Open a Book

I wish I was a stronger reader

I wish the letters on the page were not so scary and overwhelming

I wish words made sense and had more meaning

but reading and writing and oh yes rhythmic and science and remembering history

and and and

HAVE NEVER COME EASY!!!

But I do LOVE to read...

and so who cares that I can't spell, and I misinterpret words

...but please don't ask me to read out load

All that aside I really do love to read

and while I can't recall the last time I read a novel

I visit my local library 2 to 3 times weekly

The Library is the most AMAZING place

My book-bag is full of How To do's , The History of This or That,

and Magical and Silly (beautifully illustrated) Children's Books.

My favorite reads from the last month have been:

I hope you found the time to read at least one book this summer

and find the time each and every day to read to your little ones

I just think it is so important - and such a great way to connect and wind down

and most importantly to spark little imaginations!

*Visit Paper Cakes Finds to view some really sweet etsy finds

related to children and reading ~ of my choosing

In other news:

I have been a busy bee learning how to digital scrapbook

at first I thought I would just do pages for our wedding

but then I kept wanting to use all the cute kits and imagery out there

and not having a little one yet

(DANG IT! CRY! STOMP STOMP STOMP!)

*pardon my tissy fit!

I decided I would just start making pages of just the silly randomness of my everyday life

might not be incredibly practical now but when I'm a little ol' granny

it will be fun to look back at these moments and share them with my family

Here are just a few of my digital Scrapbooking Sources:

A Print A Day

Kitschy Digital

and Two Peas in a Bucket

It's so fun and really addicting

So...

I plan on making one giant scrapbook

and then making CD's for everyone for Christmas

so it will be time well spent - Minus money spent!

So yupp this means I will be sharing new pages on a weekly basis

Happy Monday Gals~

Chelsea Ann

Let's Talk Hair

I completely forgot to mention that I colored my hair in my last post

I've actually been living the life of a blond for about a month now

but I hadn't taken any new photographs of myself so....

I'm not 100% in love with it

the hope was to go pink

but first my silly hair took on a lovely or not so lovely shade of yellow

and then I came to this color

I'm now terrified of killing it

and so it has stayed

Many of you comment on my hair...

and this is just beyond silly because really hair is my mortal enemy

just ask my husband.

He will tell you how I wail and whine and carry on in the bathroom mirror

The thing about my hair

is that I didn't always have a lot of it

Pretty much my entire childhood I had boy short hair

And as I look back and think

"OMG Chelsea no wonder you never had a date to any dances"

there is also a part of me that misses this no fuss lifestyle

and while my hair is growing on me

both in fondness and in length

there are still so many days when I teas and fuss over it only to end up putting it in a ponytail

merely because the stranger in the mirror is not me

Couldn't possibly be?

I started growing it out jr. Year of High School

Graduation came and

I left my high school and never looked back

I didn't save a single yearbook

and I have no friends I call on

I started college with high hopes

but never did I expect to be that girl...

The girl who gets the side glance when walking out the door

the girl the boys want to talk with in the coffee shop

that girl!!!!

OK so I was still a dormy and I was still this skinny little thing with no boobs

and a brain full of fluff and innocence.

but I got attention!!!! AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!

I'm not sure why I contributed this change to my hair

because god knows I had some terrible hair disasters in college

more likely it was just getting out of my small town

where no matter what I did I was just Chelsea

I hope your hair doesn't give you quite as much grief

but one thing... Go get a Bumpit!

No kidding... you know from the tv commercials?

they have them at Walmart now

and I LOVE them!!!!

Speaking of Hair Pretties

I'm having a booth at Crafty Wonderland this Sunday

and I've been making YoYo Headbands like crazy

Crossing my fingers that they are just as much a hit as they were last time

If your in Portland area do stop by

Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside

11-4PM

HUGS~

Chelsea Ann

Weekend Adventures in the Good Ol' State of Idaho

August is here... Seems summer is passing by so quickly

As if I fell straight down a rabbits hole

I have been away from home ever weekend it seems

Just as soon as I get settled back into the groove of being home

and finally get a handle on the laundry

we pack up for another adventure

I've taken you to Idaho many of times in my photographs

from down south to the pan handle

This trip was up North to visit Jimbob's mum and grandparents

I love Idaho!

