C is for Cookies


Todays Post is ALL about Cookies
It's the perfect time of year to dust off your cook book
or sift through that giant bin of misc. recipes
and share the sweet goodness of a homemade treat!


Nothing is quite as sweet
as the satisfaction of serving your loved ones
a fresh batch of homemade cookies
although I must admit my cookies are not usual from scratch


in fact my favorite cookies to bake
are from the Confetti Cake Mix
oh yes with Cake frosting too!
YUMMM! They always come out so moist~
just like cake!

My favorite cookie of all time is without a doubt, Double Stuffed Oreos
I actually must admit that I have a bit of an Oreo problem
I honesty could substitute Oreos for any and every meal of the day!
EEEEK!

I also LOVE macaroons!
My favorite is Carmel because it has the perfect balance of sweet and salty


Many of us are gearing up for the Holidays
and most of us will bake a batch or two or twenty of our favorite holiday cookie
Here are some decorating ideas sure to bring joy to those you hold dear



I was just too thrilled when i found two more pages from this National Geographic Christmas Feature on making Cookie Christmas Ornaments. Wish I knew the year?


So while I might not be the best baker in town
I did bake up something a litle sweet
& I would love to send 3 lucky friends
their own Sweet as Can Be - Macaroon Postcard
If receiving this little treat in the mail would just make your afternoon
Just leave a comment!
Please make sure that I have proper contact info
incase your profile has no e-mail or blog information.
I will reveal the winners Monday!

One last little thing,
I just have to show off my new supper cute, supper comfy crochet slippers
form etsy seller Craft Junky!

Thanks for stopping by!
HUGS! ~ Chelsea Ann


A New Look... yes, AGAIN!



It's a very sad fact that your truly has a bit of an identity crisis.
My blog has taken on so many different looks
sometimes it's sweet and pretty other times bright and cheery
not once has it felt just right
I get a bit closer each time this is true
As my likes and dislikes narrow
my graphical abilities become a bit stronger
and what I once thought was an impossibility
now is
"I'm not leaving this computer until I get a 3-column blog
with my own background

I am pretty pleased with my results this time
there are still things I want to add
but for the first time I really feel that this look really captures who I am
at least for now... as I always seem to be changing-
evolving, maturing, or becoming more stubborn?

Please let me know what you think? How does it look on your end?
PC users... how does it look on your screen especially?

Oh and did you see on the right sidebar
I made buttons for my digital kits
a few lovely friends have asked if I had one
and I always said "ummmm sadly not so much!"
but now I do and so I thought perhaps some of you
would also be inclined to share some free advertising love
and as there are 4 options
there should be one that to fit your unique style :)

oh yeah and I also decided to merge all my shops into one
that means no more Keepsake Cakes
just ittybittybirdy
less complicated for me and for everyone else

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving
and are well on your way out of your turkey comas
and by now have your feet up after a long morning of shopping.

hugs!
~Chelsea Ann

Why I Don't have an Umbrella this Rainy Season


It's been a whirlwind year
I swear last Christmas was just a few months ago
so it's not surprising that I totally forgot
that earlier this year I reserved to show my art
in a prominent business building in downtown Portland
I'm not quite sure how I get myself into these silly things
I think "gosh that would be fun"
completely forgetting the time, energy, and $$$ that go into filling such a large space
And what a large space I had!
Perhaps what is most agonizing is coming up with an idea
non of my artwork was large enough to fill the space
so I knew from the get go I wanted to do an installation piece
I also Knew I wanted it to have a positive message and be fitting for Christmas
So after days of agonizing I came up with this idea
of an elephant handing a child an umbrella
long story short... the child turned into a girl playing dress up
and the elephant represents her imagination
It was quite a challenging project
as I had very little money to spare for the project and had to fill such a dang large space!
So I used cheap ol' plywood... might I say I learn everything the hard way
I laid out my three sheets of plywood and just started drawing
but trying to draw an 8' elephant freehand is not easy
no not at all!
after I was done I took pictures and downloaded them onto my computer
from there I drew my elephant contours
and realized I had to make some adjustments
would have been easier to have made a grid...
but like I said I ALWAYS learn the hard way.
Oh did I mention is rained like every other day... Ugggg
Poor elephant!


This is not my first window display...
perhaps you might recall my giant robot
or last years Jack Frost Display I did for local Portland business Posh Baby?
I swear each time I say this is the last time...
Well it would be nice if I could at least have a proper handyman
My poor hubby gets a little fed up with these projects of mine
but he is a pretty great sport about it.


Window displays are impossible to document in photographs.
There are glare issues up the ying-yang.
We tried at first to do them at night...
but that really was hopeless...


I'm a self proclaimed DORK!


Ah that's better...
hehe can you see me?
I'm not 100% satisfied with the elephant
but I'm pretty dang proud of myself!
I guess you really could call this art
It's not a very busy road and I'm not getting anything out of it
but then again... omg I have now displayed my art 3 times in downtown Portland
How many people can say that?
As I didn't go to school for art and I have done little
to no reading on what it means to be an artist
I am complexed by what does and should drive the artistic soul
should it have monetary value, name recognition...
heck if I know? What rational can you give to doing such silly, hair pulling things?
I hope to explore the idea more
Someday I would even like to have my own gallery showing...


it is interesting in a way that when I was in high school
the only career that interested me
was window display and store design
and I've always wanted to have my own boutique!
It's my ultimate dream besides being a mommy.


