rachie's place

christmas candy & bluebirds

two word tuesday AND an update all in one fell swoop...although it is wednesday and that was three words. eh, details, details...

christmas candy is a holiday/christmas papercrafting kit that i am smitten over. it is full of bright aqua, tomato red, dusty pink, and olive green. it includes some old ivory buttons and kitschy plastic holly. and my FAVORITE part about this kit? my inspiration is a paper (by crate paper) that is not christmas-y at all. not. at. all. 

want to peek?i only have 3. three. tres. trois. this is a kit that, like the giveaway from the weekend, is made mostly from what i have in my personal stash...it also includes treasures i have picked up in thrift stores and from garage sales. when i do list these kits, i will post here and on twitter (which will be in the next couple of days)...

next...what do you get when you take a white bird or two and a petite can of blue spray paint?

you get two blue birds.this was a fun and EASY diy inspired by these lovely ladies...dottie angel, miss james, and my sweet friend amy.

i hear some squeaking puppies which, when translated, means hungry, cold, and in general, just bored.

happy veterans day.

bluebird love

i did some serious (seriously fast) thrifting this morning...and this is one of my prized finds. it is already listed in the shop. i will be adding his friends tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

good morning monday

first...the giveaway winner!

becky k

becky wrote, "how fun! my favorite memory this year so far is when my twin sister got married! it was such a fun, beautiful day! and i was the photographer, so i got to document it for her...i hope i can use this kit to help document it for myself!"

congratulations becky! your website and photography are stunning. please email me your address [rachiesplace@hotmail.com] so i can ship you your goodies this week! in your email, please include what you would like your extra strip of woodgrain label tape to say...

i want to thank everyone for playing. that was fun. i was touched by some of the truly personal and heartfelt memories that you all shared. i LOVE giveaways and plan on doing another one very soon. 

second...we raked leaves this weekend. we raked a TON of leaves. they are beautiful. this morning though? i am feeling it. we also revamped the pantry (thank you rick...xoxo), grocery shopped, cleaned house a little, washed mounds of laundry, played with the dogs in the leaves (before raking), and cooked a yummy homemade pizza with chicken, red grapes, pesto, mozzarella, and green onions...i need another weekend to recover from this one.

third, i am FINISHED with my dental adventure. i had the permanent filling completed this morning and my 3 month root canal fiasco? c'est fini! dieu merci!

let's change the subject...have i ever mentioned that i love pyrex? i have more bowls than one person should own. i mean, really...will i ever use them all? no. so what. meet 3 of my favorites.from the top...

bowl #1: butterprint cinderella mixing bowl

bowl #2: solid color round casserole bowl (originally had a lid and was designed to bake casseroles rather than be used as a mixing bowl)

bowl #3: spring blossom (also known as crazy daisy)

the first bowl is from an estate sale, the second bowl purchased from my favorite etsy shop nellielovesvintage, and the third has been a part of my family for decades and i am crazy about it. my grandparents purchased the entire spring blossom/crazy daisy line including all dishes and oven ware...i even own the salt and pepper shakers, mugs, and cups. this collection was used by my mom when i was a child and then she gave it to me. did i mention i love love love it?

if you are a pyrex lover too, go here...pyrex love.

on this week's agenda...begin some serious garland makin', stitch some stuffed cuties, and post a sneek peak of a holiday scrapbook/papercraft kit that i have been putting together for etsy.

off to work.

xo

a giveaway kit sample

this is a page i made with the kit listed below... i had two blurry polaroids of murray. he is our first dog we adopted together and he has been a challenge. if you have been reading this blog for the past 3 years, you may remember a post or two about just how bad this dog can really be. he was also the distraction that my husband and i needed in the beginning of our marriage when we were still getting used to the idea of BEING married. needless to say, he taught us how to be a family.

this year, murray has slowed down and is aging...not so gracefully. he is getting fatter, pushier, and more demanding, yet he still always has enough love for the entire family. i don't know that this is my favorite memory of 2009, but just this morning, while trying to clean up the kitchen, i found murray completely INSIDE of the dishwasher. it was so funny.

remember, you have until sunday night to enter the drawing for this scrapbook kit! thanks for playing!