I love the country and the people and the smells

& especially the seasons

This is the place were I met my handsome Jimbob

Just a month into my first semester of school

He had a crush on me in a class of over 300 people

I was the girl wearing red lipstick and gentleman hats

I was so lost during this period in my youth

perhaps in many ways I still am

but I now enjoy the feeling of the unknown

There are things I want, Places I would like to be

but I am more at peace now knowing that life

brings about wonderfully unexpected adventures

if we are not too busy trying to create ones of our own

Well back to the trip...

The best part of visiting Jim's family

is the shopping!

Ok, so really that's not completely true...

Visiting with his family is the real treat

but the shopping is splendid good fun

Growing up, my mother had no desire to shop for silly things

and especially through another mans junk

I always had this little bird on my should chirping at me

to shop shop shop

especially second hand!!!

So when I met my mother in law

i fell in love

how could I not

she makes cookies, cakes, and pies every-time we visit

just as soon as I finish one meal she asks what I would like for the next

she is a creative genius

and she LOVES to thrift shop!

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN!!!

We had a grand ol' time

I brought a bag full of new toys home with me

but unfortunately you can't have everything you fall in love with

but sometimes a picture mends your heart

Well I really must go

The trailer has yet to be unpacked

and the laundry is flooding into the kitchen

~Chelsea Ann

itty bitty wall space

My home is just stuffed!

From time to time I think

"Chelsea Ann, you MUST stop buying stuff!!!!!"

but the little clutter monster inside me

just can't seem to be caged

I have a problem, I really do

but todays post really isn't about this issue of mine at all

it's really to celebrate my stuff

to put it on a little pedestal as say

"HEY, Look what I got!"

These are pictures from my kitchen

I was contemplating painting my kitchen and going with a theme

of blue, grey, white, and red roses

but then we moved this giant cabinet in

and all my random

never could find that perfect spot

found their spot

and now I quite like my rainbow anything goes kitchen

One of the issues I have had with my little 1917 or 1907 home

I shamefully can't recall which one it is

is that I am out of space for anything and everything

but I'm really really out of wall space

which has been dang blasted annoying

because I love art!

Here are a few walls in my house

(although a few have changed)

well, quite a few actually

In a year in a half each room in our home

has gone through 4 or 5 transformations

I wanted to give a shout out to Anne Cresci of Matilou

her artwork is just so amazing!

You must check out her shop

and see this video of her discussing her work and process

her artwork just makes me daydream, it's so enchanting

And one more shout out if you all don't mind...

THANK YOU !!!

Agnes featured little miss ME on her beautiful blog this week

and I was honored to tears!

Agnes not only has the best eye in blog land

(in my most un-expert opinion)

but she writes so eloquently

her little summery of my blog was so perfectly said

I felt she grabbed it right out of my mouth

(well that is if I had a grace with words like she does!)

And to top it off she is an amazing artist herself

and perhaps if I do well at my next craft show

and this pretty darn cute wreath is still around

I might just have to find a spot to put it!

B's Wedding Day

B and I have been best friends from 1st grade

from the very start our personalities clashed

B is high spirited and bubbles over with energy

me - well I'm reserved and more practical about everything

but NOBODY brings out my happy silly go-lucky self like B

B's relaxed, go with the flow attitude

made for one VERY stressful morning

I managed to capture one small moment

in the haze of craziness that ensued that morning

LOL, oh my I just could not really put to words what it took

to get B down the isle that morning.

But somehow we managed it

and what a gorgeous bride she made

This was my first time being a Brides Maids

seems those flower girl days are finally over. LOL

B's 4 little girls were the sweetest little flower girls you ever saw

The Theme of the wedding was Butterflies

and while the cake wasn't exactly what poor B wanted

it was very beautiful and VERY delicious!

I wanted to give B something very special

- a Keepsake of her special day

I was so lucky to find this very unique butterfly jewelry box at Anthropology

I hope she will treasure it as I have always treasured our friendship!

I love you B!!!!!!