the window! I also put my hair up, fix a big glass of water with some electrolytes in it, grab whatever has been stashed by the back door to go to the studio, and head out!

I know you don't know me, but yours was one of the first blogs I found about 2 years ago when I first discovered blogs and this whole artistic community. Please forgive my ignorance back then for just reading (voraciously) and never commenting to you. I just didn't get it then! I just wanted you to know that you and this blog helped to save me. Helped me to find myself, and you and this blog are a huge part of my story and my journey. (well, you and Julia Cameron, but it was you who led me back to her!) I cannot say thank you enough. And I should have said it before now. So, thank you, Marci Lambert. Thank you so much.

xo,
~Amy

Amy, I'm so glad you wrote. I'm so glad to know you a little bit better. I could have said the same thing to other bloggers I was reading two years ago. Finding artistic inspiration is life-saving. I'm sure of it. I'm so glad you added your blog to the followers section. Because I'll be sure to take a look and share with everyone here. And maybe someday you'll get a comment as lovely as the one I did. Hope your day is fantastic.

I am deeply sorry if I spammed you.

Yesterday my email stopped working. Well, it would let me receive email, but I could not send any. Few things send me over the edge faster than electronic difficulties. I tried ignoring the problem but it didn't go away. Right before I was ready to burst into tears, I called John.

He checked his personal account and had an email from Comcast that basically said our account was locked because we were spammers. Wha?

Long story short, we are not spammers and we found a fix that took care of everything and now there is a free flow of email in and out of our accounts. I wondered if some virus sent out something from my account to my address book. Anyone? But since I have a Mac I'm usually immune to that kind of thing. Anyhoo...if I spammed you in recent day, I'm sorry.

Waiting for inspiration to strike?

Girl, I know how you feel. When there is some creative thing inside you that you just have to get out. It doesn't matter that your mom has told you to go to sleep. When you have that drive to make something, mom's words don't really matter. And it also doesn't matter if the lights are out. True creativity cannot be stopped by lack of light.

But the one true enemy of the creative process? Sleep.

Sweet dreams, darling.

How do you do it?

The last few weeks have been quite full for me, but I feel like I have been thriving. Maybe it's because the girls are in school and I have learned to use that time wisely. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to a fast pace. Maybe I have learned to eliminate the unimportant.

I do think a major part of it is my to do list. Every night or morning I make a list of what needs to happen. It's just a simple list in Word, with times next to tasks. The times aren't necessarily set in stone; most are just a general guideline to keep me on track. The list looks something like this:

WEDNESDAY
6a Up
6:15a Wake up everyone
6:30a Breakfast
Make lunches
7:10a Girls to school
7:30a Breakfast/blogs
Dishwasher
Make beds
Shower
8:30a Client edit
Clean out car
10a Stop by preschool
10:30a Client meeting
Get gas, cash check
12p Lunch
etc....

By adding in the times, I can catch myself if I try to overschedule. If I know editing a session is going to take 2-3 hours, I'm not going to schedule three of them before lunch. I used to just print these out (on 5x8 plain index cards) on the weekdays. But now I'm finding they are helpful on the weekends as well, to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. And I'm pleased to report that nearly everything gets crossed off every day. Even the extra things that I end up writing in as the day progresses.

Here's my question for you: how do you get it all done? Do you use lists, planners, a wall calendar, your brilliant mind? Tell me what works for you.

The Christmas Crazy has begun.

No, this was not the scene at my house last night. But last night I had a dream that I completely forgot to buy Christmas presents for the girls. I mean completely. I ran around the house trying to find anything I could wrap up and stick under the tree. And aside from an awesome stash of shampoo, I couldn't find much. Very stressful!

Every year I say I want Christmas to be calmer. And sometime in November we'll have a family conversation about what we really want to do with our limited time. Like go see Margret in The Nutcracker. Make cookies. Photograph our holiday card. Watch Christmas movies while drinking hot chocolate. Pick out and decorate a tree. Hang wreaths.

