I play with dolls too!


I've been pining for a blythe doll for quite some time now
but alas I just don't foresee the possibility of affording one
anywhere in my near future
Feels kind of like high school when Abercrombie, rolled up jeans, and Doc Martins
were the IT gear and I was without hope in my JcPenny Duds.
So just like in high school
I had to come up with my own unique style
therefore, my doll of choice



I still have my original Merry although her hair stands straight up
She is the only toy I remember having that was truly 80s!
I love their adorable plump little faces
but unfortunately their hair is quite unruly


It was fun getting into the world of a doll for this first photo-shoot
seemed only suiting to use apple dumpling as the theme
The dolls are actually quite photogenic
but finding them a proper wardrobe is a nightmare
My mother-in-law is such a treasure
she purchased me 6 bags of doll cloths
none of them were small enough for my Cherry Merry Dolls


But a good portion of them fit my new Disney Snow White Doll
Part of the My Disney princess Set by Mattell
I would include a link but for some reason
I am finding it completely impossible to find her on-line :(
Well I got her at ToysRus and I really really love her
but again really hard to find cloths to fit


Sadly I must report that I am in terrible agonizing pain at the moment
I had my teeth worked on last week
and I'm hopping I just have my bite off
but my fear is that I might need 2 root canals :(
Jimmy gave me a mighty big pain killer today
and while it numbed the pain for most of the day
I have been terrible dizzy and sick to my stomach :(
Oh I feel your pain little darling tooth!
This ooober adorable yet very pitiful guy
is a creation from etsy seller Uriel of ohhlovely
and I just LOVE him at the moment
sadly though~ My money will will extracted from me for quite sometime
to pay of the Dentist Man ~ Oh Joy!


oh one more sad piece of news
My poor beloved Lollishops is dealing with some bad bugs at the moment
and I have had to close shop(s)... I hope for only a short while
but the future is a bit unknown
I don't want to make any rash decisions so...
well really there isn't much of a so...
but I do have the kits and prints on Etsy
I have for quite a while...
so you can hop over there if your in the shopping mood
As for Keepsake Cakes you can contact me if your interested in anything
I will be making my Hello Kitty gingerbread houses available very soon
so I will keep you posted on how and where they will be available
I appreciate your patience.
& if by chance you did make a purchase from me in the last week or so
but never heard from me
I send you my deepest apologies...
please contact me and we will figure this mess out together

Much love to you all this week~
Chelsea Ann

Color Me Happy

Color is the BEST Medicine!


Let's just talk...
as many of you know every 3-4 months I send out into the cosmic web my truest thoughts
true I might leave out details and my vocabulary does my inner feelings no justice
but it's my attempt to clear my mind and find meaning in my life
Lately I've been wondering a lot about what the meaning of life is - for me
I'm not religious. although in childhood I was very much so
I'm not so much confused about man's purpose in life is
but rather just simply my own
what is Chelsea Ann suppose to give to this world
what does my presence bring
and even more how and when will I ever find peace
when does the fidgeting, anxiety, hormones, regret, self doubt
all subside... how do I free myself of my own shackles?
How do you get out of your own way?
Quite honestly I am a very happy person,
I am extremely blessed and amongst it all
I am happy with who I am and the life I am living
but I have this tendency to wear a mask
sharing all my joy and my strength with the world
but inside I torture myself with sad, ridiculous thoughts
I'm truly my own worse enemy

As I have shared with you in the past
each day my number one goal is to get through the day in one piece
and to not let others suffer from my own inner grouch
but as a good friend shared with me
when I am struggling the most
I overwhelm myself with personal projects
and I was blown away by how true her observation was
My coping mechanism is busy hands and mind
when I think about that more I realize my mother is the very same
and I think it's safe to say that this is true for many of us

Last Friday I had a consultation with my Gynecologist
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant since the beginning of January
It's been really hard on us both
it seems like everyone around you is getting pregnant
the OOPS word is thrown around and it just makes me want to scream
what hurts the most however is not so much the why am I not pregnant
For despite how much you tell yourself it's okay it will come when the time is right
It's the idea that your waiting for this moment and you have no idea when it will come
it reminds me of when I was young
and I would wonder if I would ever find the right man for me
Luckily I did! I found the perfect man... or rather he found me
but back then I thought it would never come- that adulthood would never come
(and well what scares me more now is how fast it did come)
it's like your life is just hanging in the balance
and despite how hard you try to enjoy the present you just can't
your head is always in the clouds dreaming of the future
I hate that! I hate that I can't let myself enjoy every precious moment of my life
I sweat if I went back and read my last powwow blog post
I would see in big capital letters
PATIENCE!

