The Summer Crazies: Vacation Bible School

The lovely pots my boys painted for me at Vacation Bible School.

The summer has been crazy, as usual, and flying by at lightening speed. My husband's a youth director so that means summertime is even busier than any other and he'll spend weeks at a time at various church camps. During one of those weeks the boys got to go to their first ever Vacation Bible School! I loved it because it gave me 3 hours of peace and freedom a day and then I loved it because they had so much fun...for the most part.


The first day at drop off Mr. Golden Curls went into his class like it was no big deal, which was a very big deal for him because he's the one that balks at anything new. Lil' Spitfire on the other hand stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway of his class then went running up the hall saying "I don't even like this place!" Amazingly, Spitfire is the one who, from that point on, LOVED going to VBS. It was the last thing he talked about at night and the first thing when he woke "Do we get to go back again today?!" Golden Curls took the opposite approach and for the first two days I received calls from the director telling me he was pitching an all out fit about not getting to run around doing what ever he felt like doing. After an at home remedy he stopped with the fits but finished out the week with grumpy complaints "I don't like... I don't want to..." to whatever they happened to be doing. I'm putting his kindergarten teachers on my prayer list ASAP!

Lil' Spitfire and Mr. Golden Curls at the final performance. Lil' Spitfire loved the dancing and music. He was a little disappointed he didn't get to do his from the stage so he snuck up there when his teachers weren't looking. Can you tell Mr. Golden Curls spotted the camera immediately? He's seen one a time or two and the whole performance for him was spent trying to get me to take his picture!

Christmas In July Sale

The Beehive is participating in a AREtsy team-wide Christmas in July sale. July 6th-19th I will be offering $5 off scrapbooks, memory catchers, framed silhouettes and premade page layouts (includes custom orders), free shipping on all other items not mentioned above. Also, every order receives a $5 off future purchases coupon. Just enter "Christmas in July" in notes to seller at time of checkout to receive the discount.

This sale a part of an AREtsy team wide event and there are a lot of other shops having fantastic sales, deals and giveaways. To see other Arkansas Artists on Etsy who are participating in the sale please visit the team blog here. Merry Christmas in July!

Sneak Peak Sunday

I've gone from paper famine to yummy paper feast. Not only did a paper order finally come in but my mom surprised me with a ton of fantastic papers, a few of which have already become something fantastic for my shop, The Beehive! I hope to add those to the shop this week. Others are calling my name from my craft room but I've been too exhausted the past few weeks to heed the crafting call. Stay tuned this week when I will hopefully become a little more prolific in my blogging again with lots of life and craft show-and-tell.

I know I've been sparse in the blogging these days. Even though I now have decent use of my husband's laptop and he even made me a computer from the parts of other dead computers (my hero!) I am still trying to tone down my internet use a bit. In about a month my oldest is starting kindergarten and I want to make sure I spend a good amount of that time with him, not my computer or even my crafts. Those will be there, and so will more time in which to do them...well, I suppose that part remains to be seen.

Happy Crafting!

I Heart Swapping

Me in my new Idyll Hands necklace

I've only participated in 3 swaps but it is so much fun and this last one was by far my fave, to make and to receive! It was called Spring Tweets and the challenge was anything with birds. I was thrilled when I learned my fellow swapper would be Erin of Idyll Hands on Etsy, since I had long admired her delicious jewelry. Now I get to strut about in an Idyll Hands creation of my very own! My taking a photo of myself photo just doesn't do her work justice so be sure to head over to her shop, you won't be disappointed! I was so excited when it arrived yesterday and have been wearing it all day today, it's perfection!


I wanted to break away from scrapping a bit with this challenge so I made a shadow box. Erin has another shop on Etsy called Wooly Hands where she sells her hand spun yarns and roving. So I thought it would be appropriate to make her a little knitting birdie, the idea is that the bird is stealing a knitter's yarn to cozy up its nest. I didn't stray far, I used a pattern scrapbook paper background,diecut tree trunks and branch shadow out of black paper and mounted those flat. Then diecut a brown branch that I raised off the surface. When I put the shadow box on my new bookcase to try and get a good photo of it I almost kept it for myself! I will definitely be making one of these I can keep.

Pat On The Back Junkie

One major thing I've learned since opening my Etsy shop is that I'm one hardcore pat-on-the-back junkie. I get so excited when someone compliments my work, I'm in a treasury or I make a sale but a few days in a row with no acknowledgment and I'm jonesin' for my next fix. I don't think that's a good thing, not at all, so I'm going to try and put myself in rehab. Wish me luck!

Voting Time!

I've entered a photo of my You Rock My Socks Off appreciation box in a contest on Timothy Adam Designs blog, which is awesome. If you don't know him he's become an Etsy rock star in short order. Please cast your vote for my pic here, I'd love to win and if you have a great product pic of your own enter it!

The Beehive Is Ringing The Wedding Bells

Wedding Album (12x12 premade scrapbook with 20 scrapped pages and embellished cover)

'Tis the season to get hitched and and to celebrate I have a new item in my shop that I'm excited about, a wedding scrapbook! Visit The Beehive or click any image to get yours.