Heart Escapes

A New Friend

2012-01-29T15:48:00.000-08:00

I have really been missing my pooches lately. When my husband and I separated, he had to take them, because I wasn't sure where I would be living, and I didn't have anywhere for them. I miss them terribly, and look forward to being able to have a dog again someday. In the mean time, I have a new furry friend to keep me company.... I got a rat. Yes, a rat. Meet Gus Gus:

Isn't he cute?!? I know a lot of people think rats are horrible little creatures, but they are actually very sweet little things, and they make awesome pets. Gus Gus is very friendly, and currently likes to craw up my sleeve and take a nap. Actually, he is sleeping in the sleeve of my hoodie right now. Silly guy! Anyways, I am just excited to have a little friend again. Thank you to my Momma, Step-dad, and little brother who gave him to me. :-)

Have a great week everyone. I will be headed up to Oregon for a job interview tomorrow... very exciting!

Cleaning House

2012-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

I am up and moving today... cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!

I decided it is time for a fresh start. Time to put away the old, and start building the new. I am going to start with literally cleaning... getting my apartment in order and all. A little organization would do me good. :-) Then, I will move on to the emotional cleaning. I need to put some pictures away so that I am not looking at things that make me sad. It's time to put up so new pics, of friends and family and all the amazing people I have in my life. And then, it is time to start physical cleaning. I need to start taking care of my body and feeling better about me. Eating better, working out more, developing good habits and purging the bad ones. And finally, it's time for some spiritual cleaning also. I need to start spending time with God consistently. I need to be in His word and talking to him throughout my day.

All in all, I think it is time for me to start taking better care of me. I have these goals for my life... this woman I want to be. I have goals for my education, for my career, for my family, for my life. I need to start really speaking these goals out loud and living them out. I know I don't have to start all at once, (I am easily overwhelmed!) but I can start small and build up. I am thinking a goal a month for each area sounds reasonable. So here goes...

I know January is almost over, so thiese will be my goals for January & February:

Household: Put away clothes after they are washed, every time!
Physical: Stick to Weight Watchers/Slim Fast healthy eating plan
Emotional: Write in a journal each day, even if it is just a couple of sentences.
Spiritual: Spend time with God, every morning, before getting out of bed. Devotional & prayer time.

I think those are pretty easy, don't you? Feel free to hold me accountable if you would like... Send me an email or Facebook message to check in on me anytime! :-)

Have a blessed day, friends.

Amber

The "D" Word

2012-01-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Two months ago, I started typing the post below, and then I never posted it. I am posting it now because I hope that someone out there will read this... someone who needs to hear it... and it will help them in the situation that they are dealing with. Sometimes, it helps just to know that there is someone else out there that understands how you feel. That you are not alone. This post is very long, but I hope you will take a moment to read through it, and hear a little about my journey.

Sometimes, life just sucks. There really isn't any other way to put it! Life has it's ups and downs, and when you are in a down, it sucks. Sometimes a lot! Right now, that's where I am. I am in what I would consider the lowest part of my life, thus far. And you know what? It sucks. Plain and simple.

It has been a rough year for me. The last few months has been especially difficult, but the last couple of weeks have been the worst yet. In the past week, I decided I needed to see my doctor about depression.

Here's the thing. I have been walking this line lately... the line between "it's normal to feel sad because my situation sucks" and "I don't ever want to leave my bed again... ever." Considering my life lately, it IS normal to be sad, and to deal with some minor depression. But, I am way over that line at this point. I know me, and I know when I am no longer living in my normal. Lately, I have not wanted to leave my house for work, church, friends, family, or otherwise. I have slept 8-10 hours a night and still been exhausted every day. I have had little to no motivation or energy to do anything productive. I'm sad... all the time. I can't make decisions. I have no desire to do anything good for me (excercise, eat well, etc). My appetite is nonexistant one day and crazy over the top the next. Basically, I'm depressed!

You know what though? I'm gonna be okay. It makes sense for me to be depressed right now. It has been a painful time for me, and there is only so much I can handle! Sometimes, when there is just too much to handle, our body just doesn't function in the same way. And that is why we have doctors and medications. Sometimes, we just need a little help with these kinds of things. Right now is one of those times for me. For the next few months, I'm going to have a little help dealing with life. And hopefully during that time, life might calm down a little bit. I will come out of this on the other side a stronger woman.

Todays update:
So there it is. My confession that I am dealing with something bigger than me. I struggled with posting this mainly because I wanted to be strong enough on my own. I wanted to believe that I could get through this time without being depressed or needing medication. But you know what? I'm not. I decided to post this after an amazing phone call with my dear friend Libby. We were talking about depression, how it effects people, how to get past it, etc. One thing that we touched on is how easy it is to become completely and totally consumed by depression if you aren't willing to admit there is a problem. That becomes even more likely for folks who think that depression is a sign of weakness.

It is difficult to admit that you might be dealing with depression. For me, this is the second time in my life that I have dealt with it. The first time, I was diagnosed by my doctor. I didn't want to admit to myself that I was depressed, but once my doctor pointed out all the symptoms I was experiencing, there was no denying it. I am thankful for that experience, because it has made me more aware of my psycological well being. I am very in tune with how I am feeling, and what changes I might need to make to feel better. This time around, my struggle with depression has been very different, because I noticed the symptoms in myself. Initially, it was my sleep patterns and my energy level. Then, it was my eating habits and my overall happiness. I started taking certain steps to feel better naturally by eating better, excercising, spending time with encouraging people, and so on. But I realized this problem was a lot bigger than me when I had zero desire to do any of those things, and I just didn't care. Apathy. That's a symptom of depression too.

It has been about 2 months since I saw my doctor and started taking medication for my depression. After a month, I distinctly remember a day that I was leaving work and I was humming in my car. I stopped, and thought "Wow, I feel okay today. I feel peaceful. I feel more like me." That is a good feeling! Since then, I have felt more and more like myself every day. I am starting to enjoy life again, and look forward to my future. My vacation to Chicago helped with that also. Getting away for a bit, and just enjoying some time in a great place with amazing people was really good for me. I'm glad that I noticed something wasn't right with myself, because I am not sure where I would be at right now if I hadn't gone to see my doctor.

Okay, it's time for some full disclosure. I have obviously been dealing with a lot over the past year or so. I am sure my blog posts have alluded to that more than a handful of times. It has come to the point where I want to share what I have been struggling with. For the last few years, my marriage has been falling apart. 6 months ago, my husband of 7+ years decided to move out. This last weekend, he told me he would be filing for divorce soon. My marriage is ending, despite me doing everything I could possibly do to save it. In the end, it has become more and more apparent that one spouse alone can not save a marriage. It takes two.

Yes, I am sad. I am sad, angry, heartbroken, lonely, frustrated, and just plain hurt. I have felt decieved and mislead. I have felt let down and hopeless. But this week, for the first time, I feel a little hopeFULL. My marriage is ending, and there is nothing I can do about that now, but I know that I have done all that I could, and I know that God has a plan for my future. I know that God has placed amazing, tremedous people in my life that have loved me, encouraged me, prayed for me, and cried with me through this time. People that will continue to do those things as I figure out where life goes from here. People that have helped me in dealing with this depression that could have been so debilitating.

I'm not through this struggle yet, as I still have quite a journey ahead of me. But, I think I am past the worst of it, and moving forward every day. Most importantly, I am taking care of myself right now. I am taking a couple college classes to work towards my degree. I am looking for new job opportunities in other areas so that I can move. I am spending quality time with God, and with friends and family. I am spending time doing things that I enjoy. I'm eating better, and working out as well. I feel healthier today than I have in a long time.

Friends, there are a LOT of symptoms of depression. Some symptoms are very obvious, like constant sadness or thoughts of harming yourself. Other symptoms are not so obvious, and can easily be misinterpreted. Here is a list of the most common symptoms of depression.

difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
fatigue and decreased energy
feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
irritability, restlessness
loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
overeating or appetite loss
persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

If you notice these symptoms in yourself, or someone you love, please do something about it. There are many online quizes you can take in 5 minutes that can give you an idea of whether or not you are really dealing with depression. See your doctor (or encourage your loved one to do so). Depression can overwhelm your life quickly if you do not take action, and then it just becomes even harder to overcome. Please also know that depression does not quickly go away. Medications typically take a month too start working, and sometimes you may need to try a couple medications before you find the one that is right for you. Find a good doctor, and communicate with them so that they can help you! Once you are on the right medication, keep in mind that most doctors will want to meet with you often to check your progress, and will usually keep you on medication for 6 months to 1 year minumum before seeing if you are ready to be taken off the medication. It is a process, sometimes a long one, but it could also save your life. I am not a doctor, so please see one before you make any decisions about your health and wellbeing.

One more thought before I sign off. I have heard people before say that depression is a sign of weakness, or a sign that someone is not "close enough to God" or not "praying enough". Yes, I have even heard christians say this. I am just going to be totally blunt and say that is complete and total BS. I pray often, I go to church events 2-3 times a week, I read my Bible, and I have a close relationship with my Savior. I have strength through him that can get me through anything. However, depression is also an illness, like cancer, diabetes, or an infection. We have doctors and medications for a reason. God gives us the tools we need to take care of our bodies when they are not working quite right. Use them! And if someone says any of those things to you, please do not allow that to hold you back from taking care of yourself. And PLEASE do not let anyone make you feel like you are less of a person because you are struggling.

If you are reading this today, and you relate to what I have been going through, please know that you have a friend in me. Please feel free to email me if you would like to talk. I would be happy to be a friend for you to lean on, and someone to pray for you as you go through this time in your life. You can contact me at abarnum619 at yahoo dot com.

God Bless,
Amber

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

2011-12-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been dazed and confused for the last few months... like I just can't focus on anything or make any real decisions. I'm just lost right now. I'm sure it has a lot to do with where my life is, and the decisions that are looming in my future. I have some choices to make, and it sure isn't easy. These are choices that are hard, very painful, and significantly life changing. I often go back and forth on what the right decision is. I pray about it, seek godly advice, and pray about it some more. But still, my heart doesn't have peace with any of the options.

I leave for a trip to Chicago in about 1 1/2 weeks. Honestly, this is the only thing that I have been really excited about in a very long time. I can't wait to leave, and to get to Chicago. I think this time away will be really good for me. It will be a chance for me to enjoy some new scenary, while taking some time to figure out where I go from here. Who knows... maybe I'll just stay there... ;-) Nah, probably not. It's too far away from the people I love most.

But maybe... just maybe... I'll come back with a better direction for my life. And if not, well then I will just keep praying and see where God leads me from there.

Foolish Games

2011-12-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I don't have many words. So, I am borrowing a few from one of my favorite musicians... Jewel. Heard this song, and the chorus unfortunately describes my feelings right now, oh so well. So here it is, the chorus to the song "Foolish Games":

Well in case you failed to notice,
In case you failed to see,
This is my heart bleeding before you,
This is me down on my knees, and...

These foolish games are tearing me apart,
And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart.
You're breaking my heart.

All of Me

2011-11-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

I heard this song yesterday, and it just really touched my heart. The words hit me, because I know that is where my heart needs to be. I know I need to be loving completely... totally... without bounds. I know I need to show the love that Christ has shown me. This song gave me the reminder I needed today. Check out the youtube video if you have never heard the song.

"All of Me"

by Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real

Afraid to love

Something that could break

Could I move on

If you were torn away?

And I'm so close to what I can't control

I can't give you half my heart

And pray he makes you whole

You're gonna have all of me

'Cause you're worth every falling tear

You're worth facing any fear

You're gonna know all my love

Even if it's not enough

Enough to mend our broken hearts

But giving all of me is where I'll start

I won't let sadness steal you from my arms

I won't let pain keep you from my heart

I'll trade the fear or all that I could lose

For every moment I share with you

You're gonna have all of me
You're gonna have all of me
'Cause you're worth every falling tear
You're worth facing any fear
You're gonna know all my love
Even if it's not enough
Enough to mend our broken hearts
But giving all of me is where I'll start

Heaven brought you to this moment
It's too wonderful to speak
You're worth all of me
You're worth all of me
So let me recklessly love you, even if I bleed
You're worth all of me
You're worth all of me

You're gonna have all of me
You're gonna have all of me
'Cause you're worth every falling tear
You're worth facing any fear
You're gonna know all my love
Even if it's not enough
Enough to mend our broken hearts
But giving all of me is where I'll start
It's where I'll start

Prayer.

2011-07-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

I know I don't post much as it is, but I wanted to officially let you know that I'm going to be signing off from my blog for awhile. Life has taken me down a new path; one that I truly need to devote myself to fully. Things are hard right now, and my heart hurts, but I know God is with me and will guide me through.

