Made with Love

My friend's two year old little girl, Haley, is on my mind constantly - my heart broken that she's having to go through Chemo treatments so very young and fragile. So I made her this doll about a month or two ago. It's a Chemo Friend for her to drag w/ her to Chemo. I made her out of fleece so she'd be cuddly;  and I made her a cute dress as well as a hospital gown to wear. She also has medical accessories to carry w/ her in her tote bag: a stethoscope, bottle of asprin, heartrate thing, and a shot. The doll's hair snaps on and off, and she has a couple of hats to wear; but fortunately, little Haley's hair has not come out at all! I thought I was actually having an original idea on this one, but in my online research I found this great site w/ great Chemo dolls, too:

www.kimmiecares.com

Anyway, thought I'd post some photos of  my little project.

Cancer Awareness

I have recently cut off my hair to donate to Locks of Love in honor of two special friends dealing with cancer right now. One friend is a the mom of a two- year-old little girl who was diagnosed with a Wilm's Tumor in August. Little Haley is doing great and is set for her last Chemo treatment on December 24th...merry Christmas! The other friend is also the mom of a two year old little girl who was diagnosed with breast cancer when her daughter was only 4 months old. Kita is one of the most optimistic, joyful people I've ever met, even though she has continued to fight cancer for the past two years. Hats off, and HAIRs OFF to these extraordinary friends who fight for their lives everyday and yet continue to smile and thank God for His goodness. I love you girls!!

My New Book

My mom & I have created a book together that is now available in print! It is titled Love Spot and is available at: www.authorhouse.com/BookStore. We joined efforts to explain the process of In Vitro Fertilization through this story after a new member of our family was conceived through the IVF method. It is a beautiful, yet simple explanation of the of IVF conception process that is sure to touch your heart! This book is a must have for anyone who has ever experienced the miracle of IVF! Check it out!

Bibs That'll Make You Drool

Ooo-EE, I am so excited about this new product in the making at Amy's Own! The magic of Iron-On Transfers has gotten me fired up! My designs are working great on these little bibs. They're not on the website yet, but write and let me know what you think of them. I'm trying out some other products that I can iron-on, like tote bags, onesies, and kid tee shirts. So fun!

Oh, by the way- Yes, Jacqueline, this is for Baby Jack; and yes, Kerry, the lamb is for Baby Caroline! 

The Joy of Friendship

Today I got to meet up with some of my old friends from college, most of whom live in the same town as I though we never get together. How great it is to remember that real friendship is not bound by time passed nor proximity. I love that deep sense of personal history that comes back when seeing friends after a long while. It's a reminder of a life full of blessings - in every stage - and the impact that each friendship has had in strengthening my character, helping make me all that I am in this present time. Thank you, to all of my friends who have always (and still do) make my life so very, very rich!

Caught in the Web

I was recently invited to join Facebook; and it didn't take me long to wonder how I ever lived my life without belonging to this amazing website! I have been in touch with old friends who I never thought I'd be able to find - some who now, literally, live on the other side of the world. Being on Facebook is like having all your favorite people right on your computer all the time, just waiting for you to share your day with them. Sometimes my internet goes out, and I declare my hatred of computers. Sometimes I have a deadline for a lovely customer and my printer goes on the fritz; and I declare my hatred of computers. Sometimes my files get corrupted for an unknown reason, and I declare my hatred of computers. But really and truly, I don't hate computers; they allow marvelous opportunities for me to be in touch with you...and I love that.  

Time flies when you're turning five

I must say that I do feel very badly that it has been a month since I have written on my blog. But I have been in the throws of childhood merry-making, celebrating my oldest son's fifth birthday! He decided after viewing snippets of old Indiana Jones movies (with his dad...ahem) that he MUST have an "Indiana Jones Waterslide Party". Since none of his friends really knew who Indiana Jones was, they got an Adventure Party including treasure maps to hidden treasures! We had the party at our family farm, and it really was a great time for everyone. They kids got an Adventure Pack when they arrived and got to choose their own treasure map (there were 12 different maps leading to 12 different treasures around the farm). Then they could slip & slide on the "water slide" (aka: a big sheet of plastic), take a boat ride, bob for apples, or generally just go wild and get dirty! It was a day to remember, and our boy had a BLAST! We have been recouping for 2 full weeks now. Anyway, here are some pics below. If you need help with your own party, call me 'cuz I've got party fever! Seeing little kids get happy is a huge thrill, so let me know if I can help you out with your shin-dig, too. I 'd LOVE it!

I'm a Dog

I think I have successfully edited my first home movie! It has taken me almost 3 years to figure out (though I admit to not studying it for longer than 10 minutes at a time until earlier this evening), but I think it's been worth the effort. Here is my now, almost 5 year old in a shining moment of toddler-hood. Enjoy!

You can expect another video of my one-year-old in about 3 more years. I can't promise that it won't be HIM eating dog food next time, as he seems to be fond of it too. My oldest son watched the above video and remembered aloud, "Mom, dog food really does taste like cookies to me." ...what can I say to that? I guess we buy some pretty high-quality dog food at our house. Am I bad mother or what?!  Ha!

Encouragement for Moms

Nicole Johnson's The Invisible Woman.

My friend, Julie, sent this to me; and I wish I could personally send it to every mom I know. This is 5 minutes that will keep you going for a lifetime! 