So after consulting with my doctor I have finally decided
I am going to discuss with a professional
getting on some type of medication to help me regulate my moods
to let my head clear of my constant noxious energy
and think as my heart does
This decision has not come lightly
but my Dr. and I agreed that controlling my anxiety and depression
will be beneficial in letting my body relax
and hopeful get pregnant
and that it will not hurt the baby or myself during pregnancy
which had been a major concern of mine

In other news
I've had to have two teeth capped - OH JOY!
I can't say enough how much you appreciate your parents
after you see your first major dental bill even after the insurance benefits

We had our generator for the Airstream
along with some other rather large items stolen last week
that makes reason # 82 why I want (NEED) to move out of the city

I found out that I will be thrown back into the job market in a month or two
I am very grateful to have the time to prepare
but it's still hard

On the lighter Side of Things

Hubby has a very very important interview tomorrow
Please wish him luck!

I'm taking a Illustrating for Children's Literature class
and I can't even begin to tell you how naive I was about how the publishing world works
it's very insightful and challenging

For those of you new to my blog I hope my blabbering hasn't scared you off
I really can't thank you all enough for being such a big part of my life
I grow so much through your kindness and support
I don't share these personal things for the attention
god knows it's not easy to share with the world that your not perfect
but rather because I believe that for one it is a healing process to let your feeling out
whether it be with a close friend, a counselor, or even a diary
and two because I know I'm not alone
I'm not the only one with insecurities, self doubt and hormones
we all have real lives behind the cookie recipes, macramé, and pretty dresses...

I send you all great big hugs
LOVE ~ Chelsea Ann





Hoodlums and Pirates


I am very blessed to have such a unique group of friends
one such person who always brings out the child in me
is my wonderfully adorable friend Ashlee
We don't get together half as often as I would like
but when we do
we have the greatest adventures.
Such as the Valentine's Tea Party where we visited the land of the dolls
do you remember that?
Ashlee and I met in Color Theory class... Ashlee is the most amazing artist!!!


It's quite funny to think that when I first met
Ashlee was going through a bit of a ruff yet ruffly faze
and to this day my family calls her the pirate girl


So I guess it was simply in the cards
that she should stay with us during the pirate festival weekend here in P town


I hadn't planned on going... being the home-body that I am
so I was quite pleased with the pirate gear I found lying around the house.


It was a perk that hubby had a pirate hat from his college days
I LOVE THAT MAN!!


Dressing up is so much fun!
And many of you have inquired about my halloween plans
and I am very very sorry to report that I won't be celebrating this year
Perhaps things shall change
but as things stand
I have no pumpkins, no candy, no costume
NOTHING!
It's all really rather sad
but it's been such a HARD month so far and I just feel like laying low
at any rate last year the only trick or treaters we got where "big" kids with bandanas
claiming to be hoodlums
well i'm quite tired of hoodlums myself!
We've had quite enough for one month thank you very much!!!!!

Let's Make a Rainbow

I was working on some scrap book pages this weekend
and I came to realize that the rosette in last weeks free goodie download
can be really a fun embellishment if you start playing around with the colors
but perhaps many of you new to photoshop might not quite know how to do this
so I thought I would create a little tutorial
please note I am not a graphic designer
- in fact I am self taught so there are probably other ways of doing this -
but this is quick and easy and I'm sure if you haven't done this before
it will be your next best friend


Start by selecting the layer you want to alter


then go to image - adjustments -replace color


select the first pen tool and click on a color you want to change
then in the replacement panel below start manipulating your color
Make sure the preview is selected so that you can view your changes


you will notice that some areas may not be changing
click the pen tool with the + sign and select an area that you are not pleased with
adjust the color a bit more and presto you are done!


That's me at age 5. I think it's safe to say I was better than nice
I was irresistibly sweet!

Kits Used:
ittybittybirdy - Merry KITschmas
and of coarse the rosette from my free goodie download
(available until the end of the week - see previous post)

but perhaps you don't want to fuss around with the colors
or you don't have photoshop at all...
well that's okay! The whole rainbow is now available in the shop


You will also find that the Circus Party Kit
now includes an easy to print file :)

I want to thank you all for being so supportive of my new business ventures
And I swear my blog will continue to showcase all my adventures, fashion, thoughts, and art
just as it always has
but I do have to try to make this work
I just found out that I will be loosing my job soon
and I would really really like to not be in a panic about it.

Well I'm off to work on a 8' elephant... hehe
don't mean to keep you hanging on this one but I will share soon!


Merry KITschmas!


It all started with a pine-cone santa
and from there piles and piles of books from my local library
what started out as just a mere interest into the world of Kitschy Christmas Ornaments
turned into a bit of an obsession.
and well then not wanting to waste my new found knowledge
lol okay so I'm more of a picture browser...
I decided I should focus my Christmas digital kits on all things cute and kitschy
with just a flare of Chelsea Ann of course.


the Merry KITschmas kit is filled to the brim
like a old worn box brought down from the attic
and each year returned with just a bit more stuffed in tight


What makes this kit special is that not only does it containing 35 individual files from
Wrapping Paper (background pages),
Trims (scans of ricrac, candy-cane binding ribbon, and a christmas bow),
Christmas Tags (winter and Christmas Themed scans from a vintage children's Dictionary)
to the Ornaments ("stickers" inspired by kitschy vintage ornaments)
But also you will find the entire kit laid out for easy no fuss printing
this new feature will also be available for the Circus Party Kit this Saturday
(Sorry I wanted it to be available with the reales of the Christmas Kit
but life got in the way)


You can see here a little peak of how the ornament page prints.
This is from my own printer on card stock
Each file is saved in CMYK for better print quality
and carefully laid out for ample cutting space


So now that all that mumbo jumbo is said and done
I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane
sadly I'm a bit too young for most of these Christmases past...

