Trio

Lil' Red

Blossoms...

Little Sakura:

A Rose For Emily:

Duet

Spirit in the bottle.

Here are more wine spirits in better detail. (I took the photos with my fancy new camera!)


The idea is, that every bottle has a different personality or spirit. That is why each of these are a little different.

Back detail:

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand...

I just finished this little recycled doll project I've been working on.
Here are a few pictures of her.

This is just before I made her dress:

I call her, Tiny Dancer.

She is made of Polymer clay, a wine cork for her body and her dress is leftover wrapping paper that was sprayed and molded into a skirt and hat.

"Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand..."
-EJ

In my head there are Wine Spirits and Robots...

I made some really fun stuff today. I love how they all turned out.

These are the Wine Bottle Spirits. I have been trying to find a crafty way to use the corks I've been collecting, and today I did! I LOVE these ladies so much. The photos do not do them justice. I'm very proud of them.


Back:
And then, do you remember this guy from a while back?



He was one of my favorites, so I remade this drawing in Sculpey:
Even the worm is smiling! Isn't he too cute?
And I made a tiny robot charm as well. Here is the whole gang together.
I wish I could get a better photo of the grape detail in their hair. It is really cool looking.

There is something exciting happening...

over at www.emandherbrother.com today!

"My Christmas" - A photo blog

This is basically what our Christmas has looked like so far:

Moo says, "Peek-a-boo!"

Ri-i-i-i-pppppppp!

YES!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready?

Cheese!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD YEAR!

Em & Her brother 2009 calendar is here!

Just click HERE to order!!


"OK, this is the part where you are supposed to slide down the chimney..."

Big Love Santa

For all of my family, cyber friends and people just stopping by; I made this for you! Happy holidays!

Snail & Lolly

Today we have seen more snow than I have ever seen in Seattle. It is cold, and slippery out there. I've opted to stay indoors and do productive things. I'm four pages away from that children's book I promised earlier this year, and I finished the Em & Her Brother 2009 calendar. Who knew that all I needed was a snow day?

Mama's guide to surviving the recession ...

I know a lot of people are worried about money these days, maybe a lot more than they used to be. Since I was a young, single mother once upon a time, I'm a champ at spending less. I thought I would share some of my favorite money saving tips, because, as Ben Lee would say, "We are all in this together."

Cocktail hour: Bars are expensive. No doubt about it. Going out drinking with your friends can easily cost you $40-60-even $80 in a few short hours. I have a few tips to let you still go out and have a good time, but not wake up with a hangover and an empty bank account.
Bring cash. Put a certain amount of cash in your wallet and promise yourself that is all you will spend. If you have no will power after a drink, leave your plastic at home. Even if you end up taking a cab, and have no cash left, you can always have them wait a second while you run in and get your card.
Be your own mixologist. There are a few bars that my friends like to frequent because of the atmosphere. You know the place. It has all the right people, music, lighting, art, etc... The problem with these places is that a simple well cocktail will cost you $9, add the tip, that is $20 for two small cocktails!! (And that isn't even the good stuff!)
Enter the mini. You know, those cute little airplane bottles of booze? You can buy them at your local liquor store for under $2 each. You can even get top shelf stuff for $3! My drink is Vanilla Vodka and Diet Coke. I will throw one or two of those in my purse, and order Diet coke. Some bars don't even charge for soda, but if they do, it isn't usually over $2, add a tip, that is $3, plus $2 for the mini, you have saved $4!!

Dinner Time: Over the years, I've had times where I had to get really creative about stretching my food budget. I've learned that having these ingredients in my cupboard at all times will guarantee that I can always put a hot meal on the table. The root of all of my favorite low rent meals are:
Frozen mixed veggies (My favorite is the carrot, broccoli, cauliflower mix)
Cream of mushroom condensed soup
Cream of chicken condensed soup
Johnny's Seasoning Salt
Buy them on sale

Coffee: I had to give up my $5 a day latte habit. These days, I allow myself a latte twice a week. Invest in a couple of really nice travel mugs and a coffee maker. If you have a few travel mugs, you won't be able to convince yourself to buy coffee "Because your mug is dirty" or because you "forgot it at the office"

Pizza: There comes a time where even the thriftiest person just needs to order delivery. This is the one time where I think coupons are amazing. We get them in the mail, and I always flip through for the best pizza coupons. I keep them in the file where we keep the menus. You might also keep in mind that frozen food companies have tried really hard to be competitive and have improved the quality of their products quite a bit over the years. Frozen pizza is pretty comparable to delivery nowadays and you can usually buy it on sale, two for one. If you always keep a couple in the freezer, you will never have to order delivery again! You can also pimp out frozen pizza with your own fresh toppings. It still cost less than delivery and tastes just as great!