As I find my way through this rough patch, I would really and truly appreciate you prayers. Besides my Momma, and my dear friend Lena, I am not sure who actually reads my blog anymore, but if you read this, please pray. Even if this is your first time ever on my blog! Pray for direction, wisdom, and comfort for me. And please pray, above all, that I continue to seek God during this time, and that I come out on the other side with an even stronger faith and relationship with God.

I'll be back, and hopefully, better than ever. See ya'll soon.

~Amber

My Best Shot

2011-06-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since I have participated in a photo challenge... but this is one I just couldn't pass up! The Paper Mama is hosting a "Your Best Shot" challenge, just link up with your best shot of a child (or a furry child, if you prefer). With all the new baby pics I have been taking lately, I knew it would be hard to choose a favorite, but I finally narrowed it down...

I love this one. He has such a little grumpy face when he is sleeping! Little Mr. Nathan, I know you are much sweeter than that furrowed brow would suggest!

Well, I hope you all enjoy it too, and if you have a favorite shot that you would like to enter, just head over to The Paper Mama!

4 Months

2011-06-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

4 Months have come and gone without so much as a glance to my blog. With a new job, moving, and just the craziness of life, a few things ran away from me. My blog was one of those things, but it feels good to be back again, typing away. :-)

Anyways... update? I love, love, LOVE my job! I am working for the California Conservation Corps as a Special Corpsmember - Education Coordinator. For those of you who have never heard of the CCC, you should definitely check out their website for more info. It is a great program that offers tremendous opportunities for young adults to gain invaluable work skills. My position allows my to help Corpsmembers get the most out of their time in the C's; to help them be as successful as possible in the program. It is incredibly rewarding, and I truly love going to work each and every day. :-)

Of course, we also moved.... again.... Ugh! We move too much! But, it was necessary. We are now right in town, less than 2 miles from each of our offices, rather than 20+ miles away. We can walk or bike to work, or to just about anywhere else we need to go in town. We love it. It's nice to not have a long drive home after work every day!

I haven't been making much lately... no jewelry or ceramics in months... Not many cakes either, just a few cupcakes or cookies every now and then. I like to spoil the crew at work when I can, and they always appreciate baked goods! Beyond that, I have a planted a little garden this year. Tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, mini carrots, mini watermelons, yellow squash, & zucchini have all been planted, and are growing like crazy! I will be planting some more this week also. Maybe some cherry tomatoes and who knows what else... Our new house has this great little sun room off of the kitchen, and that is where all my plants have been. The winter here has been dragging on forever, so it is just recently safe to put my precious plants outside. But the sun is now out pretty consistently, so the plants will be outside this week!

My little garden

Beyond that, I have been doing quite a bit of photography. Specifically, maternity & newborn photography, which I am finding I really love. Take a look at some of my recent work:

Dear friends, Daniel & Melissa Hood. This is baby #3 for them... all boys!

Baby Nathan

Renee (above) and her sister Wraylene (below) were pregnant together. I had a blast taking their pics!

Awwww.... sisters!

Baby Bailey

Well, my friends, that is all I have for now! Have a great week!

My Valentine

2011-02-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love my pooches. Erik and I don't have human babies yet, but we do have two furry, four legged babies! Cammie & Shelby are my sweet girls!

This is Cammie, she is our older pup. She is about 4 years old, but she acts so much older! She is a snuggler and she smiles! She is my furry Valentine!

This is my entry for The Paper Mama's Photo Challenge! Head over there to link up your own pic, or just to check out the other amazing entries!

On another note, we are moving in less than a week, so I am going to be offline for a bit. We are planning on packing up the computer tomorrow so that we stop allowing it to distract us from packing! See ya in a week or two!

~Amber

Just Me.

2011-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

*Yawn*

I'm sleepy! Time to go to bed and rest for the week ahead!

But first! Here is my self portrait for The Paper Mama's photo challenge.

Yep, that's me! I get bored when we drive, so I have lot's of self portraits of me in the passenger seat! :-)

You can link up your own self portrait here:

Goodnight!

Day of Love

2011-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

So once again, I have neglected my poor blog for much too long! First, we were busy with the holidays. Then, we started getting ready to move (again!). And then, I started a new job! So it has been a very good, and very crazy last few months! We are moving in order to be closer to work, so that we aren't commuting as far and spending so much on gas. I am thinking that I will have more time to focus on my blog and Etsy shop now that I won't be driving for a total of 6 hours a week! :-)

Now, on to the reason for my impromptu post today... I completely forgot that Chelsey over at The Paper Mama is hosting a special Valentine's Day Photo Challenge! I planned on entering a month ago, but I got busy and forgot. Alas, it is now the last day of the challenge, so I spent a bit of time editing this photo just so. I really like it.... I think I may even print it out and give it to my love for the day of love. But shhhh..... don't tell him!

I do believe that is all I have for this evening. Now it is time to get back to packing and cleaning and packing and cleaning. I shall return soon (promise!) and then I will share more about my new job, which I LOVE!

Ohhhh! And don't forget to link up your own Valentine's pics, or just check out all the other amazing entries by clicking on the link below!

Goodnight!

Our Christmas Card

2010-12-03T07:25:00.000-08:00

I am entering The Paper Mama's Christmas Card Challenge!

This is the Christmas card I created for us this year.

This photo was taken by my good friend Tina a month or so ago. She is a fabulous photographer! I decided I wanted a wintery type card, so I started by muting the color a bit, and bringing out the blues. Then I used some awesome snowflake brushes around the edges. Finally, I added the border and text, and a bit of a drop shadow to make it pop.

I hope you like it! I can't wait to print these guys out and send them to all my friends and family!

Happy Friday!

~Amber

Tips From a Wannabe Wedding Planner

2010-11-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love weddings.... they are by far, my favorite big event to be a part of. Weddings are just filled with so much love and beauty, they just make me happy!!

I have been making wedding cakes for about 6 years, and I have been planning weddings since I got married, 7 years ago. I have a lot of fun with planning weddings, because I love helping my friends to make their dream wedding a reality. And, I love seeing the finished product come together.

So, of course, I am just thrilled that my dear friends, Libby and Adam, recently became engaged! YAY! We have been waiting for this one for awhile... :-) Libby asked me to be her wedding planner, which I of course accepted. Looks like the wedding plans are for March of 2012, so we have plenty of time to plan. Ever since I received her text yesterday, I have had weddings on my mind. This morning, I decided to finally make a post that has been going through my brain since June! A list of my top wedding tips for the Bride & Groom, for the bridal party, for the family, and for all the friends. So hear it is, I hope you enjoy it and hopefully, if you are planning a wedding, or you know someone who is, it will help you out!

Tips For the Bride & Groom

Don't spend your life savings on one day. Yes, it is an important day, but financial stability is also important, and $$$ is one of the leading causes of divorce. Start your marriage off right by not going into debt to throw some extravagant wedding that no one will remember next year. My wedding coast a total of $6000 for over 100 people, and 3/4 of that cost was the catering. That is a pretty inexpensive wedding by todays standards, but you know what? It was amazing, and perfect, and wonderful. And I would do it all over again for probably even less money! Save some of that money to take a great honeymoon or to put a down payment on a house!
Let people help. You can try to do it all yourself, and you could possible even be successful, but I promise you, you will not enjoy the day as much if you are running around the whole day trying to make everything perfect all by yourself. Ask your family members and friends for help. Delegate specific tasks to certain people. Just make sure that you ask people that you trust, and that you don't put everything on one person. (Unless that person is your Wedding Coordinator, in which case that is what they are paid for!)

At My Mom's wedding, I was the Wedding coordinator. Since I was also the Matron of Honor, Cake Decorator, Decorator, and Singer, I needed some help. I brought along my friend Catie to make sure things didn't get to crazy.

Remember each other. It is so, so easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning a wedding along with the busyness of normal life and neglect the person you are getting ready to marry. Don't forget to have date nights still, and continuing nurturing your relationship.
Go to pre-marital counseling. Most pastor's require this before they will perform you ceremony, but not always. Find a pastor or counselor that you know and trust, and start this early in your engagement. There are so many things that we don't always think about talking about BEFORE we get married. We just think we will figure it all out as it happens. It is very comforting to go into a marriage knowing that the person you are devoting yourself to for the rest of your life is on the same page as you. I promise you, throughout your engagement process, this will be the most valuable thing that you can possible do.

Let your parents make some choices too. Yes, it is your wedding. And yes, some of their ideas may be different, old fashioned, or all together weird. BUT, they are your parents, and they should at least have some involvement. If your parents are overbearing and want everything done their way, then consider giving them one thing to be completely in charge of, like the rehersal dinner. Then they can just plan away, without overwhelming you too.
Register together, and think before you scan! I know, I know... a lot of guys don't want to do the whole registry thing. But, consider that the stuff on that registry is going to be stuff that you have to live with for quite some time. It's good for you both to put in your 2 cents on some of that stuff. Our registry ended up being a disaster... we registered for some stuff that we really didn't need, and just seemed fun. We ended up with many things that we got rid of less than a year later. So take inventory of what you have, what you need, and what you want. Have fun with it, but don't get to happy with that little handheld scanner!

Tips For the Bride to Be:

Stay calm, and don't stress too much. Things WILL go wrong... they always do. But, they don't have to ruin your day. At the end of the day, all that really matters it that you get married to the love of your life! All the small things will be forgotten later. Have fun!

Ask for help! I know I already said this for the Bride & Groom, but I seriously can not stress this enough for the Bride! Bride's take on so much for their special day, and unfortunately, they often take on way too much. It can be overwhelming. So ask for help... from your family, your bridesmaids, your close friends, and most importantly, your GROOM!! After all, it is his wedding too. :-)
Don't be a Bridezilla. I was in a wedding a few years back, and the bride said to me and the other bridesmaids, "It's my wedding, and I will be as big of a b!%@* as I want to be, and you will just have to deal with it!" Wow, what a statement! For those of you that may feel that way, let me clue you in on something.... At the end of the day, your friends and family will probably not remember what food you served, what your cake looked like, your how beautiful the decorations were. They WILL, however, remember what kind of bride you were. 7 years later, and I STILL have people tell me what a lovely, kind, and gracious bride I was. That is what they remember the most.... that despite the things that went wrong, I just styed relaxed and happy and ejoyed myself! So consider how you want to be remembered...
Above all, be flexible! Like I said, things will go wrong. It just happens that way. Be prepared to make some changes as needed. Did the florist call to tell you the flowers you requested just aren't available? Be gracious and flexible with what else she has available. They will still be beautiful, I promise.

Tips For the Groom

Help your Bride where you can. This is my biggest tip for Grooms... Your fiance wants your input. When you just tell her to decide, it sounds like you don't care. So, think of a few things that are important to you, and make sure to be involved in those decisions. Whether it is choosing the music, picking the food, or even designing the invites, whetever it is, make it yours. That will take some stress off of your bride while also including you in the process.
Make sure you Groomsmen take care of their responsibilities. Guys will be guys... but when it is a week before the wedding ,and half the groomsmen still haven't had their fittings for their tux... there is a good chance the bride is going to flip. It is your job to make sure your guys know what is needed of them, and when.

Tips for the Bridal Party

Being a bridesmaid or groomsmen is an honor. Your friend asked you to be a part of their day because they love you and trust you. Because you are someone that they want to stand up with them while they make the biggest commitment of their lives. That's a big deal! Thank them for including you, and do what you can to help them on their day.

Bridal Party = Responsibility. Being party of the wedding party is not just about standing up at the front looking pretty. There are parties and showers to throw, invitations and favors to make, last minute crises to solve, and of course a car to decorate. Help out wherever you can. even if you are acorss the country, you can offer emotional support that is invaluable! Oh, and if you really don't think that you have the time or energy, or if you really don't want to, then SAY NO! There is NOTHING worse then having someone in your bridal party that doesn't want to be there. Talk about a downer!

Tips For the Parents

This is their day, let them have it. You may want your son or daughter to do certain things certain ways on their wedding day. And while they may take some of your suggestions, please do not be offended and get upset when they don't. The wedding is not about YOU, so don't try to get your way on everything.
Don't give money with strings attached. These days, most couples are perfectly capable of paying for their own wedding, even if it is with very little money. If you think offering to fund the whole event give you free rein to make whatever decisions you want, you are in for a surprise.Like I said, it is their wedding. If you want to help them out financially, then do so, without expectations...

Tips for Immediate Family & Close Friends

Don't compare and don't judge. So what if cousin Amy's wedding was bigger or cost more. It doesn't matter, and making comparisions on someones wedding day is just going to make someone mad, or hurt their feelings. And so what if they did something weird that you have never heard of before. It's their day, and that is all that matters.