(Raggedy Ann Christmas tree - Source Unknown)


I just adore this pink little gingham gingerbread house
from Sphere magazine in 1975


And these cookie ornaments are not only super adorable but they also look mighty tasty.
To make you own "inedible" cookie ornaments just use a basis salt dough recipe from your cook bo0k or from online. A great project to do with your kiddies this winter, as well as a great gift for them to pass out to their teachers and friends. Double bonus!

(Source: National Geographic Society)


who said retro had to be expensive?
This whimsical light reflecting window art is made from plastic cups and plates

(Source Unkown)



I would really like to make my own Christmas ornaments
given that sadly for as much stuff as I have for someone my age
I have nothing to put on my tree
except some mismatching ornaments from childhood
... I think little felt, smiling mushrooms would put my in the jolly spirit.

(Source: Left- Unknown. Right- Womans Day 12/1969)


There are so many fun ideas...
I'm just glad you can pretty much change your theme and style with each passing year.
Because what's in one year is kitschy the next :)

(Source: Top Left -1968 Unknown, Top Right- Sunset,
Bottom Left- Christmas Ideas 1976, Bottom Right- Unknown)


and no matter what
remember to make your Christmas decor extra sweet
so all your holiday guests come begging for more next year :)
(Source: Family Circle 1975)

*All Image clippings are property of Portland Central Library

LOL well before we all get too ahead of ourselves lets not forget
that Halloween and Thanksgiving are right around the corner
but don't be fooled
Christmas is just a hop, skip, and a jump away
so you better get busy with your Christmas crafting and shopping

~ Chelsea Ann

Oh my goodness sakes, I almost forgot!
Here is a free little goodie download
for all of you for being such great friends



(available until Friday, October 16th)

A Holly Jolly Mood


I have shared with you all so many thoughts about my fashion
I think it's not only because it's an expression of who I am
and how I want the world to view me
but because it's so amazingly therapeutic (if that's the right word?)
to dress in a way that makes you happy.
Not bound by any one else's ideas of what is in and what is not
but by what makes your heart stop a beat.
IS FASHION FORWARD!


About a month ago I stumbled upon etsy shop nancysneedles
full of sweet little, handmade sweaters
and something inside of me was smitten.
So being the silly girl that I am
I contacted the shop owner and asked if she might be able to make
a toddler sized sweater into big girls
I am sure Nancy found my request very odd but she agreed to try.


I almost cried when I opened the package
I could not have prepared myself for the amount of love and time
put into something so special and unique
made just for me


I know I can't ever truly imagine
the amount of work that goes into creating something so sweet
but I hope Nancy will agree to make me two more sweaters
I can just imagine the ducky sweater in black with white
and sweet pastels for the elephants

Thank you SO much Nancy!
You made this "big" girl very very happy!


I would also like to share a few sneak peaks of my new kitschy christmas kit
COMING FRIDAY!



This kit has 10 vintage inspired ornament stickers
I just can't wait to share this 35 piece kit with you
I've learned so much since I introduced my first kit
and so this new kit will have a Print Friendly File
for my not so computer savvy friends
but I'll share more about that Friday
as well as a whole heap of fun goodie to get you in the holiday spirit

Happy Jolly week everyone!

Weekend Adventure in Battle Ground, Washington


A couple weekends back my husband and I drove up to Battle Ground Washington
to spend a day antique shopping and having lunch with my wonderful friend
(you can view more pictures of our adventure by visiting her blog)
our first stop was The Barn House
which is beautifully decorated but we ended up only staying about 5 minutes
for as you know I am a thrifty girl! and expensive antiques are just not my thing
so I was a bit depressed but looking forward to lunch with my gal pal and her 2 adorable kids
but along the way we struck GOLD and found another similar sale
with the cutest venders all set out in the grass
very charming


OH why oh why did I not get that dress?


oh and I also wish I gotten this amazing pyrex casserole dish
the pattern and colors are divine
but I am limiting myself to just white...
so that I will really use it and not have to worry about the dishwasher


I would love to use this idea with a few of my tattered baby girl dresses


But what I loved most of all was this life size cow
if she had been for sale I just might have emptied my savings account.
oh- don't think I wouldn't!


Finally, Lunch at Britt's favorite little dinner
the kids were a hoot
and Bit and her husband were just sure
that we might think twice about having kids
but OH NO! I want them even more
every time I see those two adorable chipmunk faces


I thought I would slip this image into this post
since it plays so well with the last picture
It's from our recent trip to the coast
located in North Bend
I actually didn't see it :(
but our wonderful travel buddies stopped and took a picture or two for me
what PALS!

Happy Weekend you'all :)