Big Crumbs

Have you heard of it? It's a website called BigCrumbs.com. After hearing about it from a few people, I decided to check it out, and I liked what I saw. Basically, I click on there before I shop online (including ebay), and I make money back from my purchases. Believe me when I say I checked it out, and there is NO CATCH--you just have to remember to log into there BEFORE shopping.

The part I didn't trust, and had to look into some more, was the fact that I would earn money off of people that I referred there, too. Guess what? NO CATCH! So, skeptical ol' me decided to give it a try. Hey, I do MUCH (if not MOST) of my shopping online, so why not.

So, here' s the pitch--go check it out and see what you think--if you find a catch, LET ME KNOW!! I just couldn't find one, no matter how hard I looked. If you think it's something you'd like to try, please use me as your referral.

MY USER NAME/CODE/REFERRAL PERSON THING IS: cjmle

If you trust me (hee-hee) and just want to sign up based on my recommendation, you'll want to sign up as a CrumbEARNER (not CrumbSAVER), this way, you'll earn money off of people YOU refer.

A couple of other things you might want to know:

* They do NOT ask for any kind of financial information from you.
* You do need a PAYPAL account--this is how they pay you.
* They only ask for your e-mail address--and this address should be linked to your Paypal account.

Here's a quick link for you. I've put it on my side bar, too.



Happy Shopping! (Isn't shopping always a happy time?)

Playing With Photoshop

So, if you didn't get it from yesterday's post, I am so excited about Photoshop Actions! I also wanted to add that while Pioneer Woman has Photoshop CS3 (latest and greatest), I only have the very old Photoshop CS--and most of her things still work for me!

Here's a picture of our Easter lily from this year. My mom bought this for us, and it was so amazing that it opened up ON Easter morning.

Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC):


After adding some "actions":

New Love

PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS!!

Just today, I have discovered how to use Photoshop Actions! If they scare you, I highly recommend this user friendly site to get you started. I am an avid reader of The Pioneer Woman's Blog, and she has a special Photography page. I have gotten so many ideas in just the short amount of time that I have been reading!

Anyway, the other day, she offered a set of FREE Photoshop Actions. Find them HERE. Once I figured out how to download them, and use them (it was SO EASY), I got to playin' around. Here's a collage of photos.

The first one is Straight Out Of the Camera (SOOC), and the rest of the pictures were created using her actions. Really, I clicked ONCE and got a different photo each time.

I know, I'm a little excited, but for someone who loves nice-looking pictures--who doesn't have the computer knowledge--this is BIG STUFF!!

New for You

Last night, I spent quite a bit of time working on my website. First off, it seems that if anybody has tried to contact me through the website, I wasn't getting it. I still can't access the website e-mail, but I've fixed it so that when you do contact me, it goes straight to my regular e-mail. Took me FOREVER to figure that one out! But, I guess the important thing is that NOW it works.

Next, I added some items to my website. N0w that I have the thing figured out, I hope to keep adding to the inventory. Soon, I'll add a baby section, where you can buy things like burp cloths, bibs, hooded towels, etc. It's just a matter of finding the time to get IT ALL done!

You can get to my website by clicking on this picture:


Today, I just listed this for the Lil Peas EXPLORE launch (you know, explore the ocean--it works, right?). I went with a fairly simple dress, because Isabella has entered the "I NEED TO WEAR A DRESS" stage. I heard it was coming, and IT'S HERE!

You can find the listing HERE.

Crazy, Busy Week!

There were so many things going on this week--I can't believe I got them all done! I am doing one long post, but am breaking it up into sections for easier reading.

THANKFUL

This weekend my nephew had a seizure. His mom blogged about it HERE. In a family where everybody is healthy--all the time--it was a pretty scary thing. It makes you stop, take a breath, and be thankful for the people in your life--especially your family! Little things that seem so big just melt away and you are so grateful for every good thing in your life. I am thankful that my nephew is whole and healthy, with nothing but good reports from his tests!

I am thankful for The Prince, who is working on LOOKING AT THE CAMERA when I take a picture of him. I had to take 5 pictures before we got this one.

I don't have one of The Princess, because she wasn't in the picture-taking-mood.

FIRST BOWLING TRIP

The Prince had a field trip to the bowling alley this week and The Princess and I decided to tag along. Neither one of them have been bowling before, and they had a blast! I was thinking about my life in a small, rural, mid-western town, where one of the only thing TO DO was to go to the bowling alley. I was part of a children's league and (a-hem) my mom and I even won a bowling tournament when I was about 10. Anyway, back to the kids (because I can't bowl worth anything, anymore).