Help, help, help! Offer to help if you can. Maybe they need omeone to man the guest book or gift table, or maybe someone needs to cut the cake, or pour champagne for the toast, or maybe they need a little help cleaning up at the end of the night. Help where you can and try to make the night great or the two most important people there.

Tips for Extended Family & Anyone Else

Don't assume you are invited and don't be offended if you aren't. Most people can't afford to invite everyone that they want to. Some people just want to have a small, intimate wedding. Either way, wait to make your travel plans until you know you are invited. And if you aren't invited, take the news with grace, and just congratulate the bride & groom.

Enjoy the time with your friends and family. This is, after all, a celebration! Have fun, and make memories!

So those are my thoughts. It's long, I know... But those are many of the things i have encountered with friends and families weddings. I hope it helps a few people out!

~Amber

In Love...

2010-09-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

...with beautiful children... Take note hubby: I. Want. One. or five.... :-)

I'm in Nevada this weekend.... visiting with my best friend Sarah, and her precious family. I have known Sarah for as long as I can remember, and we have been best friends for about 8 years. We spent some tough years together when we were younger, and now it is just amazing to see how our lives have grown. She and her wonderful husband Chris have two beautiful babies: David, who is 4 1/2 years old and Cadence who is 3 weeks old. I was with Chris and Sarah the day that David made is debut, and made sure I came as soon as I could once Cadence came into the world. I love these kids with my whole heart, and I would do anything for them! Here are a few pictures of these precious children. I will be showering them with love all weekend long!

Precious David, playing on the swings. <3

Me and beautiful baby Cadence. <3

Hope you all have a great 3 day weekend!

~Amber

Catch Up...

2010-08-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Why, hello there.

I have been awfully busy lately, and I have really missed blogging, crafting, and also keeping up with all of my favorite blogs! My hubby and I just got home last night after 4 days in Washington for my step-sisters wedding. It was wonderful, and we even got to enjoy Seattle for a little while. Now we are back home, and just trying to get back in the groove of things. I made the wedding cake, and will be posting pics soon... it turned out really nice. :-) Besides the wedding, we had a blast just spending time with family, and of course the very, very long road trip was filled with memories!

While in Seattle on Sunday, I insisted that we stop by The Blue Bottle Art Gallery to see Jessie Olson of CakeSpy. I brought her a cupcake. :-) She was super nice, and I just loved looking around the gallery at all her wonderful stuff! I am so glad that my family was nice enough to let me stop in. I <3 CakeSpy!

I am awfully sleepy today, so I am going to cut this post short, but I do want to give BIG THANK YOU to The Paper Mama for giving me (and her other sponsers) a big shout out today. I love advertising with you! I am looking forward to adding some new items to my Etsy shop this week!

Goodnight all!

Amber

Today...

2010-08-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

... I am hurt. I am broken hearted. I am sad. I am angry. I feel sick. I feel overwhelmed. I want to hate you.

And yet... I have peace. I have calm. I have healing. I have love. I have love for you despite how much my heart hurts.

That can only come from God. Only God can show me healing when I am broken. Only God can show me peace when I am angry. Only God can show me love when I don't want to feel it. Only God can teach me love when every human bone in my body wants to hate.

The truth is, I can't hate you. It isn't possible. I don't know how. I don't know how to NOT love you. And as much as it hurts, I am thankful for that. Because with love comes forgiveness, and redemption. If I can love you even an ounce of how much God loves me... If you can see me love you even through this, than maybe you will see a glimpse of the love Christ offers us.

I am praying today.... I am praying that you give your life to Christ. That you surrender your heart to Him and turn away from everything else. I am praying for me... praying that I show you love, even when it hurts... especially when it hurts. I am praying that I fight through my earthly feelings, and instead take Godly actions.

There is nothing I can do now, except for love you and trust in the Lord. And that... that is enough.

~Amber

M.I.A.

2010-08-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

So, I'm working again... Yay! It is really nice to have a job again after a year of unemployment. I started my job 2 weeks ago, and I am currently in training for a total of 9 weeks. That is a crazy long time for training! But, there is a lot of information to learn before I start working with clients.

Anyways, that's where I have been for the last few weeks. I have been acclimating to the life of a employed person again.... not staying up to late, getting up early, having to be somewhere at a set time, etc. I have gotten used to crafting/blogging/web surfing whenever I want, so having a schedule is a big change! I am trying to develop a weekly schedule for myself so that I make time for my blog and my Etsy shop. I am thinking I may start blogging once or twice a week, on specific days, and updating my Etsy shop at the same time. I am hoping that a set schedule will keep me from going M.I.A. for long periods of time!

This weekend I am busy finishing all my entries for our county fair. I turned in my photography, jewelry, and ceramic entries today, and all my baked goods are due on Tuesday, the day before the fair. Below are some of the pictures that I entered. Let me know what you think!

Goodnight all!

~Amber

Photo Challenges!

2010-07-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't entered any photo challenges in awhile, so I am jumping back in today. I am entering five photo challenges today, and some of these photos are ones that I am entering in the fair this year also!

Photo Challenge #1:

"Over My Head"

I took this at our annual Balloon Fair last year. I love all the colors!! Can't wait for the balloon fair again this year.

Photo Challenge #2:

"Landscapes"

This was taken just a week ago at the Ride in the Light Christian Biker Rally. This was during the Sunday morning ride. I followed behind the bikers and took this picture out the sunroof of the car. This is one of my favorites from this weekend.

Photo Challenge #3:

"Faces"

This was taken at a friends wedding a month or so ago. This sweet girl was resting on her Momma's shoulder right in front of me. I just couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of her precious face. I used The Pioneer Woman's Vintage Photoshop action on this photo.

Photo Challenge #4:

"Action"

My "babies" playing and running around. I am amazed that this pic is not more blurry!

Photo Challenge #5:

"Ice Cream"
My furry baby, Cammie, loves ice cream, which is probably part of why she is a little pudgy!! This was taken when she was just a pup. She really loved that Coconut Sorbet!

That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed my pics!

~Amber

A Bloggy Award

2010-07-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

This is officially my last Monday unemployed. Next Monday will be the first day of my new job. Yay!

In other news, one of my favorite blogs to read, In a Yellow House, is hosting a giveaway right now, featuring an item from my Etsy shop, and another Etsy shop, ShopLeah. Leah has some beautifuk stuff in her shop! Thank you so much to Chelsea of In a Yellow House for hosting this giveaway! I hope you will all head over to her blog and show her some love!

Chelsea also recently passed on some bloggy awards to me and some other bloggers. She had 4 different awards, and said we could take which ever ones we wanted, so I chose these:

I think I am a versatile blogger and a beautiful blogger, so these fit. Plus, I think the buttons are pretty. :-)

The rules of the awards are that I have to share 7-10 interesting facts about myself, and then pass on the awards to some other bloggers. Here goes!

I have 10 siblings, ranging in age from 9 to 30. Wowza!
I love to sing, and I just recently worked past my fear of singing in front of people. Now I sing with the worship team at my church.
I found out a few months ago that I actually really enjoy Star Trek.... I watched the new movie, and then some of the older stuff, and it was really good!! Ummm.... Did I just admit that???
I have lived in 22 different houses in my lifetime, in 7 different cities. I'm pretty done with moving for a bit.
If I had cable TV, I would watch The Food Network all.day.long. and never grow tired of it! Especially the cake decorating shows!
I have been decorating cakes for about 5 years now, and I only have one month of actual formal training. For the most part, I am self taught.
I have 7 tattoos, and more to come someday... This is one of my favorites. I designed it myself, with 1 Corinthians 13:13 in mind.

I want to go live with The Pioneer Woman and be her personal assistant. Dream job!!!
A large percentage of the blogs I read are "mommy blogs" despite the fact that I have no babies, and may not for a very long time... I can't help it, I love seeing pics of adorable babies, and reading about cloth diapers and adventures of growing little people. :-) They make me happy!
I love my Lord with all my heart, and I am so thankful for His blessings and teaching in my life.

And now to tag some of my favorite bloggers. I hope everyone will check out their blogs and show them all a little love.

Feel free to take either award or both!

Time for bed... I really need to get on a better sleep schedule!

~Amber

And The Winner Is.....

2010-07-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Good morning all,

I have some exciting Etsy shop news! As of yesterday, I have made 10 sales! That may not seem like much, but ik now some people start out their Etsy shop with months without sales, so I feel truly blessed that I am starting out pretty well!

For all you Etsy shoppers out there, you should really go check out some items now, as there is a site wide promotion, "Christmas in July", going on for any sellers who wanted to participate. Also, one of the teams I am a member of is also hosting a promotion right now, the Cool CAPS Promo. If you go to the Etsy homepage, and type christmasinjuly or coolcapspromo in the search engine, you will find all the listing that are part of these promos. Part of the Cool CAPS Promo is a whole lot of giveaways from many of the CAPS team members, inculding myself! Check out the post here with info on how to enter. Happy Shopping!

One other Etsy announcment before I announce the winner of my giveaway! I am very, very excited to announce that I have officially purchased my first advertising spot! One of my bloggy friends, The Paper Mama, had mentioned in her blog yesterday that she was looking for some new sponsers for her blog. I had been looking for a chance like this to advertise that was in my (very small) price range. I found just what I was looking for with The Paper Mama. And, she even created a button for me, check it out!

Isn't it great? Thank you to Chelsey of The Paper Mama for the advertising spot, and the button. :-)

And finally, the winner of my giveaway is.....

Yay for Becky! Congrats! I will be emailing you shortly regarding your prize. :-)

I also just want to say thank you to the hosts, and sponsers of a few other giveaways I have won recently. I love entering giveaways, and of course love winning them too! So, a big thank you to:

Mom to Bed at 8 and UGLee Pen
Mom to Bed at 8 and Brie'Denee Jewelry
Mom to Bed at 8 and One
The Crafty Nest and Lily Queen Jewelry
Songberries and Soda Stream
Little Birdies Secret and Button of Hope

Please visit these guys and show them some love! Also, show some big love to The Crafty Nest, who just had her first baby!! And if you only check out one of the sponsers, check out Button of Hope. 100% of their proceeds go to the Relay for Life foundation to help cure cancer!

Have a great Thursday all!

~Amber

NYAT's Blog Bash

2010-07-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

**Sorry there are no pictures today! I am housesitting for the week, so I don't have access to my pictures.**

I'm joining in NYAT's first annual Blog Bash! This is the first blog party that I have joined into, and I am really looking forward to getting to know some new bloggers! Basically, the idea is to come together to promote our blogs and learn a bit about each other. You just link up a introduction as well as answer 5 questions about your blog. If you are a blogger, you should consider joining in also, it should be fun!

So, for my introduction...

I'm 26 years old, and I have been married for 6 years to a wonderful man. We have no babies, but we do have two pups, Cammie and Shelby. I have a big family, and I love every one of them, even the crazy ones. Ilove to cook/bake, sing, decorate cakes, and waste time on Facebook... hahaha... I enjoy using the creativity that God has given me to create jewelry, ceramic pieces, photography, and occasionally, drawings. I love Jesus, and I am so greatful for the changes that my Lord has brought about in my life. I have lived an interesting first 26 years, and I learn more and more every day. I am a work in progress... just trying to become more like Jesus. I don't always succeed, in fact I fail often, but that is where the grace of God comes in. I loves me, failures and all, and for that I am so thankful.

Okay, onto the questions...

1.) Why do you blog?

I started blogging after much encouragement from my Momma. I enjoy writing, and according to her, I am quite good at it. I decided to start a blog to share my thoughts and to share the things I am making.

2.) What do you blog about?

I blog about life, God, giveaways, photography, things that I am making, and my Etsy shop. I tend to be fairly random in what I post.

3.) What do you find to be the biggest reward you get from blogging?

I think my biggest reward from blogging is the connections I have made with other bloggers. Having the chance to get to know people from around the world without actually meeting them is a great experience.

4.) How long have you been blogging?

About 8 months or so.

5.) Let's hear the story behind your blog title! :)

I thought about my blog title for a long time. I wanted something that I could use for both my blog and my Etsy site, so it needed to reflect my artistic side too. I originally decided to use "Art Escapes" for my Etsy site, and "Heart Escapes" for my blog. The idea behind that was that my art is many times an escape for me. I can get into my jewelry making, ceramics, or photography, and just escape from the real world for awhile. I got to a place where I am just enjoying God's gifts, and I hang out there for awhile. I thought Heart Escapes would be a good play on that for my blog, because I thought my blog would be a place where I would speak my heart, and just be real. I like the idea of my blog being an escape for my heart... a place to release my thoughts and feelings. Anyways... "Art Escapes" was already taken on Etsy, so I decided to just use Heart Escapes for both, but I just capatilized one extra letter for Etsy, so it is HeArtEscapes.

