Midnight Reverie Released!

Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie, part of DevianScrap's first Collective Collaboration!
The designer's at DeviantScrap have all come together in this very unique project, each offering up their own kits inspired by the book "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. My portion of the collaboration can be seen below and the kit pictures are linked to my shoppe.



(preview of 12" x 12" papers in Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie)



Printable jpg collage sheets are included in Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie kit!



Don't miss this very special offer from the designers at DeviantScrap.com!



Below are some samples I created using my kit in the collaboration . . .

Center of Attention


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/31/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: Tumble Fish Studio kits at DeviantScrap.com including"be seen" words from Nitty Gritty 2, everything else from Midnight Reverie.

Balance


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/31/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie kit at DeviantScrap.com.

I Feel Funny


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/29/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie kit at DeviantScrap.com.

Pixie


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/31/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie kit at DeviantScrap.com.

Greatest of Ease


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/28/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: Tumble Fish Studio's Midnight Reverie kit at DeviantScrap.com.

Don't forget to pick up your FREE copy of this month's The Deviant Muse zine at DeviantScrap.com! The cover shot below is linked to the shoppe where you can download your copy for FREE!



Prize Drawing
To celebrate this huge collaboration project, I wanted to offer one lucky person a chance to win a Tumble Fish Studio coupon good for $10! Just comment this post below by Saturday, August 4, Midnight (PST) and you will be entered into the drawing. Winner will be announced Sunday, August 5.

Something exciting for you!

If you watch this amazing video from the incredibly talented Marta van Eck, you'll be privy to some exciting news from DeviantScrap.com!



Tomorrow's the day (August 2nd) the collaboration will be released! Be sure to come back here for more exciting information and a special prize drawing!

Better late than never!

-Proof
It's too complicated to share what this piece is really about but it's a thumbing my nose at how wrong people's assumptions of other people, assumptions of any kind really, can be. I know you won't see that in the work without knowing the details but this one is about being misunderstood. And this is a general observation about people and life . . . nothing specific. As the piece says "I am really okay" . . . that's what it's all about "proofing" ourselves to weather the harm of assumptions.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/1/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: everything from Tumble Fish Studio kits including I'm with the Band (collaboration kit), Matched Set, Freestyle 2, Summer Junque 1, On the Grid, Nitty Gritty 2, and Random Favorites . . . all at DeviantScrap.com.

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important . . . . prize drawing!
I'm so sorry to be so behind. Had curve ball thrown at us with a family member in the hospital which has pulled everyone away from their normal "spots" and work. Haven't hardly been on my regular computer to get things done. But, I'm here now and finally able to finish up this prize drawing!

There were 20 comments/obsessions left on the prize drawing post. I numbered them in the order they appeared and used the Random Number Generator to find my winner. Lucky #13 this time . . . which belongs to Terry Garrett! Woohoo! I'll be contacting you with your prize information soon Terry!


Thank you all so much for playing and sharing with me!
Life is going to continue to be abnormally crazy the next week. Still have our loved one in the hospital in one place and my daughter is going in Tuesday for minor outpatient surgery with a miserable recovery expected. Will be home all next week but I don't expect to get much work done. Maybe I should rephrase . . . I don't expect to get much time to be on the computer with anything art or fun related, but we'll see. You never know.

New kits! Prize Drawing!

Wonder


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 6/25/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital journal. Image credits: open eye is from a picture of my mom; everything else from Tumble Fish Studio kits including On the Grid papers, Summer Junque 2, Freestyle, That's the Ticket 2, Slightly Sinister, Nitty Gritty, Odd Magic, and Ornamental.
I actually "drew" a few details here using my old tablet . . . haven't done that in awhile. Have to practice that as it will help me marry the digi with the hand work a little more.

Beheld


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 6/25/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: everything from Tumble Fish Studio kits including face from Etcetera, "glasses" from Ornamental, frame at bottom and lines behind head from Ornamental, crown from I'm with the Band collaboration kit, background papers from On the Grid, body from At the Beach, number on suit from That's the Ticket 2. All at DeviantScrap.com.

Hello! Housekeeping first . . . just realized I didn't include a deadline for my prize drawing in the post below. I meant for it to be yesterday but will extend through Wednesday, June 27th since I failed to include that important information the first time. I'm really enjoying reading about your obsessions! (and may have found a couple of new ones myself!)