Clothes: Buy all new clothes in-between seasons. Stores need to clear out for the new season and everything goes on the clearance. The best prices are in early January because stores need to clear out everything they can before they do inventory and pay taxes. Whatever they still have in stock during tax time, they have to pay for, so they are really motivated to move.
Mid to the end of January is also the best time of year for any big purchases. Last year we bought a couch that was originally priced at over $1100 for around $500.

Money: I have a strict "NO PLASTIC" policy. I spend what I have, not a penny more. It is as simple as that. If you have the willpower to keep an emergency card, keep it in a safe, out of your wallet. Better yet, keep it with your parents, so you have to get the info from them if you ever have the urge to impulse buy.



Happy saving!

Don't judge me...

but I think I actually love him MORE now.

In no particular order...

I don't typically do year end lists, but here I am, bright and early on a Friday morning making a list. I think I've been inspired by all of the gift idea themed morning shows that have been playing in the background all morning.

Music: The two musicians that I "discovered" in 2008 are Ben Lee and Joshua Morrison. I've probably listened to more of them than anyone else in the last three hundred and fifty something days.

Television: Mad Men is the best show on television. Hands down. It has been a long time since I last had a TV show that I was truly excited to watch each week. This show has everything. It doesn't hurt that the cast is easy on the eyes and the costumes are amazing. I wish people still dressed like that every day!
Runners up: I think I would add 30 Rock to this list if I had seen more of it. So far I have really enjoyed every episode I've watched, but I have not had a chance to catch up with the series yet. Maybe in 2009?
Also, I really liked Pushing Dasies for how it is shot, the costumes, the cast and the set designs, but I think the writers strike killed the show. This season makes it seem like it might have been better off as a one season show. I read it was canceled, so I suppose I am not the only one who thinks this.

Books: I will admit that I got sucked in by the Twilight series in 2008. I read all four books in August and even went to the book release party. I won't say they were the best books of 2008, but they did keep my attention this summer. I'm a total sucker for a sexy vamp.
The other books I really got into this year were all about Tudor history. I found a book in a thrift store about King Henry viii and his six wives and became obsessed. I read everything I could find. I am now a walking encyclopedia on Tudor history, but I didn't have one particular favorite book.

Movies: This is a hard one. There is not one stand out movie. I though Tropic Thunder was hilarious, but it was not what I would consider the greatest movie of the year, it was the funniest movie for sure, but not one I could watch more than twice.
I recently rented Mrs Pettigrew Lives for a Day with my daughter and we both really, truly enjoyed it. I think I would consider that my favorite of the last four months.
I've seen several movies I really wanted to be my favorite, but they all fell short of my expectations. Mrs Pettigrew is the only one I walked away from pleasantly surprised. I guess 2008 was not the greatest year for movies.

Other 2008 discoveries:
Mrs Meyer's Basil scented soap- Everything about this is YUM!
O.N.E. Coconut Water
Synergy Kombucha tea- my favorite flavors are Mystic Mango and Cosmic Cranberry.
Febreze Air Effects: Vanilla & Baking scented air effects. Turns out this one only comes out during the holidays, but it is my favorite room freshener.
SoapNet on the weekends (Mostly because they play all of the old school 90210 episodes every morning. It reminds me of the 90's in a good way.)
Gossip Girl. Yes, I got sucked in.
iluvuma.com - I want just about everything on this site.
The Triple Door - The only place I ever want to see live music in Seattle again. (Unless they re-open The Croc.)
The Tudors - A very fun series that covers my favorite part of history.
Sweet Riot Dark Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs - YUM!!
HUE: Faux Fishnet Pantyhose - I love them and I think they look great on everyone. I was SO sad when they stopped carrying them at Nordstrom. I bought out every pair they had left. At least I can still find them online!
and
Hugh Jackman. No explanation needed.

secret squirrel

Very early in the morning, while the rest of my family were fast asleep, some movement by the window caught my eye.
This cute little guy was hanging out on my windowsill and was not at all afraid. He would lick the window when I would put my hand on the glass. It was kind of weird how unafraid he was. I'm wondering if he belonged to someone as a pet and escaped. He stayed up on the window for quite some time and watched me watch him.