Well, that's it! I hope to meet some new bloggy friends this week on the Blog Bash. I hope some other people will get involved too!

~Amber

My Etsy Shop Giveaway

2010-07-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday!

I just wanted to put out a quick note to let you know that I am extending my giveaway for a bit longer. So, you now have until next Wednesday, July 14th to enter. I will randomly chose a winner on Thursday, July 15th. I realized this week that since the giveaway was at the bottom of a VERY long post, that some people may not have seen it. So, I hope you will check it out now!

**My Etsy Giveaway**

~Amber

Who doesn't love a great giveaway?

2010-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

I know i have been posting about giveaways a lot lately, but you know what? I LOVE giveaways! I love entering them and hosting them. And, I have actually won a few giveaways lately! Check out what I have won:

The first giveaway I won was from Clever's Corner. She hosts a giveaway every week, and a few weeks ago, I won her giveaway for a gift certificate to the Etsy shop, ComeShopPinkLemonade. My purchase from the shop is going to be a customer tank top. I am sending her a tank top of mine, and then she is going to customize it for me with some pretty ribbon flowers or ruffles. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

The second giveaway I won was hosted by Susie B. Homemaker for a Brugo Mug.

This is a super cool travel mug that has a special little chamber that cools one sipful of your drink so that you don't burn your mouth, while the rest of your coffee stays piping hot. I just received mine yesterday, and I love it! This is the one that I received:

The next giveaway won was hosted by The Paper Mama, who I love!>

Anyways, the giveaway was for a set of labels from Pear Tree Greetings. I am planning on getting some labels to use on my Etsy shipments. These are some of the ones I am considering:

And the last giveaway I won (so far!) was from Mom to bed by 8

This giveaway was for a $50 gift certificate from Swimsuits For All. They have wonderful swim wear for women size 8 and up. It is so nice to see some swimsuits made for all sizes of women! I placed my order today, and I was able to get all of these great items:

Thank you so much to all of the bloggers who have hosted these giveaways and also the companies & shops who have sponsored them! It is so generous of each of you to host these giveaways for your readers. :-)

And to my readers, don't forget to check out the giveaway that I am currently hosting by clicking here. Maybe you will win something great too!

~Amber

Jeremiah 29:11

2010-07-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have been unemployed for 1 year and 14 days.

As of July 21st, I will have been unemployed for 1 year, 1 month, and 2 days.

But on July 22nd, I will no longer be unemployed. On July 22nd I will officially be a full time employee of Siskiyou County, as an Eligibility Worker for Human Services! I can't wait to start my new position and get back to work. As crazy as it may sound, I have missed working. It is so very hard to stay motivated when really don't have anything that you HAVE to do. Being unemployed for this amount of time has been a struggle, and I am glad to see it come to an end.

This past year has been interesting, because not only was I unemployed, but my husband was also, and I was the only one receiving unemployment. Financially, things were tight, to say the least. But God provided for us, every single step of the way. We were blessed to be living in an area that has a lower cost of living. We were even more blessed to find a rental home within our price range that really should not have been within our price range! We have had a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our bellies over the past year, despite the lack of employment. God has provided extra work for us on the side to bring in some extra money. And now, at precisely the same time that I am losing my unemployment, God has provided me with employment. Some people would say that all those things are just good luck or coincidences, but I know better. I know that God has been watching over us and caring for us every day.

Not only has God provided for us financially, bu he has also given me a number of opportunities over the past year that I may not have had if I had been working full time:

Started making jewelry
Worked on my photography skills
Took a Photoshop class
Took a ceramics class and found out I really enjoy ceramics!
Started blogging
Opened my Etsy shop
Actually sold some items in my Etsy shop!
Started organizing my craft studio/guest room
Made a few cakes
Helped plan/coordinate some parties and weddings

Sure, I could have done many of these things while working, but I don't know if I would have... When I am working full time, I find it is so easy to just get caught up in life and not spend as much time cultivating the talents that God has given me. I get busy and just put things off. But I think now, after having the time to really enjoy these new parts of my life, I am going to make a conscious effort to keep them in my life. I don't want to go back to just working every day and not doing the things that I love also. I want to enjoy life, every day.

I don't know if any of you read Confessions of a Young Married Couple, but if you don't you totally should! Katie blogs about life, real life. She writes about her marriage and being a mom, and all the good and not so good things that come along with that. I love that Katie is so open and honest. She doesn't just share the good times, she shares the rough patches too, and that makes it oh so easy to relate to her and her adorable family. Her family recently made a long distance move, and it has been hard on them. Katie recently started Operation Bloom Where You Are Planted (BWYP) for herself. Her goal is to, well, bloom where she is planted. In other words, to enjoy life no matter where you are, and to embrace the present instead of looking to the past or grasping for the future. She is recognizing that you can't be content with life if you are never happy where you are right now, so she is making a conscious effort to change that way of thinking in her own life. I feel like that is also something i have been working on over the past year. It can be very hard to be content when you have two unemployed people in the same household. All the days kind of run together, and it is easy to get discouraged, frustrated, and even depressed. It is during those times that is so important to know that God has a plan, and that he wants you to bloom where he has you right now!

Over the past year, I think I have bloomed where God planted me. It took me a while, but I finally found my roots, and bloomed. Now, I need to continue blooming in this new position, while also not forgetting the desires God has grown in me over the past year. God is already providing new opportunities to me that will hopefully help my blog and Etsy site grow, so I need to keep putting in my time, energy, and love into these things in order to help them grow.

If you are going through a difficult time in your life right now, and you are having trouble "blooming" where you are, then I hope you will take a look at this verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

Over the past year, this has been the verse I have turned to for encouragement. I have it on the banner of my cell phone so that I see it every, single time I open my phone. These words from God have helped me tremendously to remember that God already has it all figured out for me, and that his plan is definitely better than mine. It has reminded me that God has great plans for my life, and that he will not lead me astray. This verse has given me hope on days that I felt hopeless. I hope it may bring the same light to your life. :-)

So that is my exciting news for the week! In order to celebrate, I'm having a giveaway! One lucky ready will receive a $15 gift certificate to my Etsy shop to spend however they would like!

To enter, just comment below and tell me one way that you are going to try and bloom where you are planted.

You can also get some bonus entries, but you must do the first entry before you can get any bonus entries! Just be sure to create an extra comment for each bonus entry!

1 bonus entry for following my blog on Google Friend Connect.

1 bonus entry for adding my shop to your fav's on Etsy. (Leave your Etsy username)

1 bonus entry for telling me your favorite item in my Etsy shop.

2 bonus entries for posting a link to my giveaway on your Facebook. (Leave 2 comments)

3 bonus entries for blogging about my giveaway on your blog. (Leave 3 comments)

And 1 bonus entry if you visit Katie at Confessions and tell me what you like best about her blog. :-)

That's it! You can get up to 10 entries, and a winner will be chosen on Friday, July 9th. You have until Thursday at Midnight to enter. Good luck!

~Amber

Cutestfood.com

2010-07-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

I have a blog post coming up with something new and exciting, but, before that, I have some other exciting news to share...

The wedding cake that I made a few weeks ago was just featured on the blog Cutest Food!

Pretty cool, right? :-)

So, if you have any "cute food" pics of your own, submit them on the Cutest Food website. They have all sorts of awesomely cute categories, so check them out!

Stay tuned for something awesome...

~Amber

Mom to Bed by 8

2010-06-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

There are some amazing giveaways going on over at Mom to Bed by 8's blog. Check them out here:

SOOC Saturday (The View From My Back Door)

2010-06-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

The other night, I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful sunset. I grabbed my camera and rushed out the door and took picture after picture until it was too dark to take any more. The pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and blues made for a magnificent view. It was as if God was painting the skyline, and he certainly didn't need any help from photoshop. ;-)

I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place, where I can enjoy amazing sunsets (smog free), see all the stars at night, and hear nothing but the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking.

Mmmm, blissful.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

You can also check out other entries for SOOC (straight out of the Camera) Saturday by clicking on the link below.

~Amber

Writing to My Sisters

2010-06-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Christy & Kelly:

I'm going to write you a both a letter this week, and get out some feelings that I have never been able to say. Even today, when we had our little confrontation in the store parking lot, I just couldn't seem to get the right words out of my mouth.... they were blocked by the lump in my throat and the knot in my stomach. I couldn't get out the right words because I could feel the tears in my eyes coming closer with every word I spoke. So, I'm going to write to you instead.

Then, I am going to respect your wishes and never contact either of you again. It is pointless for me to continue to try and have a relationship with two people who apparently hate the sister that they have never actually known. Of course, you only hate the version of me that has been described to you, which is not who I actually I am at all. So, I will let go, and not try any more. However, I want you to know that I will never stop being your sister, and I will never stop loving you or praying for you.

If one day you realize you made a mistake and you want to know me after all, I will be here. I will always be available to you in that way, because that's what family does. I have never wanted anything more than to be your big sister and your friend. I have desired that relationship for as long as I can remember, and I have been denied that over and over again. So for now, until you change your mind, I am just going to stop putting myself in the place where it is so easy for me to be hurt be your selfish actions.

I don't know if you will ever see this blog post... part of me secretly hopes you are curious like me and you google my name just to see what comes up... If you do, maybe you will read this. Of course, I don't know if you will read the letter I send you either. For all I know you may drop it in the trash as soon as you realize it is from me. If you do, well... oh well I guess, Not much I can do about that. I tried, and now I am done trying.

This is the only picture I have of all three of us together. To my knowledge, it is the only one that even exists. I hope that changes some day, but I'm not holding my breath any more.

I love you still, Amber

Waterfront & Macro Challenges

2010-06-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more photo challenges for this week. I am really enjoying entering these, as I feel it is helping me grow in both my photography skills, and my post processing knowledge. Looking at everyone else's photo's always gives me some great ideas. I hope you will also check out the links below and gains some inspiration from everyone's amazing photography.

Waterfront:

This picture was taken in Bandon, Oregon, the day after my Mom and Step Dad's wedding. It was taken using my old Pentax Film camera. I love how the focus is on the grass, but you can still see the ocean in the background. It is one of my favorite pictures from that day.

Macro:

This picture was taken outside of our local junior college after the first big snow of the year. I love how the light is shining through the leaves and reflecting off the melting snow.

That's all for now.

~Amber

Some Great Giveaways Today...

2010-06-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, there are some amazing giveaways out there in internet land today! Check these out:

First up, Waterwaif is hosting a number of fabulous giveaways on her blog. You can check all of them out by going to her home page, and looking under the "Current Giveaways" tab on the left side. I am entering her giveaways for a SavvySilver gift certificate, a yummy cupcake soy votive candle set from Hollyberry Hill, a brass birdy necklace from MDsparks, and a bird's nest pendant from Rebecca Novotny. These people have some beautiful stuff!!

Audrey's Giveaways always has a bunch of giveaways going on. Right now, you can fins giveaways for everything from jewelry and shopping bags, to soaps and coolers. Amazing stuff! Click on the link below to check them out and enter as many as you want!

Songberries is hosting a giveaway for a lot of Softlips products and for an amazing Soda Stream machine! Yum!

Canadian Natural Mama is hosting a giveaway for the most adorable hand stamped doggy name tags!! They are made by Make Your Dog Smile, and I think they are awesome! She is also hosting a giveaway for some very sweet little girl hair clippies by 2Cuties.

Susie B. Homemaker is giving away a travel mug by Brugo Mugs. This is one high tech mug and it comes in a bunch of colors. Check it out!

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy looking for giveaways, and the thrill of occasionally winning something. I post these here on my blog for two reasons... One, because I usually get extra entries that way, and who doesn't want a better chance to win?! And two, because I truly hope that some of my bloggy friends win some of these awesome giveaways also. So, enter to your hearts content, and let me know if you win something! I actually recently won a giveaway by ComeShopPinkLemonade on Etsy. I just placed my order with my gift certificate, and I can't wait to see my prize! :-)

~Amber

Bloggy Friends Giveaways!

2010-06-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

Two of the blogs that I follow are currently hosting giveaways, and who doesn't love a giveaway?!

The first is The Paper Mama. Her giveaway is for some really cute address labels from Pear Tree Greetings.

The second giveaway is over at Clever's Corner. She is hosting a giveaway from the Etsy shop, Waterwaif. Waterwaif carries some beautiful jewelry and original artwork.

And the third and final giveaway for today is over at Denise Yezbak Moore. She is hosting an amazing bead giveaway. I am almost hesitant to post it here because I don't want anyone but me to win it! :-)

You should go and check them out, and hopefully you will win something awesome!!

And speaking of giveaways... I am planning on hosting my second giveaway sometime in July, so be on the lookout!

~Amber

Wedding Post, Part 1: The Cake & Candy Bar

2010-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I had the pleasure and the honor of helping my friend Kelly with her wedding.