In the meantime, wanted to show you the latest kits I have ready to go . . . there are 3 new "stash" kits. I call them "stash" kits because while they have no big "star" images in them, they are useful to have in your stash for when you need the little stuff to support the big stuff in your work.

That's the Ticket 2



On the Grid papers kit



Ornamental - digi kit

Catch up post and prize drawing!

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen June 2012. All rights reserved.
Digital collage. Image credits: everything from Tumble Fish Studio's Summer Junque 1 kit at DeviantScrap.com.

I'm up to my ears in all kinds of projects, some of them won't be public for awhile but . . . got a little behind on blog posting. It's good to be busy!

Here are the newest kits, released a week ago but still on sale . . .

Summer Junque 1



Summer Junque 2



And I really wanted to share a couple of pieces from my uber talented Creative Team using these kits. My whole team always, always creates pieces that just takes my breath away but there were a couple this month that really spoke to me somehow . . .

from Joyuslion . . .


copyright Joyuslion. All rights reserved.

from Maggiebean . . .


copyright by Maggiebean June 2012.

Prize Drawing!
New obsessions . . . oh my goodness. As if I didn't have too many unfinished projects on my plate, I've developed some new interests that may need intervention if I don't settle down and complete things I had already started. I'll be sharing those new things with you soon - all to do with photography which I know little about. I'm jumping in in a rebellious non-conformist and inexperienced way but having fun. Until I have some good things to show you regarding my new obsessions, leave a comment here and tell me about YOUR latest obsession! Yes, I'd like to see if I can add even more things to my full plate by snooping into what you're excited about too. If you do share your obsessions with me, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a $15 coupon to be used this summer in my shoppe at DeviantScrap.com!

Happy June! Post Updated!

(This post has been updated! If you've already visited, be sure to read the bottom of the post for a handy dandy link and coupon savings opportunity!)

Hello everyone! Hope you are well and moving into summer with happy thoughts. Here's a free image for you!

*Please don't sell or redistribute it, but you can use it in your own artwork for sale.* Just click on the picture to get a larger version to save. If you use it, I sure appreciate a shout out in your credits. If you're a Tumble Fish Studio customer through Deviant Scrap, you may end up with this image in my next round of thank you notes, just so you know.



After I finally got my computer up and running, it was time to dive into some new kits. Out of the habit, I guess, it took me a solid week to get 100+ images scanned, cleaned up, and altered. My team has them and they're working with them right now and I hope to release them in the next few days. Keep an eye on this blog for their release and a new prize drawing soon!

I wish I had more to show and tell, but I've had my nose to the grind stone and the only work I've made, I can't show you yet! Have a great week!

UPDATE! After writing this post I realized I should share this incredible blog and coupon party with you! Cathe of Just Something I Made blog (one of my most favorite and relied upon blogs of all time!) has written a lovely post about DeviantScrap.com and we Deviant Scrap designers threw in some coupon savings for her readers. You can visit the blog and DeviantScrap blog post HERE! One visit to Cathe's blog and you will run back time and time again! Hurry . . . the coupons are only good for a limited time!

Funny Boy Flip Book kit released!

Here's the kit description: It may look rather boring at first glance, but finding an old flip book made of antique photos at a recent flea market visit has been one of my favorite finds ever! The cover was almost non-existent and it seemed to be missing some pictures while duplicating others. My husband and I did our best to put the pictures in order without the missing pictures and without duplications, but it was rather tricky and certainly not perfect. We ended up with these 35 pictures.

Included in this kit are the 35 photos in jpg format, about 2.25" x 3.25" in 300 dpi. You'll also find all 35 pictures on 5 printable collage sheets along with a cover and cover template. And as a little bonus, I've written a brief and easy tutorial on how to create an animation using the pictures in Photoshop Elements 10. The tutorial should work well with most of the last several versions of PSE and possibly other graphics programs though PSE 10 was the only one I tried.

The possibilities are endless: create your own flip book using the collage sheets, the pictures would make great border strips in journaling and scrapbooking, create your own animation adding other images to float across the viewing area, or use the images as a focal point in your own collage and journal work. Great for an ATC series too!