More Em and her brother.

I've uploaded a couple more.
emandherbrother.com

I know it is a little late....

But here are some Halloween photos...
(We had a movie theme for our costumes)
Bree was the shower scene in Psycho!



I was doing my best Sylvia from La Dolce Vita.

D was a young Indiana Jones.

Linky

http://www.emandherbrother.com/

Now they are all official.

Living on the fringe...

After a very long and very sad morning, I went to my hairdresser for a pick-me-up. With my new job, I can't go all crazy with color like I used to, so I decided to try out a different haircut.
I got bangs! (For my readers over the pond, I got a fringe!)
It is the first time since I was 20, and I was really nervous about it, but I love it! It feels like a more updated style than what I have been sporting and they are still long enough to hide to the side.
Here is a nice blurry photo I just took.

I will take a proper photo tomorrow when I feel up to it, but for now, this at least gives you an idea of what I did.

Goodbye Ripley. We will miss you.

Ripley passed away a few hours ago. He lived a long and happy life. We are all very sad.

Goodbye old friend.

WE DID IT!!

This photo is from my neighborhood last night.

I have been fighting back tears of joy all morning.
We live in a new America today and I am so proud to be a part of this country for the very first time since I was 18 and voted for Clinton the very first time and watched him win.
Last night, I watched the world change. I saw things I will remember for the rest of my life. People spilled into the streets, and hugged and kissed, and cheered. I watched a crowded, super loud bar go perfectly silent so we could all listen to PRESIDENT OBAMA speak. (Just being able to type that, PRESIDENT OBAMA, brings more joyful tears.) People cheered and hugged and cried happy tears.

Anything is possible. We just made history and we did it together.
YES, We can!

I leave you with the last paragraph of our new president's speech last night.

OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Em & her brother

Now have their very own blog!!

http://emandherbrother.blogspot.com/

Yes We Can!!!

Em & her brother want you to vote for Obama on Nov 4th!

My iPod is evil...

and I added a few more new doodles....

True Love.

It is looking less like "We got a new kitty" and more like, "We got Buddy a new kitty."

Another reason why she is amazing...

D: Mom...
M: Yes?
D: Sometimes I feel really bad.
M: Why, kiddo?
D: Because I know there are a lot of people out there who don't have as I much as I do in this life. I'm so happy, and so many kids don't have that. So, sometimes I feel really bad for them...
M: I am so proud of you.
D: Mom
M: Yes?
D: You are so cool.

awwwwwwww.....

Most. Amazing. Kid. Ever.

Happy 14th Birthday!!

My baby turned 14 yesterday! I can hardly wrap my mind around it. The time has just flown by!

We had a wonderful party, and lots of fun family time. She had Ladro pie instead of cake. We are big fans of Cafe Ladro pie. We even had it instead of wedding cake at our wedding!
She got a Wii fit game, so we have all been playing on the balance board today.

Yesterday, the girls made "Haunted houses" out of chocolate graham crackers and candy. That was great fun.

Here are some of their wonderfully creative creations:





It did turn into a frosting mustache and mono-brow contest, which was also fun, but too close to my brand new couch as far as I was concerned. Luckily, the chocolate stayed on the faces and in the tummy's and off of the furniture!

Now, I am ready to sleep for a week.

Here is a funny photo from when Darian was less than a year old. She was sad because her friend had just left with her mom. I always thought it was an adorable photo.

Since many of you asked...

What happened with the kitten?
I tried to adopt him off to a wonderful home, but it turns out he was not having it. As soon as I left he turned into a bit of a Tasmanian devil kitty and didn't act normal again until I came to pick him up the next day. It seems he and I bonded more than I realized. As soon as I brought him home, he started acting like he owned the place. He is healthy, happy and has become a fast member of the family.

Since they say, "A picture is worth a 1000 words", I give you the answer to your question:

Moo, doing what he does best these days.