But the next big task will be taking a look at the gift list that's currently living in my purse (in case I come across some deal). I've collected a few gift cards and cashed a few rebate checks and put those in with the list. I'm determined not to use credit cards (for the first time) this year. I expect some photography income in the next few weeks and I'll start buying once I get the cash. And hopefully it will all even out.

Because I am truly interested in my blog readers, I'd love to know how you handle holiday gift giving. I have a large family, with multiple sets of parents, five siblings (all married, some with kids) and a few special aunts and uncles. In the last few years, we've stopped buying for the siblings and just given to their kids. Picking names doesn't really work for me, because I have two brothers from one family and two brothers and a sister from the other side. We also give modest teacher gifts (usually something we can make). In the past, we've exchanged gifts with a few of the girls' friends. With the current economic mess, I may just suggest that we drop that this year. I'd rather invite friends over to make cookies instead of buying more plastic.

So tell me: what do you do about gift giving? And will you change your plans this year? Leave a comment.

Speechless.

Audrey: "I'm going to the Memphis University for college."

Me: "Really? What are you going to study?"

Audrey: "Donuts."

+++

Margret: "Mommy, I got you a coupon for cookie dough at Kroger but then I put it in a pool noodle and I'm trying to blow it out."

Keep posting your blogs...

I'm swamped at the moment, but I love see all the "followers" to the right. I plan on looking at them all next week. And if you don't have a blogger blog, just post a link in the comments and I'll take a look. I'm in the mood for inspiration.

One terrific week.

It's been a good week for the Lamberts. Audrey was named a "Terrific Kid" for the first six weeks, Margret was selected to dance in the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker and both girls had great report cards. John's been to another Leadership Memphis meeting and I have completed my second preschool shoot in as many weeks. I read to Audrey's class for the first time on Friday (I love reading to the girls' classes) and later, John and I went back in the afternoon to read to Margret's class and attend Audrey's award ceremony.

I've taken Margret to two Nutcracker rehearsals this week, and managed to take along a stack of paperwork each time. I've gone through all my coupon inserts and cut/organized them. And I've made notes for two private scrap classes I'm teaching. I've kept up with editing my preschool stuff and will pick up proofs today. I've ordered some new holiday card templates and am about to turn them over to John to prep for me. I've received a big box of photo envelopes that I'll crack open tomorrow when I prepare the preschool proof packets. I feel like I've had a B12 shot. I'm just amazed and thrilled at all that has happened this week.

Today I'll take Audrey to the Diabetes Walk to support her kindergarten friend. We'll do some errands, then I'll proof the two shoots I did last weekend and prep for the family shoot I have tomorrow. I've had a little time to think (barely) about this pace and I finally realized that I don't just like to be busy. I like to be productive. I like to have something to show for my efforts. And that has certainly been this week.

Found.

OMGhowmuchfastercanigo?

Hear that sound? It's my life whizzing by. I'm grateful it's so full. And I'm a little tired. Today is Margret's first Nutcracker practice and we need to be at the studio by 5:30. Since Audrey has ballet at school, we don't get home until after 3. And there's homework, and unpacking the backpacks, and getting the clementines ready for kindergarten snack tomorrow, and packing some toys for Audrey, and holy cow I really need to work on the neighborhood directory, and is it okay to give the girls ramen noodles for dinner, and I hope I remember to let my neighbor's dog back in his house.

Tomorrow I have one more preschool shoot. And I've managed to keep up with editing and sending off proofs of what I've already done so I can deliver packages to the schools next week. Of course, after that comes the print orders, but that isn't as demanding as the editing/proofing. And I have two other shoots that need editing. And a new shoot this weekend. And another Nutcracker practice. And the Diabetes Walk in support of one of Audrey's friends. And picking up the proofs. And putting the proof packages together. And, uh, sleeping. Maybe.

I hope John likes ramen noodles.