I have known Kelly and her family since I was about 10... maybe younger. Kelly, her sister Megan and I always looked similar as kids, and spent a ton of time with each other, so I became their adopted sister. They were both bridesmaids in my wedding 6 years ago. We have always had the kind of relationship that you can come back to, even after not seeing each other or talking in a long time. Just like sisters. Oh, and we bicker like sisters too. :-P

From the very beginning of the wedding planning we knew I would make her cake (of course!), but eventually I also became her official Wedding Coordinator. I love weddings, and I usually end up filling this role at friends weddings anyways, so it only seemed natural that I would be that person for Kelly. At the end of the day, I had worn many hats, including that of cake decorator/cutter/server, DJ, bar attendant, driver, forgotten marriage licence retriever (LOL), stress reducer, and probably a few others. Basically, I was there to make sure that Kelly and Will's wedding went as smoothly as possible, and I do think that I succeeded. The wedding was beautiful, and so many people pitched in all over the place to pull it all together.

Despite being incredibly busy, I did manage to sneak off and take a few pictures throughout the night, or at least until Kelly's camera died! I don't have all of them yet, so I am just going to post them as I get them uploaded. First up: the cake!

I spent most of the week working on her cake, and I was thrilled with how it turned out! The inspiration for Kelly's cake came from Marth Stewart Weddings. There was a cake on the cover of the magazine that was plain white, with a swarm of multi-colored butterflies cascading up the cake. That is what Kelly wanted, just in pink. I love the butterflies!

Kelly also asked me to put together her candy bar, so I decided to have the cake and candy on the same table. My mom and I decorated all the containers for the candy, and then I just set up the table.

For the candy bar, we had Rock Candy, small and large Whirly Pops, Watermelon Licorice, M&M's, Strawberry Gummy Puffs, and Raspberry Chocolates, all in pink of course!

This was the first candy bar I have done, and also the biggest wedding cake I have made. All in all, I was thrilled with the result, and so was the Bride.

I can't wait for the chance to do it again!

~Amber

P.S. I am linking this blog post up to Sweet Shot Tuesday for their photo challenge. The first photo in this post is my "sweet shot" for the week!

New Photo Challenges

2010-06-23T01:58:00.000-07:00

I was so busy with my friends wedding this past week, that I didn't have a chance to enter a few photo challenges. That's okay though, I found some new ones.

Check out my pics, and let me know what you think!

My first entry is for In a Yellow House. The theme there this week is Water.
I took this picture at the Lower Burney Falls in beautiful Northern California. Shortly after taking this picture, I managed to get my car stuck in the snow, and was almost 2 hours late for my ceramics class. You know what? It was totally worth it.

My second entry this week is for Simplicity. The theme there this week is Self Portrait.
I kinda like this picture of myself. :-)

My final entry is for Trendy Treehouses' Shutter Love Tuesdays. The theme there this week is a Father's Love. I have lots and lot's of pictures of my Dad. But, they either were not taken by me, or they do not fit this theme. So, I am adapting the theme a little bit here to (Grand)father's love. If it doesn't count for the challenge, that's okay, I still wanted to share this photo. This is my Dad, with his Grandson giving him a big ol' kiss. I love, love, love this picture!!!

Well, that's all from me for tonight. Soon I will have pictures from the wedding I helped coordinate this last weekend. It was tons of fun, and really beautiful, so be on the lookout for that post! Until then, have a good night all.

~Amber

6 Years

2010-06-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, June 19th, my hubby and I celebrated our 6th anniversary.

June 19th, 2004

Wow. 6 years. Has that much time really passed? On the other hand, has it really only been 6 years? Isn't crazy how you can feel both at the same time?

April/May 2004, engagement photos in Lithia Park

6 years ago, Erik and I were only 20 years old. Just babies!! We had just met 9 months earlier, fell head over heels in love with each other, and gotten engaged after only 3 months. Talk about a whirlwind romance! Some friends and family thought we had lost our minds, but we were young and in love, and there was no talking us out of it!

Our Bridal Party

*love*

The Kiss

Love this picture!!

Mr. and Mrs. Erik Barnum

6 years later, I still love that man so very much.

We have been through so many events in the last 6 years... car accidents, stolen cars, lost jobs, long periods of unemployment, new jobs, at least 7 moves, and loss of family members. It hasn't been easy, and at times it has been downright painful, but we have found our way through.

We are still here, rooting each other on, and loving each other more everyday. God has brought us through each hurdle, and helped us to grow closer during both the good times, and the bad. God continues to give us opportunities to grow both individually and as a couple every day. I am so grateful to have him in my life, and I thank God for him every day. So tonight, I am going to finish this post with a love note to the man I love. Here goes...

Erik, you are still my best friend and the man I want to spend all my life with. We have been through a number of ups and downs in the last 6 years, but the one thing that has never wavered is my love for you. I am here, standing next to you, ready to run into whatever our next new adventure may be.

I know sometimes we are unsure of what the future holds for us, but I also know that whatever lies ahead, we will make it through as long as we stick together, and rely on God. I believe in you, and I believe in us. And that is something that will never change.

I'm not going anywhere... you are stuck with me. ;-) I hope you can handle that! We have many, many years of crazy ups and downs ahead of us!

Happy 6th Anniversary , Erik. I love you more today than I did yesterday, and less than I will tomorrow.

Love,
*Bright Eyes*

Photo Challenge Sleepy

2010-06-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

I just keep finding more and more photo challenges! :-)

This one is from The Paper Mama.

Her theme this week is Sleepy, specifically related to children. I many not have any human babies, but I do have fur babies, and they are often very sleepy! Here is my entry:

This is my very sleepy pup, Shelby. She is part Lab and part Great Dane, and she has humongous paws! She is still very much a puppy at 1 1/2 years old, so when she finally stops running and jumping at the end of the day, she just completely crashes! Isn't she sweet?

~Amber

A Few More Photo Challenges

2010-06-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am finding that I really enjoy photo challenges. I love looking through my pictures to find the perfect one for theme, and I really love looking through all the other submissions. I feel like I learn more and more about photography just be looking at other people's work. On that note, I have found a few other weekly photo challenges that I will be submitting my work to. I am going to try to submit pics on a weekly basis, however I am also going to try and post them all in one post next week, instead of in a bunch of separate posts, with the exception of the iheartfaces entry.

The first entry is for The Trendy Treehouse, for Shutter Love Tuesday. The theme there this week is Smiles.

This is the other son of my friends Daniel and Melissa. He is the big brother to the adorable baby I posted yesterday. This little man is such a cutie himself!

My second entry is for In A Yellow House Photo Challenge.

The theme this week is Nature. My entry is one of my favorite shots of Mount Shasta. I love living in an area with such gorgeous scenery. I could take pictures of this mountain every day and never tire of it!

That's all for now. I'm off to bake. :-)

~Amber

Another Photo Challenge!

2010-06-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

While looking through the entries on iheart faces, I came across another blog that also hosts a weekly photo challenge.

The theme this week is school, and I figured I would give it a shot. So here is my entry:

My adorable cousin Nila, celebrating her graduation from Sonoma State University!

YAY NILA!

iheartfaces - Babies

2010-06-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my iheartfaces entry for this weeks theme, babies!

This adorable little man belongs to two great friends of mine, Daniel & Melissa.

They have two little guys that are just so cute!

Check out all the iheartfaces entries by clicking on the link below.

The Finished Product, and Etsy Stuff...

2010-06-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

My Aunt's birthday party was great. We all had a blast... good food, great people, and a whole lot of laughter. Oh... and cake. You can't forget the cake! I had an idea for her cake, and this is how the idea actually turned out:

Aunt Paula loved it, and everyone ate a bunch of it, so it must have been good! :-)

This week, I will be crazy busy with wedding preparations for my friends Kelly. She is getting married on 6/19, which also happens to be my anniversary with my darling husband! It old him he got lucky this year... a pre-planned date with free food, drinks, and dancing! Lucky man! Anyways, I will be busy this week making her wedding cake, preparing her candy bar, finishing some other things here and there, and then acting as her coordinator on the day of. Should be fun, and I'm excited!

In other news... I have been selling on Etsy for about 2 months now, and I have already made 7 sales! This week, I joined a few teams on Etsy. Teams are basically smaller groups of Etsy members who network together, share skills, and promote each other. I joined 3 teams: Christian Artists Promoting Shops (CAPS), Christina Artists Street Team (CAST), and Christian Artists and Crafters (CAC). I am really excited about these teams, and I have been really enjoying looking through the items in my teammates shops! I just created my first treasury, which is a collection of items I like. The treasury shown here includes some of my favorite items from CAPS team members. Check it out here!

That's all for now. Have a good night all. :-)

~Amber

Cake

2010-06-10T14:58:00.001-07:00

Today, I am busy working away on my Aunt's birthday cake. I have an idea of what I want the cake to look like, and I am just working on getting it to that point. This is a rough drawing of what I have in mind:

So far, I have just baked the cakes and started making the frosting... I still have a whole lot of work to do! Since I have to transport this cake 4+ hours, I decided I am just going to finish it at my destination. Tomorrow I will pack up all the pieces, frosting, tools, etc, and head down to Sacramento. The I will finish the cake Saturday morning. I am pretty excited about it... can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll be back Monday with plenty of pictures of the cake, and the party.

See ya then!

~Amber

New Creations

2010-06-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a lot of new things lately.... jewelry, photography, items for my friends wedding, cakes, etc. I have been busy, busy, busy! In the next few weeks, the busyness will continue, and I love every minute of it! :-)

So, here is a peek at a few things I have been working on. I am will be posting a bunch of new stuff on Etsy soon, so be on the lookout!

Blue Three Strand Necklace. The Silver Three Strand necklace was so popular on my contest that I decided to a make some more in style. This is the first one:

This necklace I just threw together before a party to match my outfit. It is one of my favorite new pieces.

My old cork board was looking a little worn. So, I got some fun fabric yesterday and covered it! I added some ribbon around the edges and also at the bottom. I love the look of it now!

This weekend, we had a party for my cousin, Nila. She just graduated from Sonoma State University! I made these cupcakes for her graduation party. They were champagne cupcakes... YUM!

Little books...

And diplomas...

And grad hats with honor cords!

So that's what I've been up to. This week, I am making a cake for my Aunt Paula's 60th birthday, and then the following week I am making the cake for my friend Kelly's wedding. I will also be her official wedding coordinator for all the "day of" stuff. She also put me in charge of creating the candy bar, which I am super excited about!

Hope you all are having a good week so far.

~Amber

My First iheartfaces Entry

2010-06-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

This week, I decided to start entering some of my photography on the website iheartfaces. iheartfaces hosts weekly photography challenges that any one, at any skill level can enter. I thought this would be a great way to stretch myself in my own photography, and hopefully receive feedback from others!

This week, the theme is "Play". You can check out other entries at the iheartfaces website, here. For my entry, I chose on of my favorite pictures of my husband, doing what he loves. Erik is a very talented musician. He sings and plays the guitar (acoustic, electric, and bass). I have always loved listening to him play, and I am constantly encouraging him to play more often! To me, this picture truly shows his heart. I hope you like it.

I am planning on entering the iheartfaces challenges every week. If you get a chance, check out some of the other entries. There are some crazy talented photographers out there!

Till next time,

~Amber

And The Winner Is.....

2010-06-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

... Kristen from Yeh For Family!!

Kristen said...

I like the silver three strand necklace.

Congratulations Kristen. I will be emailing you to get your information so I can mail out your new necklace!

I used Random.org to draw the winner.

Thank you so much to everyone for entering! As a special thank you, if any of you would like to purchase the item you liked (or anything else), I am offering a 15% discount through the remainder of this week, if you reference this blog post. Just go to my Etsy site, here, commit to buy whatever it is you would like, and then send me a private message referencing my blog. Then, just wait to pay until you hear back from me! I will need to send you and updated invoice with the new amount before you pay.

If what you like is no longer available (like the three strand necklace), I will be posting new things every week. Now that know that was one of my more popular pieces, I will start on making some similar necklaces this week!

Thanks again, see you soon!

~Amber

Hello Again!

2010-05-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for a bit. Sorry about that! I'm back now. :-)

I'm going to spend some time over the next few days posting about a few different things, but I want to start with something new.... My first giveaway! As you probably already know, I just started my Etsy site a few months ago, and started selling my jewelry, photography, and other things. Well today, I want to give away something off of my Etsy site. To enter, just go to my Etsy page HERE and look through the items I have for sale. Come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is. You can also get extra entries by posting a link to this bog entry on your Facebook page or on your own blog! Just leave an extra comment for each of those items if you do. Whoever wins will get their favorite item!