Picture Perfect

Last week our family made a trip to the beach, and it was really, really great together time. But in the words of the infinitely wise rock-band, Poison,"every rose has it's thorn"...oh, so true, Poison. And our thorn for the week was taking that elusive, perfect photo of our two precious angels in sweet serenity by the ocean side. I will never know how other people capture that perfect Kodak moment for their Christmas cards each year; but if you are on our Christmas list, you'll never have to worry about a sickeningly perfect photo of our children coming your way. You're safe with us. It will never happen. Here's some documentation of the wreckage:

At this point, I gave up & realized that perfection is SO overrated...how boring is being perfect?! I hope we can send out an outrageously, crazy-fun photo on our Christmas cards this year...something that will really make you chuckle, instead of gag. In the end, we did get this pretty nice (though fuzzy) shot of our little angels...God bless their spunk!

Art for My Sake

Initially, I was VERY excited about beginning this blogsite; but after actually getting it up and running I got blog-fright. I had imagined a wonderful space of my own where I could be totally free to make a statement, just put my thoughts and my little artwork out there for the world to access. But then I realized that other people would be looking at what I posted, and that I really don't have any deep statements to make that anyone else would actually want to read. So about as quickly as my blog began, it ended. But I've had a personal break-through; and I've realized that no one actually reads this anyway, so what am I scared of? The real answer for me would be a sketchbook/journal, which I have about 100 of around my house that I have started and not finished. So at least this blogsite will save paper and condense my ponderings (is that a word) into one place, which will make my husband happy. And I will get to have a space of my own which will make ME happy.

In honor of the forthcoming Independence Day holiday, I am posting an Amy's Own original card from about 1984. I was a pre-teen and very sure of my art abilities. Have you ever received a homemade card for the 4th of July? Well, I haven't either; but my mom assures me that it really enhances the holiday, especially if your child is the artist behind the sentiment. 

Blessing and a Curse

We all have our passions - our true talents - that are undeniably part of who we are. And though it takes most of us a lifetime to hone them, we are always aware that they constantly call to us. On-lookers make envious comments like, "Oh, you're so lucky to be so talented in that way." But those who have a calling, a passion, know that it is both a blessing and a curse. Creativity seldom sleeps, so when she is so moved to move you...you move! It is not a thing to pencil into one's Day Runner, but rather a breath of life breathed into your days causing fury and madness and wonderful fulfillment. So, when life becomes more about other people (especially small, needy people) than yourself, creativity becomes a burden of sorts to bare until a time comes when all the needs of all the others are satisfied and you can devote yourself to your own calling to creativity. This is why the song below, "Just for Now" is my new "theme song". It's the feeling that I have when I get to work on Amy's Own projects or any myriad of other perpetual art projects stashed in my mind and in my art bins - the feeling of escaping to my own time, my own space...just for now...not forever (nor even for very long), but just for now. Don't get me wrong...I'm exactly where I want to be, doing what I want to be doing; but I do a great balancing act to keep things that way. I bet you do, too.

My new theme song

Imogen Heap "Just for Now"

Write or Wrong

As with all things I create, there is currently a need for this item at my house right now. I created these "Writing Boards" as a way to make it fun for my Preschool son to practice writing his own name (over & over!). The flip side has a cute & fun alphabet I designed with corresponding objects to their letter sound to reinforce the letter sounds and remind him what the letters are actually supposed to look like. He has used his for about six months and still likes it, so I began giving these as gifts to friends' children. They have been such a hit that several people have requested to purchase their own to give as gifts to other preschool kids. They remind me of the old-timey slate boards Mary & Laura Ingles used on Little House on the Prairie, except those sweet girls probably had to share one; and to have a wipe off one in cool colors with their own names on them would have totally blown that little Walnut Grove Schoolhouse away! But oh, the joy of making Nelly Olson jealous...! Whoa, okay, back to reality.... So, yeah, these Writing Boards are way hip & totally cool for kids and for parents who don't like wasting paper, too!

Doin' What I Love...

After 2 hours of wrestling my 4 1/2 year old over "Rest Hour"at mid-day for about the 1,044th time, this afternoon I finally implemented the Daily Duties Chart that I've been conjuring up in my mind for the past year. Some people refer to this charting of tasks as Chore Charts, but I just can't bring myself to use the word "chore" for tasks like brushing your teeth. I still have some tweaking to do on it, but today it worked like magic! He got to place a tiny sticker on each completed square to see how he was doing, and it wasn't good as of 3:30; but he kicked it in high gear, like filling a chart with tiny stickers was the climax of Man's Achievement on this earth. He filled every last square for the day and was thrilled about it! So, I think I've found a new product. If every child responds as positively to this Daily Duties Chart as mine does, I might have solved every challenge of parenting single-handedly...at least for one afternoon.

Lovin' What I Do!

As a stay-at-home mom with a small business, I stay REALLY busy. But who doesn't, right? The great thing about my busy-ness is that I love it! I get to be at home with my small children and also create paper treats for a living...how lucky am I?! Another aspect that I love about what I do is getting to create new designs and products everyday. This week's exciting new product is MOMMY CARDS! ...what the heck is a Mommy Card, you ask? Well, it is a calling card (or business card) for the most important job in the world: Mommy-hood! Now, I have to admit, I, personally, have never handed out my own Mommy Card to a stranger I've befriended on a playground. However, if a new-found mommy friend whipped out her swanky Mommy Card to pass on her contact information, you'd better believe I would be QUITE impressed, not to mention a tad bit jealous. AND I would definitely keep that thing and call her! So, I'm nipping that jealousy in the bud and printing up some for myself...I'd recommend you get some, too!

Amy's Own

Wow! Amy's Own designs now has a BLOG spot! Now I can ramble on & on as much as I want about ART! Love it! Happy reading!