*Please see the kit previews to see what is included as some artwork used to feature this kit may include images from other sources.

Personal use and some commercial use are okay as listed in the Terms of Use. Images may not be shared or resold unless part of a finished artwork and no images may be made available to a 3rd party for use. Please read my TOU found here.

Funny Boy Flip Book mini kit



Here is my first little animation of the flip book. The cool thing is you can either animate it digitally or use the collage sheets to make your own actual flip book!


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 5/23/2012. All rights reserved.
Simple animation using images from Tumble Fish Studio's Funny Boy Flip Book kit.

The animation below was created by one of the Tumble Fish Studio Creative Team members, paperandgluestix, Amy Nieman! It's pure magic!


copyright by Amy Nieman. All rights reserved.

Be Happy


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 5/26/2012. All rights reserved.
Image credits: Everything from Tumble Fish Studio kits at DeviantScrap.com including Funny Boy Flip Book, Hats, Crowns & Wings, You're Invited Funky Mail Art, and Framed.

Found It!


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 5/26/2012. All rights reserved.
Image credits: Everything from Tumble Fish Studio kits at DeviantScrap.com including Funny Boy Flip Book, Nitty Gritty 2 (ornate frame), And So On . . . (background base) , Illuminated Papers (color overlay on background), and Lowbrow (stripes in background).

Mine Now


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 5/25/2012. All rights reserved.
Image credits: Boy from Funny Boy Flip Book kit, crown from Lowbrow, arm from Your Zetti Self, sky from City Skies, "now" from Nitty Gritty - all Tumble Fish Studio kits at DeviantScrap.com; legs from Crowabout Studio B's Haunted Circus kit at DeviantScrap.com.

Brace yourself . . .

. . . I actually dusted off my rusty scissors and did a little cut and paste work! And I do mean "a little" as you'll find out below the card. I am so pleased to get to play in Marion's (bockel24) annual ATC swap this year! Below is what I came up with to compliment her "My Body is a Cage" theme. My idea comes from trying to move past failed relationships, though it's hard not to protect your heart . . . it's hard to get your heart to follow you as you try to leave things behind you sometimes. (I don't know if you can tell but she's symbolically stepping out of the past and into the future - I think they look better in person.)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen. All rights reserved.

I made 3 copies of the same card . . . all had 4 hand cut parts on the front (I was too rusty to try my normal 50 parts like I used to do . . . okay not 50, but I certainly used to do more than just 4 parts usually) and I did some additional shading and coloring using copic markers and dabbed distressed ink. Considering I've only worked digitally for over a year now I think, I was happy I got this much done without hacking off a finger or gluing all the cards together.

I have a new and slightly unusual mini kit coming out in the next few days. Can't wait to show you all! Until then, to my U.S. friends, have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

*Whewwwwwww!*

I think I've nearly made it through the big computer move. Just have one or two more big tasks to do (recover fonts and back it all up on another new hard drive) and I should be back to work! And I think the only thing I lost was my email address book and sent emails (because I use a Pop thing for my work email and we just didn't figure out how to do it all in time). Thank you for your patience with me!

3 Things . . .
One, I need my recent prize winners to email me. I tried 3 out of the 4 tonight and couldn't find email addresses through your blogs and then gave up. If you could email me at marsha@tumblefishstudio.com, I'll get your coupon codes to you. Sorry for the extra trouble my fine winners.

Two, had to try out my freshly reloaded old scanner driver to make sure it works, so I scanned in some free images for you. I thought these were unusual postcards. *Please don't sell them or redistribute them, but you can use them in your own artwork for sale.* Just click on each picture to get a larger version to save. If you use them, I sure appreciate a shout out in your credits. (these are raw unretouched scans) If you're a Tumble Fish Studio customer through Deviant Scrap, you may get one of these images in my next round of thank you notes just so you know.







And last but not least, three . . . I haven't even started a new kit yet but have lots of exciting things coming up. Spent a lot of mula on a lot of new images and papers this last week. I'm about to bust with glee over what's headed this way! Keep an eye on this bloggidy blog for more free images, and some fresh work and "news" comin' up soon!