Now, I am going to keep this open for a few days, because I am going to be adding a lot of new items to my Etsy site tomorrow, including new jewelry, photography, and even some ceramic pieces. I want to give you all time to look things over and find your favorite. The contest will be closed on the last day of the month, Monday May 31st, at midnight.

I am so excited to do my first giveaway, and I hope you enjoy looking through my Etsy page! :-)

Night!

~Amber

Art-O-Mat

2010-04-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

Before my Mom and I went up to Portland, we were down at my Grandma's house visiting for the day. While there, my Aunt Dorothy mentioned something called and Art-o-Mat to me, and said she thought I might be interested in it. She sent me the link to the website later, and I checked it out.

Art-o-Mat was created by a group called Artists in Cellophane. An Art-o-Mat is an old retired cigarette dispenser that has been turned into an art dispenser. Artists from all over the world can submit their art to be sold in the machines at $5 a piece. Cool idea, right? Mom and I thought it looked pretty interesting, and we wanted to check one out in person. So, we searched the website for one between Roseburg and Portland, and we found one in Eugene, at Lane Community College, in their Art gallery.

Mom and I were totally excited and planned on stopping by on our way to The Pioneer Woman's book signing. Monday afternoon, we pulled into the college, and went searching for the Art-o-Mat. Well, first we had to search for an ATM, and then we had to search for a place to break a $20, but THEN we searched for the Art-o-Mat. We came into the art gallery, and this is what we found:

The Art-o-Mat

There are 22 slots on the Art-o-Mat, each with a different featured artist. There are painters, photographers, jewelers, metal works, potters, and other kinds of artists featured, and they are different at every machine. Basically, you put $5 in the machine, choose which kind of art you want, and then pull the handle below that peice. Each artist makes a little picture describing what kind of art the sell, but you don't know exactly what you get until it comes out of the machine. It's like a quarter machine for big kids!! Mom and I originally thought we would just get one each, but we were so curious about the other artists, we ended up getting a few others.

A few of the artists.

Mom and I just loved this whole experience. It is such a cool idea for people to be able to advertise their art, and also for other people to be able to experience different kinds of art. I decided that I am going to submit and application to see if they will sell some of my art. I may actually do a few different kinds of art... jewelry, photography, etc. I think it would be a lot of fun to be able to have my art in these machines across the country!

I hope you take the time to check these out. For my friends in the Sacramento area, there is an Art-o-Mat near you, in the Crocker Art Museum. They are also scattered all over the country, and you can find one close to you by going here. And have fun, I know I did!!

~Amber

A Trip to Remember: The Pioneer Woman in Portland!

2010-04-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

I have been following The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) on her blog for the last year and a half or so. When I found out that she would be signing her cookbook in Portland, I was beyond excited, and made plans with my Mom right away to make the trip together. Mom is about 3 hours from Portland, and I am another 2 1/2 hours from Mom, so it was going to be a long trip, but we knew it was worth it!

I drove up to my Mom's house on Sunday night, and tried to get some sleep.... but.... instead of sleeping I decided to make some jewelry for Mom and I to wear the next day. Plus, I wanted to finish the jewelry I was making to give to Ree at her book signing. So, I got about 3 hours of sleep or so. Mom drove to Portland though, so I just got some rest in then.

Monday morning, we started to head up to Portland at about 11:00 or so. Much later than planned, but it ended up working out just fine. We made a few pit stops, (one in particular in Eugene, which I will talk more about in another post!) and we arrived in Beaverton, OR at about 3:30. The first thing we did was go buy Ree's cookbook. Now, I actually already have her cookbook, but I accidentally left mine at home!! AHHH! I was about an hour away from home when I realized what I had done, and I decided to just buy a new one instead of going back home. Geez! What a ditz!

The book signing didn't actually start until 6:00, but it was sure a good thing that we got there when we did, because shortly after we arrived, people started pouring in! I believe there were about 500 people there total, and we were only behind about 60 people when we arrived. I took the time before Ree arrived to finishing putting together the little gift I had put together for her and to take a few pictures of the crowd.

The crowd behind us. There were people standing on the planters in the walkway of the mall to see!

A little something for Ree. :-)

Ree arrived just a little after 6, and started things off with a little Q&A from the audience. She was just so sweet and friendly, and it showed how much she truly cares about her readers. She was very funny, as usual, and very heartfelt as well. It was really a pleasure to hear her speak!

Ree, during Q&A

Definitely a beauty, on the inside and out.

Signing her cookbook.

The book signing started next, and Mom and I had our turn to meet Ree after about 30 minutes or so. Now, this is where things got a little funny... I had borrowed my Aunt's camera for the weekend, and my Mom had never used it. I had been using the zoom to get some shots of Ree earlier, and forgot to reset it, so when Mom went to take my picture with Ree, it was zoomed in WAY too close on our faces and Mom couldn't figure out how to fix it! The workers at the bookstore had made it very clear that everyone needed to be speedy in out picture taking so as not to hold up the line, so when Mom couldn't work the camera, she started to get flustered. Poor Mom!! Luckily, we got it all worked out, and have some great pics of us with Ree to show from the ordeal. Ree was so sweet, and was just laughing with us about it.

Mom having trouble with the camera, too funny!

My Momma with Ree

Ree & I :-)

After we met Ree, Mom and I stopped at Starbucks for a drink. We laughed about the camera incident, and talked about how genuine and real Ree was We admired our new cookbooks with our personalized inscriptions, and then we headed back home.

Mom, with her cookbook.

Our signed cookbooks!

All in all, it was a great day. It was a great experience to be able to share with my Mom, and we had a blast! Thank you Ree, for giving us the opportunity to meet you. Your blog inspires me on a daily basis, as do you. It was truly an honor to meet you! I hope you enjoyed your trip to the West Coast!

~Amber

Great Excitement is Coming My Way!

2010-04-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

Do you know who The Pioneer Woman is? Do you read her blog? If not, you should! Ree is a city girl turned country wife that lives in the middle of nowhere on a ranch with her husband and their four children. Her blog, http://thepioneerwoman.com/, has 5 different sections: Confessions, Cooking, Photography, Home & Garden, and Homeschooling. Every one of the sections of her blog are great. They are interesting, educational, informative, hilarious and just really fun all around. She hosts giveaways and contests quite frequently too, so you can't beat that! Ree is a very talented blogger/author, which can truly be seen through the section on her site titled "Black Heels and Tractor Wheels". This section is the love story of Ree and her cowboy husband, from how they met to their wedding day. It is a captivating story, and is actually going to be published soon!

Anyways.... The reason I am so excited is because on Monday, I am going to get to meet The Pioneer Woman! Ree wrote a cookbook over the past few years, and it was just published last year. She went on a book tour last fall, and now she is continuing on a shorter second leg of that tour. She will be in Portland on Monday, and my Mom and I have decided to drive up to get our cookbooks signed by Ree. I'm pretty jazzed about going... I can't wait!

Even better, I am hopefully going to get to visit with an old friend or two while I am up there. I have a few friends in the Portland area, and it would certainly be nice to spend a little time catching up. Of course, driving up and back with my Mom will be great too, since I have the best Mom in the world. :-) We always have a blast together!

On another note, my Etsy shop is not only up and running, I actually made my first sale today! A friend of mine from Sacramento ordered a pair of earrings today, and I was beyond stoked when I saw that "1 sale" on the side of my profile! Heehee... I'm easily excited I suppose!

Well, I need to head to bed... Next week, I am planning on posting some pictures from my ceramics class. I have been meaning to do that for weeks, but I keep forgetting my camera when I leave for class! UGH! This will be the week... I promise!

Goodnight all...

~Amber

Etsy!!

2010-04-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yay me! I finally have a Blog and an Etsy site with a name I LOVE! I started a new Etsy account today... The name "ArtEscapes" was taken, so instead I just used the same name as my blog and called it HeArtEscapes. Soooo, my new Etsy store can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/people/HeArtEscapes

I also just got a package in the mail with all the stuff I need to mat my photography. Now it is time for me to take pics of everything, and start posting on Etsy. It looks like things are finally starting to come together, and I couldn't be more excited!!

Well, I better get to work! I have lots to do to get my shop up and running. :-)

~Amber

Just a tip.

2010-04-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Don't start Weight Watchers (or any other diet/workout plan) the week of your birthday.

:-/

That's all. Have a nice day!

~Amber

New Blog!

2010-04-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I just wanted to give you all a heads up that I will be switching my blog over to my brand new blog name: Heart Escapes. You can find it here: http://heartescapes.blogspot.com/. I will be posting there from now one, starting this week. I will also be moving all my content from this blog over to there in the next day or two.

I hope to see you all there! :-)

~Amber

My progress so far, and some new goals too.

2010-03-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm typically not great at setting goals for myself, but I am starting to think I should do so more often as I seem to actually be working towards them. Huh. Go figure. :-)

My first step towards meeting my goals this week was to once and for all, come up with a new blog and Etsy store name. I just really don't like the name now, so I have really been putting some thought into it. This is what I came up with: My Etsy store name will be Art~Escapes and then my blog will be Heart~Escapes. Thoughts?

I also needed to purchase a few things in order to get my Etsy store started. Specifically, I needed some mats for my photography. I took care of that today, and I also made a few new hair clips and pieces of jewelry, so I should be ready to start selling in no time! I just need to bring my light box in from the garage so I can take some nice pictures of everything. That will be my project for next week. I think I should be able to get my Etsy store up and running by mid-April.

As for my new goal, I am determined to start living a healthier life, and slim down a bit. I have been overweight for a good portion of my life, with a few times here and there where I was in great shape. I am at a time in my life where I just want to be healthier! I am also at a time in my life where I want to think about having kids... and that just wouldn't be healthy for me to do in my current physical condition. I want to be able to be a good example to my kids, and I know I need to start that now. Sooooo..... I am starting Weight Watchers this week. I'm not actually going to the meetings, because I really can't afford that. Instead, I am just keeping track in my own logs, weighing myself once a week, and staying accountable be posting my progress here and on my Facebook. Plus, I have some great people that I know will be checking in on me. Feel free to leave me a comment every now and then and help me stay on track!

I am thinking the key to meeting my goals is putting them out there for the whole world to see... what better motivation is that??

On another note, this year I am an Easter baby. That's right, my birthday is on Sunday. I am a whopping 26 years old! Goodness, how the time flies by... For my birthday, I am driving down to Sacramento for a concert, and then over to Carson City to see my best friend ever, Sarah. Sarah has a wonderful husband (Chris), and adorable little boy (David), and is expecting baby #2 in August... YAY! I love her and her little family, and I fully plan on taking many, many pictures of her precious son, and her little baby bump. I am leaving Sarah on Sunday to drive home so I can actually spend at least part of my birthday with my hubby. Seriously, I could not ask for a better birthday. :-)

Since I need to leave at 7 tomorrow morning, I should probably start packing and get some sleep. I will leave you this evening with three collages that I made for a Photoshop assignment. I love how they turned out, and I hope you do to. Feel free to leave some critiques if you know anything about Photoshop... I am still just learning!

~Amber

The Beginning of Something...

2010-03-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

*Goodness*

It has been almost a month since I last blogged... Feels like it was last night! Things have been a bit busy with moving and such, and I guess I just got distracted! I started this blog with the intent on posting regularly, and using it to help start my Etsy shop. Instead, it has become my lace of random posts when I think about it. Well, no more. I am ready to really commit to my blog, and to my art. I am ready to set some goals for myself, and really work towards them and see what happens. So here goes, here are my 3 goals for now... I am sure I will add to them more later!

Goal #1: Post on my blog once a week, preferably about something related to my art or Etsy shop.

Goal #2: Take pictures of the items I have already made and post them on Etsy.

Goal #3: Start making new items! Maybe one a day for now??

I also really need to settle on a blog and Etsy shop name once and for all. I haven't really been happy with my current name (HandmadeByAmber), and I want something different. I decided I won't sell anything on Etsy until I have come up with a name, because in order to change my shop name, I will have to completely make a new account. I don't want to do that if I already have feedback on sales. So I need to just figure it out already!! I have some ideas that I am throwing around, and I am hoping I can come to a final conclusion tomorrow. Then, I can start working towards my other goals!

Sounds like I have some work ahead of me! Okay, I am going to get started on that, and in the meantime, I will leave you with some new pictures. I have been really into using my old film camera lately, and I have been getting some great shots. Here are some of my favorites. I am looking forward to matting some of my pics soon and selling some of them on Etsy. :-)

Have a great night everyone!!

The newlyweds, at the beach in Bandon, OR

My nephew Colton, play at the beach.

Covered wagon, in Sunny Valley, OR

I love the depth of field on this picture!

Mt. Shasta, after the first big storm.

The elk across the river on our way to Bandon

Love this picture!