The title of this window is
"Help Set the Stage for Active Imaginations"
This world could use a little less reality
and a bit more silly fanciful trips into the world of childish play and make-belief
if you ask my humble opinion


One last thing before I go
I just completed another page for my wedding scrapbook
oh my that silly cupcake just exploded!
The cupcake I stuck in his face was a different kind of frosting
so I think we were both shocked when his exploded all over me!


oh yeah! If you're in the area go see my window display for yourself
it will be up until the end of January
Click here for location

It just got a whole lot sweeter on Lollipop Lane


4 new Lollipop Lane Gingerbread Houses!
Check them out here
YEAH!!!!!


It wasn't easy... life around here has been so crazy busy
and my poor little emotions have been strung around
from super happy to low low low...
but it's always nice to have one more item checked off the ol' to-do list


I'm really not very thrilled with how the photos of these turned out,
whenever the sun would make it's very short appearance -
time was never on my side
So perhaps I will take more photos soon...
but then yet again I am trying to work through my to do list
not add to it... so we will see.


These are all the Hello Kitty houses I will be making this year
I don't want Sanrio to be on my case about this or that :(


I'm not usually that into purple
but this sweet pale purple house is surprisingly my favorite of the bunch


The 4th house is actually home to the super sweet Miss Strawberry Shortcake


I found this image in my libraries clipping files
I'm sorry I don't have a source
but oh my look at all that Strawberry Shortcake loot!


Strawberry Shortcake and her friends Blueberry Muffin, Apple Dumpling, Lemon Meringue, and Raspberry Tart love to play outdoors on a bright and clear winters day
but beware girls, Purple Pieman lurks close by!


I haven't had a chance to watch the new Strawberry Shortcake shows
and sadly I didn't get to watch too many of the originals as a child
but there is something so wonderfully sweet and charming
about Strawberry Shortcake and her wonderful friends
I am sure I would enjoy watching them both just as much today
However I am more fond of the original artwork than the current
how about you?

I should have much more sweets to share with you in the next few weeks!
Thanks for all your support ~ Chelsea Ann


Retro Sweet



First off... I"M SOOOOO SORRY
no Hello Kitty gingerbread houses today
I was so close to meeting my own imaginary deadline
but a few mishaps and no sun for photographing has put a damper on all my hard work
but rain or shine I will have 4 houses to show off and available in my shop Monday!
I won't let you down a third time!

But what I have to share today in my most humble opinion is 35 times better!
Danielle Thompson just overwhelmed my heart this week by using my Circus Party digital kit to make the most adorable itty bitty tick or treat bags for her Blythe Dolls!


I am still just beaming with joy
what a treat to see such a unique idea come to life
by someone who is such an inspiration to me!


I have to say I live vicariously through Mrs Danielle
I may never get the chance to own my own Blythe doll
I imagine by the time I do the faze will be long past done
and I will have to wait another 30 or so years before the trend circles around again.
I love how Danielle shares her thoughts about playing with dolls
Well whatever her neighbors might think
I think she is by far the most amazing artist
and I hope she doesn't let a few insecurities ever get in her way!


I love blogging and flickr and all that the lovely web has to offer
you can meet such amazing talented folks
and even overnight become best friends
One such new friend is Karli of Retro Plant
I have always admired her spunky Retro style
and I am just thrilled to share
that she has also jumped on the digital kit making band wagon!
YIPPEE!

I've been soooo busy lately that I have found it rather hard
to finish any of the 3-5 kits I'm working on
So when I saw Karli's Retro Background Pages I just had to laugh at myself
"great minds think a like"
Yupp, I've been working on my own retro inspired kit
I'm still in the early stages but her are two examples
of pages with Karlie's background pages and my retro inspired stickers.


I love vintage Hotel signs!
Karli's backgrounds are so wonderfully vibrant
and as always I can't seem to make a page without using products from the wildly wonderful and talented Danielle Thompson! I just love her Whasi Tape Frames!


Don't you wish they still made electronics look like furniture?
My grandmother recently told me she was in the market for a new TV
I'm pretty sure the TV and VCR she was looking to replace
were both the first she had ever owned
but it was too funny to talk to her because she was just appalled
that you couldn't by the tv and cabinet as one piece.
"oh yes grandma times have changed :("

Let me know if you have any ideas for retro themed items that you might like to see in the kit
Best be off... it's so cold in my little studio nook my knees are clanking together

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Busy Bumble Bee


As you can see I've been very busy lately
This is the current state of my dinning room table
god forbid I show you the rest of the house!

Trying to get a million different projects pulled together


One of the projects I have been working on is dying faux pearl bead strands
I've always wanted to make jewelry
and when I saw Martha Stewart's segment on dying pearls
I knew I just had to try it!


I can't wait to start adding little trinkets to them :)
It's so fun transforming something cheap into something chic and sweet!


So in the spirt of upcycling I also gave this boring yet solid bookshelf a face lift
I purchased the shelf early this year at my local flea market for $10


This weekend
I cut and applied hundreds of scrapbooking paper scraps to the the shelves
and then painted the entire thing multiple times with tinted glaze


Miller just loves the camera
He is always sticking his goobery nose in the lens
so it didn't take much coaxing to get him to pose for a picture
The shelf will be a perfect display piece for the craft fair
and hopefully I can get better pictures then
It's so HARD to get good photos in Portland's constant state of grey!
Thank goodness for photo editing :)

Well I best get back to work
I plan on revealing 4 new gingerbread houses Wednesday!
ummmm scratch that for sanity sake
I better give myself until friday- sorry!
Happy Week!

Chelsea Ann