Ruht Roh

I'm having issues! (what else is new, huh?) I saw one of these "please stand by" images on another site once that said . . . "please waste your time somewhere else". hee hee

Hi all! I took some time off from "working" last week and then finally tried to move all of my stuff from my old computer to my new one. I've had a new computer waiting for me since January and couldn't seem to find a "good stopping place" to sit down and make the move. My old computer was like a car that you had to kick and pound just right and then turn around three times and clap your hands to get it to work (almost literally) - it was barely limping along.

Anyway, we're having some problems getting everything to move and it is taking longer than I thought. So I borrow my husband's computer a little to get my "fix" but I can't access my regular files and even my email is affected since I used Windows as my email interface. All the right files have to be found on the old hard drive and moved/reinstalled to restore my perfectly organized email system! (that scares me!)

So, if I'm slow to reply or respond or seem to be missing . . . that's why. Be back soon!

Prize winners . . . I will contact you as soon as I get up and running again. So sorry for the delay!

Happy Mother's Day! Prize Winners!

I'm a bit of a non-conformist for some holidays, this one included - don't really get all mushy about Mother's Day as every day is Mother's Day in my mind. But, I did really appreciate and cherish the comments visitors left about their mom's for the post below. I wish more people would celebrate their mom's in that way today - tell the world about them. And . . .

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

So I numbered the 10 comments in order of how they appeared and used the Random Number Generator to draw our lucky winners.

The winners of the three $5 coupons for Tumble Fish Studio kits at Deviantscrap.com are: diane.ca, LouAnn, and Scrappin Gramma!

The winner of my next new kit free is: Sharon!

I will contact all of you with your prize information tonight.

Below is a picture of my mom, Wanda. She left this world in 1996 when she was just 66 I was just 30 and had two very young children. It was sudden and it devastated me. But, in some ways I think that was part of some plan she had with God because in that dark cloud was a silver lining and one of the most precious gifts of my life. I discovered and enjoyed a very close relationship with my dad over the next 15 years I would not have had otherwise. I was much closer to my mom all of my life and had missed out on a close relationship with my dad. I am so thankful that she left that for me to experience. She was a teacher most of her working life but she lovingly supported and followed my dad's career all over the country their 46 years of marriage. She was a wonderful cook and immaculate house keeper. She loved to fish and be out in nature with my dad. She blushed when she laughed and she was rather shy and soft spoken. She taught me some of the most important things I've learned in life and use on a daily basis. One of those things is to always remember to be thankful for what you have - there's no time to feel sorry for yourself and if you look at all of the things you have to be happy about, you'll realize that's true. She would marvel at the beauty in nature down to the tiniest of details - to take a walk with her after dinner would surely provide you with appreciation of things you would normally walk by without noticing. I could write a few blog pages full of things about her, but I will leave it that for now.

Winner and more chances to win!

Thank you everybody for playing to win the $25 prize! I truly appreciate your comments. The comments were numbered in the order they appeared. Only one comment from each person was counted. There were 27 comments in all and I used the Random Number Generator to find the winner!

As luck would have it, the winner of this prize is new to my blog and new to Deviant Scrap . . . Chris T! Congratulations! (I had a wonderful time visiting your lovely blog this morning!) I will email you with your prize information.



How about more prizes?
There could never be too many prizes could there? Well there is still time to enter and play the Zetti Doll challenge at Deviantscrap.com. You can find all of the information here . . . and remember, you get a FREE mini kit to play with. In fact, there are several freebies in this month's issue of Deviant Scrap's The Muse here. But I digress, finish your Zetti doll by May 20th and you could win one of four prizes from Deviant Scrap designers.

Mother's Day giveaways! Tell me about your Mom!
You could win my next new kit free! It's not even in the works yet and it will be a couple of weeks before it's finished, but if you'd like to get my next new kit before it goes public, just comment this post with a note about your good ol' Mom! The kit may have nothing to do with Mothers by the way, but the winner will be randomly drawn early May 13th, so be sure to post a comment before midnight on May 12th.

You could win one of three $5 coupons to my shoppe at Deviantscrap.com! Again, just post a comment here telling us something special about your Mom by midnight May 12th. Winners will be announced on Mother's Day!