Colton was playing leapfrog over the dunes, I love that I captured this!

An update, and lots of pictures!

2010-03-02T02:23:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. Be warned, this is a LONG post with lots of pictures!!

Well, the last few weeks have been crazy! Seems like life gets crazier and crazier ever day! Allow me to give you a recap of my last few weeks. I want to first give an update on my Grandma. After her surgery, they did find a bit of cancer out side of her uterus, so the changed her diagnosis from stage 2 to stage 3. They are going to treat her with both chemo and radiation in the coming months. Please be praying for her health. She still plans on being around for a long time to come!

In other news, we found a new place to live! A few weeks ago, we found a beautiful house about 15 minutes away from where we are currently. We were very excited about it, but then the For Rent sign was taken down, so we assumed it had be rented. We filled out an application anyways, just in case, and a few days later, the owner called and asked if we were still interested! We went up right away to put down a deposit to save it. The new place is really wonderful. It is much bigger, both inside and out. There will be plenty of room for our dogs to run and play, and also more than enough room to have friends and family over to visit more often! We move in on the 15th. Please feel free to come visit us anytime!!

Our New Home :-)

The big craziness over the past few weeks has been my Mom's wedding. It has been a crazy 6 months or so getting everything planned, but it was truly worth it. Their wedding was by far, the most beautiful and fun wedding I have ever been to! And my Mom, well she was just stunning. Everything really came together so well, and made for an amazing day.

The big day got of to a hectic start when the poor bride developed a bloody nose right before the ceremony! She was fine, and was taken good care of by her oldest son, Dustin. :-)

Before the ceremony, the Bride, with her Mom, two of her sisters and of course, Zachary.

Such a handsome little man!

The Kiss!!

The beautiful Bride, outside for some fresh air, and pictures.

All the Girls: Laura, Me, Mom, Misty & Christin.

The Birde & Groom cutting the cake.

After the reception, ready to head to their hotel in their decked out ride!

My dear Catie joined us up in Roseburg for about a week in order to help us with all the last minute details. And let me just say, that girl was a lifesaver! She did so many things, and she remembered all the little things that we would have forgotten. She made sure that everything ran smoothly. Without her, it may have been total chaos!

THANK YOU CATIE!!

One of the best things about this wedding, was that we really put so much work into it ourselves. My Mom and I planned everything, and made almost everything ourselves. It was a lot of work, and A LOT of fun too. Here are some of the things that we created.

The Flowers. My Mom made all of the bouquets for the girls, and also the bouteniers for the guys. She also put together a floral arrangment for the guest book table. She does such a great job!

The cake. Well, of course I made the cake! Who else would make my Mom's wedding cake? :-) The cake turned out beautifully, despite a few hiccups. It was also pretty yummy, with three different cake flavors (chai, lemon, and coconut) all covered in cream cheese frosting. Mmmmmmm!

The Ring Bearer pillow and Flower Girl basket. I made these the day before the wedding, and burnt myself a few times in the process!! I think they turned out so cute! Much better than many that were in stores for $30+!

Mom's hair comb. Mom & I saw so many of these in the bridal shops, and they looked so pretty on, but they were SO expensive! Most ranged between $50-$100!! That was just a bit much for us, so I decided I would make one instead. I had never made anything like this before, but I think it turned out really well!!

Mom's jewelry for the wedding was actually originally made by a great friend of mine in Sacramento, Alicia. I gave her an idea of what Mom might like, and she just ran with it. When I showed it to Mom, she LOVED the design of the earrings and bracelet, but didn't like the necklace as much. What's funny is that the necklace was the one peice that I gave Alicia more instruction on. The earrings and bracelet she just came up with herself, and we all liked them so much bettter! I should have just let Alicia do whatever she wanted in the first place... silly me! So, I spent some time redesigning the necklace to match the earrings and bracelet. I ended up making a few more changes in the days before the wedding, to add a little more sparkle to the peices. Overall, they turned out so great!

In addition to those items, we also made the favors, centerpeices, decorations, and guest book ourselves. It was so nice to have everything so individual and personalized. We had a blast!

I think one of the greatest things that has happened as a result of Mom & Mark's wedding is that I have gained so much more family. Mark has 3 sons (Aaron, John & Paul), 1 daughter (Laura), 1 daughter in law (Christin), 1 soon to be son in law (Chris), and 2 granddaughters (Kaybee & Teagan). They are all so great, and I am truly blessed to now call them all my family. :-)

The day after the wedding, the Newlyweds called and asked if we all wanted to go to the beach for the day, adn spend some time together. Of course we said yes! We could never pass up a trip to the beach! We went to Bandon, Oregon for the day. We went to the beach first, to enjoy some fun in the sun. It was a gorgeous day outside! Then, we cruised through the town of Bandon for awhile, and got some food before we headed home.

The beautiful view

Aaron, Erik, & Zack playing in the waves.

Aaron, Paul & Zack, running on the beach. (Paul won)

My Momma & I. :-)

Paul (climbing the rocks) and Aaron

My Catie & I

My dear, sweet, Husband. I love him!

Misty... such a beautiful girl!

All in all, it has been a great past week or so. I feel relazed, rejuvinated, and ready to take on the world! Now, I just need to find a job! :-)

Life is Crazy, but God is Good.

2010-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Life has been a little hectic for me lately.

This week, my darling husband and I have been dealing with a few obstacles. We found mold growing in our bedroom, and have subsequently been sleeping on our front room floor. The mold problem has resulted in us needing to move because of not knowing where it is coming from and also because of the possibility of it returning. Erik has asthma, so living in a home with a mold problem is just not an option. We have lived here for 2 months, and now it is time to move... Oh well.

The mold also caused some significant damage to our belongings... Our mattress and box spring: ruined. Our shelving for our clothes: destroyed. Our nightstands: in the dump. All of my shoes (yes I said ALL OF MY SHOES): gone forever. Unfortunately, all of these things had damage from the mold and moisture that was just not repairable. So, that will cost us a pretty penny to replace!

On top of that, last week, my Grandma was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She had a radical hysterectomy yesterday. So far, it looks like the cancer was just in her uterus, so hopefully no further treatment will be needed. But, if chemo or radiation is needed, my Grandma is up for it. she is 69 years old, and told us the other day that she plans on being around until she is at least 80. That sounds good to me Grandma! I am praying (and I hope you will too) that the tests come back with good results, and that I will have my grandma around for many years to come.

So, to say the least, this week has been a bit overwhelming. But you know what? I'm doing okay. We have had great friends praying for us, offering advice, and just helping us out in general. I am so grateful for that! There is one person in particular that has really been such a great friend. And that is this girl right here:

This is Catie, and she is amazing. The day we found the mold, she came over and helped me completely clear out that bedroom. It was just her and I, as I wouldn't let Erik anywhere near that room with his asthma. So Catie and I, we moved all the furniture out of the room, and took it to the dump. Then, we took out all of our clothes, blankets, sheets, etc., bagged them up, and started doing load after load of laundry (when you have mold spores in a room, anything that can be washed needs to be, in order to kill the mold spores). Catie took a number of bags to her house and did many, many loads of our laundry. She gave me a hug when I whined that I didn't want to move again, and she drove around with me for 4 hours helping us find a new home. This girl is such a good friend, and I would have been lost without her this week!

Another great help this week has been my ceramics class. It is so therapeutic and really helps to release my stress! I have been having a blast building some beautiful pieces, and I can't wait to do even more. I truly look forward to that class every Tuesday.

Most of all, my greatest help and comfort has come from The Lord. I know, above all, that God has a plan in store for us. I know that there is a reason that we need to move again, and I know that it is all part of God's plan. That gives me so much hope and peace. If I didn't know those things, I would be so lost in frustration that I wouldn't be able to think straight! Instead, I am comforted by the fact that God is in control, and I am just asking for his wisdom and guidance through this. I hope and pray that when you are dealing with stress and uncertainty in your life, that you turn to The All Mighty God for your source of comfort and strength. There just isn't anything better than what he provides. Take peace in that, my friends. I know I do.

~Amber

I'm a Master of.... ummmm.... hmmmm....

2010-02-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Kelly over at The Startup Wife gave me a blogging award! My first blogging award!

Yay me!! I am supposed to list six things that I am a master at..... ummmmm.... idunno.

She actually tagged me for this award a couple days ago, but I have been procrastinating on posting about it because I'm not sure what I am a master of....

OH WAIT! THAT'S IT! I am a master of PROCRASTINATION!

Okay, so there is one. Only five more to go!

I guess to be honest I have a hard time saying I am a master of anything, because I still have so much to learn about all of the things that I love to do. Photography, cooking, baking, creating... all things that I love to do, and am pretty good at, but I still am so far from being a "master." And so, I will refer to some people that I love dearly in order to see what they think I am a master of. It seems so much less egotistical if someone else says I am a master!

My husband said I am a master all things cake. Baking, designing, decorating, etc. I hardly think I am a master, but I will take it! Thanks Love. You make my smile. :-)

My friend Catie said I am a master of baking. I told her to try again because Erik already took that answer. Ha! So, Catie says I am a master of crafts. I believe that would be most likely meaning the jewelry I have been making. Someday I will post my jewelry on here.... hopefully someday in the very near future!

I called my Momma, and she said I am a master of communication. I like that answer. My Momma knows me well. I do love to communicate (ie. I talk a lot), but I also just believe that communication is key. Many problems and disagreements between family and friends can be settled with just a little more communication! I am pretty good at talking with people and resolving conflict through communication. Thanks Mom. I wouldn't have thought of that.

Next up, Mom's fiance Mark. Mark said I am a master of creativity. Aw, thanks Mark! I do love to be creative, and to use my creativity to capture and make beautiful things. I get my creativity from your future wife, by the way.

And finally, the sixth thing that I am a master of comes from my adorable little brother, Zachary. Zack man says that I am a master of planning parties. That might just be my favorite answer yet! Every year, Zack gets to pick a theme for his party, and Mom and I go all out to plan a great party for him. That includes decorations, food, prizes, games, and a cake of course! As soon as his party is over, he starts thinking of what he wants the theme to be next year. We have done that since he was 5 or so. It's always so much fun!

I guess that's it! Those are the six things I am a master of. And what about you? What are you a master of? Leave a comment and let me know! For now, I will tag some fellow bloggers so that they can play along to.

1. Liza at yelizabeta

2. Lena at Rick and Lena

3. Brooke at Fun with Fuentes

4. Catie at Feeling a Little Bloggy

5. Amanda at Amanda Pratt Photography

6. Samantha at My Babbling Brook

The Rules:
1. List 6 things you are a master in.

2. Pass it on to 6 bloggers you think are masters at friendship, and make blogging so awesome.

Just some pictures

2010-01-31T22:43:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit sick this week, so tonight my post will just be some pictures that I have been playing with in Photoshop. I am really enjoying using and learning about this program, and I can't wait to do even more with it! Enjoy!

Holly Berries covered in snow

Mt. Shasta, after the storm

Hot Air Balloon Sillouette

A beautiful rainbow

And what better way to end the day than with a gorgeous sunset...

Goodnight.

~Amber

Birthdays & Baby Showers

2010-01-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been surprisingly busy, and also a lot of fun. We have had two very full weekends in a row, with the weeks prior filled with planning and getting ready for those weekends. First, we had my Mom's 50th birthday, which I showed some pictures from earlier last week. Below are some more pictures of her wonderful birthday weekend.

My beautiful Momma. The birthday girl.

Make a wish!

Eating her cupcakes.

The cupcakes. Lemon cake, lemon curd filling, and white chocolate lemon frosting. Yum!

This is Mom's favorite of the cakes I make, and it will also be one of the layers in her wedding cake in February.

Months ago, we all asked Mom what she wanted for her 50th birthday. She wasn't sure for awhile, and then she thought of something. She called me one day and said, "I know what I want for my birthday.... I want 50 presents!! One for each year of my life!" And so, our family began planning a birthday celebration that would include 50 presents for my wonderful Mom who deserves that, and oh so much more.

Mom in her new Pea Coat. One of her 50 gifts!

She had gifts big and small, from wine & cooking tools, to bath & body products, to clothes, and family pictures. It was so much fun to see her open all of them, and see how much thought everyone had put into her gifts.

All of Mom's presents.

We just had a small party, which included our immediate family, and some close friends. We made mexican food and margaritas, and just had a great time. We had great music, thanks to the musicians in the family, and later in the evening we had some great laughs while playing games.

My Momma and I.

Mom and my adorable little brother, Zachary.

My nephew Colton, with Mom and Zack.

Overall, I would say it was a huge success. Happy 50th birthday Mom. You are truly and amazing woman, and I am so very blessed to call you not only my Mom, but also my best friend.