(see below for details)

memories

the best thing about memories is creating them.

i don't know who said this, but after reading these words, something clicked. i think as a scrapbooker/papercrafter, i sometimes forget about the memories i am creating with my family and instead, am thinking about the end result. what paper will i use? how will i document this event or feeling? i am leaving my camera at home more often so i can allow myself to focus on the moment. i may still scrap that memory (by painting, journaling, etc.) but i don't beat myself up about making every page perfect.

sooo...in the spirit of the 2009 holiday season and memory making/keeping, i am doing my first giveaway! i have put together a little scrapbook/papercraft/card kit using my stash. included in this kit is some vintage paper ephemera, plastic faceted beads, my FAVORITE rub-ons, a scrap of beautiful thrifted fabric, woodgrain dymo tape, and other goodies...enough product to make a couple of pages AND cards. 

to play along (and i really hope you do!), just leave a comment on your favorite memory of 2009 (so far) and how you plan to remember that treasured moment. i will choose, at random, one winner. in addition to the kit, i will include your own personalized strip of wood-grain label tape. international entries are welcome too! 

you have until this sunday night (11/8/09) at midnight (CST) to leave your comment. the name of the winner will be announced the next day.

i have created a page using this kit and will post a photo a little later today.(click on image to enlarge.)

kit contains:

• 4 sheets 12x12 (bazzill cardstock)
• 3 sheets 12x12 patterned paper (love elsie, k&company, making memories)
• 1 half sheet of adhesive iridescent clear glitter paper (
• 1 8x8 sheet scalloped paper (dcwv)
• 1 sheet vintage school ledger paper
• 1 package thickers
• 1 scrap thrifted vintage fabric
• 1 (very old) bingo card
• scrap rub-ons (hambly)
• 2 handmade crepe paper rosettes
• 1 yard gingham ribbon
• scrap of baker's twine
• 3 raffle tickets
• sheet of adhesive pearls
• clear plastic faceted beads
• 1 foil flower (making memories)
• 2 strips of woodgrain label tape (1 as shown and one of your choice)

two word tuesday...one day late

so i wanted to post my two words for tuesday, but had to tend to some unexpected business yesterday...and then go to work. 

SO. here are my two words for tuesday...on wednesday.

mugs.

cups.

(go here to see more.)

i am busy busy preparing tomorrow's surprise. i am also prepping a whole new batch of vintage love for the shop. tomorrow will be an exciting day.

in the meantime, i want to show you some of my fun new finds that i am going to keep...for now.

...a tiny clear (and very well loved) pyrex mixing bowl. this cutie, approximately 4 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches tall, is PERFECT for holding little treasures. the bottom is much flatter than the popular pyrex cinderella mixing bowls. i have a thing for short and squat. i then found a dusty old plastic bag full of gorgeous beads and plastic jewels. i gave the bowl a quick wash, dumped in the bag of beads and jewels, and voilà...more vintage storage in my studio! i have combined my love of thrifted fun and crafty goodness into something pretty and useful. form follows function.

i also stumbled on this plastic mess that desperately needed a home. i have a grand scheme in mind for this lovely.

well, i am off to package up an etsy purchase, love on my puppies, and get to work.

have an inspiring wednesday. 

xo.

oh my...i have a secret!

something fun. this thursday (11/5/09). right here. be sure to stay tuned!

 off to work-work now.  

have a fabulous monday.

share rachie

ok! my widgets are available (to the left) for your blogs/websites. just copy and paste the code in your sidebar and share rachie's place with others. 

xo, rachel

etsy special

tweet! tweet! i am now tweeting and having so much fun! it is the best way to get updates from your favorite etsy sellers or daily eye-candy bloggers. so...in an attempt to encourage participation, i am offering 20% off all purchases made in the shop until WEDNESDAY, 11/11/09. 

this is how it works. 

1. join twitter. it is easy, free, takes only a couple of minutes, and you can customize your page. 
2. become a follower of rachie's place. 
3. leave me a tweet! (hey, i like tweets, messages, email, snail mail...whathaveyou)
4. then go shopping.
5. when checking out, enter the code TWEET*TWEET in the note to seller space and complete your transaction.
6. i will calculate your 20% discount* and as soon as the item has been paid for, i will refund your money via PayPal. 
7. voila. you are finished!

*discount DOES NOT apply to shipping.

if you are already on twitter, you can still play...just search for me and start following the fun!

dear leigh-ann

(photos 1, 2, & 3 are from weheartit. photo 4 is by moi.)

leigh-ann of freckled nest designed some widgets for rachie's place and we are now advertising on two of my all-time favorite websites/blogs! leigh-ann's and rachel denbow's smile and wave. 

go take a look...i will also have the widgets available to grab the code and share the love!

one more time...thank you LA!