Consolation prize
I have no new art work to show you. I've been busy regrouping around here the last few days. I can't not have an image of something in a post so here is the first of some free fishy pix I'll be sharing with you. Seems that holding fish used to be THE way to celebrate April Fool's Day. And yes, we're way beyond April 1st, but fish are always appropriate in my opinion. Maybe that's just me. Many of you know, I'm a stickler for copyright and protecting my images and personal artwork, but here's an image you may do with as you wish!
Enjoy a FREE fish image on me!



(click on the picture for a larger version, then right click and save)

Nitty Gritty 2 and a prize!

The next 3 pieces use mainly the new Nitty Gritty 2 bundle available now in my Deviant Scrap shoppe. It's on sale now at 20% off for a limited time.

Eureka


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 4/2012. All rights reserved.

The Perfect Couple


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 4/2012. All rights reserved.

Trapped


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 4/2012. All rights reserved.


And introducing the Nitty Gritty 2 Digital Bundle . . .



Included in the Digital Bundle are these 8 rustic birdcages - each in a shadowed (shown below) and without shadow version . . .



And it's a little hard to see here but the Digital bundle version also includes 3 very delicate lace pieces (shown in the lower left of the preview below) . . .



And most of this kit is available in a smaller printable jpg version too . . . it does not include the birdcages or lace as those would be impossible to cut out by hand. The jpg version is also on sale and priced a little less than the full digital bundle.



This is fun . . .
If you're on Facebook, Hollie (Deviant Scrap owner) is randomly giving away coupons from various designers this week on the Deviant Scrap FB page here. There are more chances for coupons by playing the games in the forum or participating in the challenges. Just a few days left to enjoy the 40% off sale and the all of the celebration activities at Deviantscrap.com!

Now, how about a prize just for my most lovely blog followers? Just comment this post and you'll be entered to win a $25 coupon! I'll randomly draw a winner next Monday so you must post your comment by midnight May 6.

Party Time!

Hey YOU peoples . . . . IT'S TIME TO PARTY!

Deviant Scrap is celebrating it's 2nd birthday this week AND (if that isn't enough) International Scrapbooking Day is also this week! That means it is definitely time to celebrate!



So starting tomorrow everything but new releases will be 40% off in most of the Deviant Scrap shoppes including mine! New releases will be 20% off.



And there will be 3 new kits released this week, 2 of them late tonight and one late Wednesday.

Wild Things (printable jpg sheets included)



Wild Birds (printable jpg sheets included)



And that's not all!
There are lots of freebies in this month's The Deviant Muse, two of them from me! You can get your Deviant Muse for FREE here. There's also lots of extra games and challenges in the Deviant Scrap Forum here. Did I mention prizes? There are tons and tons and tons of prizes being given away this week! I'm hosting a Zetti Doll challenge with prizes and 2 games, but don't limit yourself to just those . . . look for a ton of fun from more Deviant Scrap designers!






Keep your eye on this blog for prizes exclusively for my blog viewers this week and more exciting news! More information Tuesday!

Room 654 . . .

Believe me . . .
I know life isn't perfect. I'd even venture to say it is rarely perfect. To make the best of it and muddle through just this side of miserable, I've embraced optimistic perspectives like: life is what you make of it, life is what happens when you're making plans, life is a journey, live in the moment, count your blessings, and many others.

But . . .
every now and then, quite unexpectedly (always unexpectedly because it can't be planned), there is a fleeting glorious delicious BURST of perfection . . . . yes, only a moment, a few moments, an hour, an afternoon or evening, rarely longer than an afternoon or evening. And you know . . .

You just know . . .
there is something Divine. There IS something. There is some kind of mystical magical all knowing force that put you right where you are supposed to be, learning what you are learning, doing just what you're doing. And all of those failures and struggles and pain were part of what got you to this brief but perfect NOW.

And it's all worth it . . .
because you know it's NOT fruitless and meaningless. You know there's purpose - this chaos DOES have order. This, and that, and that all happened because if they hadn't you wouldn't have ended up here, at this rare amazing glimpse of perfect, at this "ooohhhhhh, that's why" understanding. And I don't know about you, but that is where my hope comes from and my faith is reinforced.