I love you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following weekend, Erik and I traveled down to Sacramento for a baby shower for our dear friends, Christine & Andrew. Christine and Andrew have an adorable little boy, Oliver, and a little girl on the way, Lucy. Here are some highlights from the baby shower. Christine, I am planning on sending you a CD with all the pictures I have very soon!!

A precious baby blanket.

Miss Christine, looking beautiful!

Here is the cake I made for the shower. I decided to go with a small cake on the top tier, and then cupcakes below. This worked out perfectly, as there were enough cupcakes for everyone, and Christine was able to take the small cake home to enjoy! At Christine's request, the cake was a yummy combination of marble cake, raspberry filling, and white chocolate buttercream. The cupcakes were the same. I hope you loved it Christine!

Christine's cousin hosted the shower, and she did an amazing job! Her home was decorated so beautifully. All the little touches really came together for a wonderful shower. Here are some of my favorite things.

The sweet little favors.

The beautiful centerpieces and table decor.

The adorable baby clothes hung around the room. These mittens were my favorite!

The beautiful pink Gerber Daisies placed all over.

Precious pink pacifiers hanging from the chandelier.

And baby Lucy's name over the fireplace. This was just gorgeous!

Christine & Andrew, it was so great to see you both and celebrate with you. We can't wait to see baby Lucy the next time we visit! Congratulations on a beautiful little family!

Our whole weekend was really wonderful. It is always so nice for us to go visit our friends in the Sacramento area. We may not get to see them as often as we used to, but that makes our time together even more special and enjoyable!

Okay, that's it for me for tonight. I am working on some more pictures in photoshop, and can't wait to post more on that later... until then, Goodnight!

~Amber

Playing in Photoshop

2010-01-20T23:46:00.000-08:00

My Photoshop class has started, but we have not actually done anything in Photoshop yet... hopefully next week! In the mean time, I figured I would just mess around with Photoshop a bit, and see what I could teach myself. Here are a few pictures that I have been playing with this evening.

A beautiful flower

The same flower, with a vintage effect added.

Sunset at the lookout near Medicine Lake.

Another evenings sunset at the same spot.

Hopefully we will be starting some lessons in our class next week and then perhaps I will actually know what I am doing! Not too bad for starting out though!

This week has been crazy... My Mom and family left on Monday, and Tuesday was spent recovering from the weekend. Catie and I attempted to go to our ceramics class Tuesday evening, but we were caught in a crazy storm. So, instead of playing with clay, we were playing in the snow and putting chains on the car. The storm has still not stopped, and it is supposed to keep snowing through the weekend! Crazy! Today was spent shopping, cleaning, and baking. I am making a cake & cupcakes for my friend Christine's baby shower on Saturday. Pink is the color for little baby Lucy! Christine has requested marble cake with raspberry filling. Sounds good to me! I got started today, and am excited to continue tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will have lots of baking, along with some organizing. Now I just have to pray that the weather clears up enough for us to get on the road Friday morning!!

**yawn** Ohhh, I am sleepy.

Okay, I think it is time for bed now. If I plan on getting anything done tomorrow I must sleep!

~Amber

A Preview of Blogs to Come....

2010-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I have had a busy, busy week and weekend! Luckily, a lot was accomplished, and Mom's birthday was a great success… Great food, great music, fun games, and of course, tons of love and laughter! Below are some highlights of the weekend so far. I will post more details and pictures this week. Enjoy!!

This is my little brother. He decided to hang out with our dogs in their crate. He is a big dork.

This is my Momma. Isn’t she beautiful! Ooohhh, and don’t those cupcakes look yummy?? Yes, I made them. More on those later…

Speaking of cupcakes… this is my brig brother Dustin and I, after the great cupcake fight of 2010. mmmmm frosting…..

Here is Mom, by her huge stack of presents. A gift for every year of her life, plus a couple extras!

And of course, no party is complete without music! We have my hubby on the left playing guitar, my brother on the drums, and his friend Bubba on the right also on guitar. Mom’s fiancé Mark also plays the drums, so he and Dustin switched off throughout the night.

That’s all for now. I will have much more later. Have a great weekend everyone!

~Amber

Classes, Cleaning, & Birthday Parties.

2010-01-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

Classes started this week at College of the Siskiyous. I finished up my AA last semester, so now I am just taking some classes for fun. I am taking an online Photoshop class and a ceramics class and I am super excited about both. My first ceramics class was tonight, and I am so glad I signed up for it! Tonight, we made our stamps that we will use to stamp the bottom of our pieces so our stuff doesn't get mixed up. It was just a little project, but it was so much fun and so relaxing and therapeutic! I can't wait to really get into both classes and learn more about both of these art forms. I will definitely have some posts in the future revolving around these classes, and what I am learning in them. Yay for learning new things!

Ah, so I have not been posting nearly as much as I would like on this little blog of mine. Soon... soon... At this point, I am simply not posting because I have not yet made good use of my new camera, so I don't have any pictures to post. I don't take pictures a lot of the time because I feel like everything around me is so unorganized and chaotic that I can't even imagine taking pictures. But not for long...

I am on a mission of home organization. This is a little hard for me, as I am naturally kind of a messy person... But, it is coming along. Our living room is now just how I like it, and we have managed to keep it that way for a few weeks now. Yay! Our office/guest room/craft room is getting there, but there are a lot of things to fit in a small place, so it is a bit overwhelming at time. This week, that will change.

You see, my Momma, soon to be Step-Dad (Mark), and adorable little brother (Zachary), will be coming to visit this weekend to celebrate my Momma's 50th Birthday. Happy Birthday Momma!

Momma, Zachary, & Mark. I know, I know. I have the most adorable little brother on earth. Trust me, he knows it too. :-)

That means the office/guest room/craft room needs to be cleaned, organized, and ready for company by Friday afternoon. Part of that process is painting my new desk... but that might have to wait another week or so due to less than perfect weather. :-( Oh well. The room will still look fabulous without a perfectly re-painted desk! Ohhh yes, and I also need to prepare things for Mom's party, and make her an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. cake. Oh, I will be busy, busy, busy.

On that note, these are my goals for the rest of the week:

1. Purge many items that are still boxed, and will most likely never be used anyways.

2. Find homes for all the items that are not being donated/sold/thrown away. ORGANIZE!

3. Wash/fold/put away much laundry.

4. Wrap mucho presents

5. Make a birthday cake

6. Make some jewelry for my Momma

7. Clean, clean, clean. Oh, and clean.

I think all that is pretty doable. I work best under pressure anyways! Plus, I am really excited about how nice it will be to really be fully 'moved in' (i.e. no boxes!) and also to actually know where all of our stuff is for once! I am also excited about making Mom's cake, and hopefully recording the process here. That may take up a few posts, so be sure to come back by and check in this week and next! For now, I am going to go get some rest so that I can wake up early tomorrow and get to work!

Good night all!

~Amber

A post while I wait for my new camera!

2010-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

My new camera arrives Friday... YAY! I am so very excited!! I can't wait to get started taking pictures of the things I have made and start selling on Etsy and posting more often on here as well. This week, I made a light box to use once my camera arrives. A light box is used to take great pictures of items indoors without using a flash. This especially works great with Macro photography, which I will be doing a lot of when taking pictures of jewelry for my Etsy store. There are a few different ways to make a light box, so check out the links HERE, HERE, and HERE for some ideas. The one HERE is the one I used.

My light box

Today, I am staying busy getting my house clean and organized for a small dinner we are having tomorrow with some friends. I am really looking forward to it! I have always thought that the best way to get your house clean is to invite people over! I don't know about you, but people coming over for dinner is always a great motivation for me to get off my behind, and get to cleaning! In this case, that also means unpacking the last few boxes, and organizing my new craft area. Fun, fun, fun!

Since I don't have my new camera, I figured I would just post some older pictures. So, allow me to introduce you to my Husband, Erik, and my children... that is, my furry, four legged children!

My Hubby, and his guitar at Medicine Lake. He is such a talented musician, and I just love it when he plays for me. Oh, how I love that man!!

Here we are, in December 2009. 5 1/2 years married, and going strong!

Our younger pup, Shelby, is part Black Lab, and part Great Dane we believe. She is about a year old, and she loves to sleep in the back window of our car.... even now, when she is WAY to big to be up there! Shelby is just about 1 year old and is still very much a puppy! She can be crazy at times, but she can also be quite a sweet girl. :-)

This is Cammie, our older pup. She is a Black Lab mix of some kind. She is about 2 1/2 years old. This dog has completely stolen my heart. She is so sweet and just loves to snuggle. She has very tender, loving eyes.

When we first brought Shelby home, Cammie wasn't quite sure what to think! But now, they are best buds.... most of the time at least!! Shelby is a little hyper for Cammie's taste sometimes. It cracks me up when they get jealous of the one another when one is getting attention for Erik or I!

So, that is our little family. No human kids for us yet, but I am sure those will come in the next few years. For now, I love our little house with my wonderful husband, and my two sweet doggies.

~Amber

Reorganizing, crafting, cooking, & lots of cleaning

2009-12-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

My Hubby and I moved into our new rental house about 1 month ago. Since then, we have been very busy trying to get it all organized. I have also been busy enjoying my new kitchen, creating new crafts & goodies for Christmas presents, and then of course, cleaning up all the messes I make in the process! Now that Christmas is over, I can get back to focusing on making our new home warm and inviting. We had a little kick start session last night when our friends from Sacramento, Stacey & Darin Nixon, were stranded in Yreka due to the snow and came to stay with us. There is nothing like surprise visitors to get me cleaning very fast!

Throughout this week, Erik and I will be focusing on getting our spare room organized. This room will be our guest room, my craft room, and Erik's computer & music room. Since it is truly a multiple use room, in needs to be very organized or it will not be functional at all!! On Sunday, we will be moving in a new desk for my craft area. I am so excited about that! I have never really had a designated craft area, and it will be great to have a place to put all my supplies. I also just ordered a new camera, and I am going to build a little light box later today. Once I have those supplies, I can start taking pictures of my crafts and start selling on Etsy. I am so excited about getting started!

Here are some pictures of our new place yesterday, after it snowed all day. :-) We are looking forward to sharing our home with friends and family, so feel free to come visit anytime. We would love to have you!

~ Amber

Starting off my blog :-)

2009-12-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends :-)

Those of you who know me well know that I love to cook and also enjoy crafts and art. After many suggestions and a little nudging from friends and family alike, I have decided to start a blog to share the things I enjoy with the people I love. I am also going to start selling some of my crafts (jewelry, photography, art, etc) on Etsy. I have my own store set up on Etsy, and the link is below. Right now, there is nothing posted though! I am in the process of purchasing a new camera, which I need to take pictures of my products in order to sell them. So, give me about a week, and I will start posting some items to sell. I am hoping to also post some "How-to" blogs on the different crafts I create, and some of the food I make also.

I hope you will join me on this little adventure. I have a number of blogs that I read on a daily basis and really enjoy, and I hope my little blog may be the same thing for you.... eventually... :-)

God Bless,

Amber

Check out my Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeByAmber

Heart Escapes

A New Friend

Cleaning House

The "D" Word

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

Foolish Games

All of Me

Prayer.

My Best Shot

4 Months

My Valentine

Just Me.

Day of Love

Our Christmas Card

Tips From a Wannabe Wedding Planner

In Love...

Catch Up...

Today...

M.I.A.

Photo Challenges!

A Bloggy Award

And The Winner Is.....

NYAT's Blog Bash

My Etsy Shop Giveaway

Who doesn't love a great giveaway?

Jeremiah 29:11

Cutestfood.com

Mom to Bed by 8

SOOC Saturday (The View From My Back Door)

Writing to My Sisters

Waterfront & Macro Challenges

Some Great Giveaways Today...

Bloggy Friends Giveaways!

Wedding Post, Part 1: The Cake & Candy Bar

New Photo Challenges

6 Years

Photo Challenge *Sleepy*

A Few More Photo Challenges

Another Photo Challenge!

iheartfaces - Babies

The Finished Product, and Etsy Stuff...

Cake

New Creations

My First iheartfaces Entry

And The Winner Is.....

Hello Again!

Art-O-Mat

A Trip to Remember: The Pioneer Woman in Portland!

Great Excitement is Coming My Way!

Etsy!!

Just a tip.

New Blog!

My progress so far, and some new goals too.

The Beginning of Something...

An update, and lots of pictures!

Life is Crazy, but God is Good.

I'm a Master of.... ummmm.... hmmmm....

Just some pictures

Birthdays & Baby Showers

Playing in Photoshop

A Preview of Blogs to Come....

Classes, Cleaning, & Birthday Parties.

A post while I wait for my new camera!

Reorganizing, crafting, cooking, & lots of cleaning

Starting off my blog :-)

Photo Challenge Sleepy