THIS BALL WASN'T DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED IT TO:

SHE WAS EXCITED ANY TIME HER BALL KNOCKED DOWN THE PINS:

THE PRINCE IS IN THE SAME CLASS AS HIS COUSIN, AND THEY LOVE IT!

FRESH-CUT BABY GIFTS for a BABY SHOWER

Erin had her baby shower this weekend. I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone (yeah, for me! I'm not pregnant)!! She has been telling about things she has found here and there that she liked for the baby, and I was determined to try and make a few for her. I had some of the gorgeous Heather Bailey Fresh Cut Fabric and used it to make and embellish many baby things: hooded towel, burp cloths, bibs, heart onesies, pacifier clip and a small wipes/diaper bag.

HERE WE ARE:

BIRTHDAY SKATING PARTY

My husband's niece is turning 3 and her birthday party was at the skating rink this weekend. This was another first for the kids (and another thing that I used to enjoy as a child--no tournament winnings here, though). The Princess had fun in the little Barbie skates they had available. The Prince was as determined as could be to skate like the big kids were. He wanted to go out there over and over again to get it right. I was actually quite surprised by how far he came in such a short time.

YEAH, I'M COOL:

I CAN DO THIS, I CAN DO THIS!

THERE WERE ONLY A FEW SPILLS, AND THEY WERE MORE FUN THAN PAINFUL:

THE KING OF THE RINK (Yes, I put skates on and wobbled around the rink 2 times, but *huh* no pictures--oh well.)

CONGRATULATIONS!

To Tara! I just ran the Integer Generator at Random.org and she was the lucky winner! I'll be contacting you shortly with the details! Thanks again to all of you who participated!

New Stuff

In spite of the 45 mph gusts of wind, I was able to get some pictures taken of my newest sets. You can find them listed HERE!

A skirt Made-to Match Gymboree's newest line, "Cherry Baby."


My 2nd Patriotic listing--I hope to do one more.

I'm tired! Not only have I kept busy with new items and customer orders, but April in my state is BIG thunderstorm/tornado season. While the worst we've dealt with has been large hail (quarter to ping-pong sized in our yard), there has been a STRONG possibility for tornadoes 2 nights this week, so I've missed out on some sleep. Not too far from us, there's been baseball sized hail and tornadoes, so I'm thankful!

Families

The King's grandfather (his mom's dad) came for a visit this past week from Long Island. He is 90 years old and a true Sicilian! It was great that the kids got to spend a little (not too much, he IS 90, and they are 3 and 5!) time with him. The King definitely got his genes from this side of the family. We were able to snap a few pictures when we went (where else?) to eat some New York style pizza. I consider it a blessing that my kids were able to take part in a FOUR generation picture.





Also, look what we found in our backyard this week! We have a little birdhouse off to the side of our house. The King and I had noticed a robin building this perfect little nest, and this weekend, the eggs appeared. I wish I could have gotten a better picture, but I wasn't about to touch it! The mama would have abandoned the whole thing. I tried to capture the absolutely beautiful color of the eggs--it's hard to do. Hopefully, I'll have pictures of baby birds to share in the near future!


Finally, we've been slowing cleaning up the yard from the winter. We are ready to plant flowers, but have been waiting for a VERY wet March and April to pass. The kids love to get out and help their dad (or play)!



We are SOOOOO ready for WARM Spring weather!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

THANKS TO ALL THE WELL-WISHERS. THE CONTEST HAS ENDED. PLEASE CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR TH ANNOUNCEMENT OF MY WINNER!

....well, to my blog anyway!

One year ago, today, I made my first blog entry. It seems like such a short time ago. Just the other day, I scrolled through my entire blog and reminisced about the past year. So many things have changed, and the most important things have stayed the same.

In honor of my blog's birthday, I am giving out a birthday present. To win the present, all you have to do is post a comment on this post before next Saturday, April 12, 11:59 p.m. CST. Sometime on Sunday, I will use a random number generator to pick the winner. What's the present? Oh....April is also the anniversary of my first custom boutique sale. This year will be my 2 year anniversary, so I'm giving the winner a re-make of my very first custom boutique set!



Details: I can make it in a 18-24 months up to a size 6. It will be similar (same fabrics) to the set pictured, but small details may be changed (I won't be using the black ribbon). Basically, you will be getting a better quality set due to my YEARS of experience. *snort*

Yes, my photography (and camera) has improved--I HOPE. Yes, that's my little princess at the age of 21 months.

Thanks to all of you who have visited my blog off and on for the past year. I've enjoyed sharing bits and pieces of my life with you, and look forward to the next year!