Tonight happened for a reason . . .
and I know partly why. And I know someday I will know even more why. This beautiful creature that the Universe entrusted me with 18 years or so ago came home and shared the most beautiful experience I've had told to me in quite some time. She wrote it all down, and in words I can fully see printed and published in a book someday described the magic of Divine. She told the story of how a man she would have never met in any other way was put in her path tonight. In great and beautiful detail she wrote and then read to us the stories told to her by an elderly British patient she talked with while volunteering at the hospital tonight. A man she would not have met had she not accidentally ended up working on the wrong floor due to a confusing construction sign left in the elevator. (see? Divine intervention) For two hours he summed up his long, BOLD, and truly-lived life, powerfully highlighted with advice he somehow knew she needed. I mean, it was the absolute advice she needed to hear . . . right now! AND SHE KNEW IT. She knew it as it was happening . . . they were thrown together for her benefit. It was not accidental. It was a gift. It was meant to be. She didn't talk much, he knew very little of her story and yet he seemed to know exactly what he should tell her.

And so . . .
tonight we listened as she read 7 pages of stories and character observations and bits of conversations she had with other patients that spilled out of her as soon as she got home. We laughed and we cried and we sat there listening, knowing this was kismet, THIS was magic, THIS was perfect. This is the proof that all will be okay, EVERYTHING is just part of the journey. And I was incredibly proud and satisfied that she got it, that she understood, that she saw Divine with her own heart and soul. She knows she has a purpose and the rest is just adventure from here on out.

Thank you, Universe, for sharing Lauren with me.
Thank you, Universe, for sharing Room 654 with Lauren.

My blog eludes me . . .

Hi all! I don't know why I can't seem to get going on this blog and get things hoppin' again. I think I've been working on the "have to" list so much I've completely misplaced my "want to" list. And the "want to" list is full of all the good stuff!

So, I have some big stuff coming up the end of April that I've been working on. Can't wait to show you and give away some stuff too! Until then, I'll just show a few of the latest projects to at least prove I'm not just eating bonbons all day. (what exactly is a bonbon anyway? maybe I am eating them and don't even know it).

We've been making and sharing Moo cards over at Deviant Scrap this month using a Moo Finder I created (you can download the Moo Finder in this month's issue of The Deviant Muse here). I'm amazed at what everyone has created and shared. You can see here. This is my first gathering of Moos using the Moo Finder.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 4/17/2012. All rights reserved.
Slices of my original works.

New kits since last I posted . . .

Lowbrow (on sale for a limited time!) Also available in a printable jpg version in the shoppe.



Here's a little piece made from Lowbrow . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 4/2012. All rights reserved.

Spring Scraps (on sale for only $3.20 right now!)



Pinterest
Don't know if you've seen, but Pinterest changed their Terms, thank goodness. No longer do they claim rights to what you pin. That should make a lot of folks feel a little better about Pinning. I DO give permission to Pin anything from blog that you'd like to, but I ask that you please link it back to my blog. I feel very strongly that people should keep their Pins linked to the original source.

Spring!

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 3/2012. All rights reserved.
Digital scene. Image credits: everything from my own personal stash and Tumble Fish Studio kits including Spring Market and Happy Place.

I love that spring is here and the daylight is lasting longer. It just feels like there's more time in the day, whether or not I get any more done or not. Spring break for my kids was last week so they are on the downhill side of this school year.

We've had a wonderful visit from my sister-in-law and nephew, got the taxes done finally, and we're now training a new puppy! Rue is a 2 month old labradoodle and absolutely keeping us on our toes. I'm realizing now, mother nature has a way of helping us "mothers" forget how hard things are so we keep having babies. Know what I mean? It seems incredibly hard, at the time, to live on little sleep, maintain the household and all that that entails and manage a new baby. Yet, it must not be so bad or we'd never have more than one. Well, I had forgotten how much work a new puppy is. The definition of rue is regret but we weren't thinking of that when we got her. She hopped around like a kangaroo the first few days so we were spelling Roo kind of French-y. Then I realized it meant regret . . . hmmmm. No, really she is just a spunky little mess but I'm sure in a few weeks we'll have an easier time of things around here.

Other than puppy training, I'm looking forward to a few weeks of nothing but work ahead of me. I've wanted to really dig in and get back to work since Christmas and just always seemed to have something in the way. Knock on wood, the planets will align and I can really get productive again.

I do have a new kit in the shoppe today at DeviantScrap.com ! Spring Market . . .