Blog Envy

Do you ever just spend a few hours blog hopping? I don't mean reading the blogs you subscribe to, I mean starting on a blog you like and clicking all the links to blogs that particular blog author likes.  Sometimes you find the most wonderful unexpected things in the world.  I was hopping the other day and ran across this blog, Southern Fried Momma.

This woman is a hoot!

She has a way of writing that is like so many people that I grew up with. {one being my sister!}  They always have a funny story or a weird and wacky spin to their missadventures.  I started reading the blog out loud to Mr. MySpareTime and we both were hysterical.  I laughed so hard I cried. 

Her blog has no crafting tips, no beauty secrets, recipes or advise, she just writes about what is on her mind and boy is she entertaining! Stop by and check her out.

One major thing you notice with your blog hop is how diverse peoples blogs are.  There are some that have so much going on that you can hardly read them.  I have a thing about music, I used to have it on this blog, but I read an article about music and it made sense to me.  A lot of people read blogs at night {maybe they can't sleep} and when the music comes on it scares the crap out of them.  I must have a short attention span because I read and click and read some more and that darn music reloads each time.  It slows down the whole process and irritates me. 

I don't mind advertising on blogs, but it does frost my cookies when it's on the side bars, at the top, in the middle of the posts and I even had one that popped up at the bottom of the blog and scrolled along with me.  Come on people, give me a break.  I know they say that Google AdSense is great, but this is getting to be too much.

The other thing I notice is what great writers there are out there in cyberland!  Now maybe they are not writing the great American novel, but they are writing about fun, interesting, thought provoking, informative things.  Blogs are about real people, and I love that.  After I have one of these sessions I just feel so inadequate! 

Well, enough about my blog envy.  I have been getting ready for the trip to Canton and I'm making that list. I thought I better get an idea of what I really wanted and needed and not just come home with my red and black polka dotted shopping cart full of crap I didn't really need. 

These trips to "Junker's Nirvana" are full of excitement and anticipation.  They are also filled with checking the weather report.  It has been warm here in South Texas and next Friday is supposed to be in the Low-50's in Canton. Last night the weather man said a big cold front was headed our way and it could stall out around Northern Texas {well guess where Canton is?}  So now I am planning my Junkin outfit.  It has to be comfortable, warm, has to go with comfortable shoes and has to go easily under a coat.  It will all work out, usually I have on something that would be great for Houston, but in Canton the wind is blowing a gale and I'm freezin, or it is hot and sticky or raining or any mixture of these weather situations. 

This is what I hope the weather will be like, but I'm not holding my breath! 

Thanks for stopping by.



Check it out!

I just had to post about the new design team I have working with me over at Kraft Outlet.

For anyone who likes to work with paper crafts and stamps you have to stop by our blog, The Kraft Journal,  to see all the wonderful things Beth and her Creative Design Team have come up with using products from our site.

 I guess when you craft in one media form you sometimes don't realize all the wonderful things others are creating with different materials.  I should never look at these things because it inspires me to try my hand at paper crafting.  I have done a little, but nothing like the things these gals have come up with! I guess I thought it was all just scrapbooking, boy was I wrong.

Once a girl friend of mine {who is a bead freak} asked me to join her bead shopping.  Well where in the world have I been hiding?  We went into this little shop and it was like Dorothy opening the farmhouse door on Munchkinland!  All the colors, all the textures, all the new and wonderful things I had never seen!  I thought I was a pretty focused crafter, but after 30 minutes in that place I was overwhelmed with all the choices and had to rely on my girlfriends expertise to help me make my selections.  

I think it is great to find new crafts, it humbles you, it challenges you and expands your horizon.

Thanks for stopping by, 

Take A Look

Mr. MySpareTime and I had to run errands yesterday and look what we found! 

A great little chair, metal cookie cutters, tea kettles and a roll of old tickets.

This stuff he found on a business trip to Austin.  I love the metal pitcher and that neat stool!

And this funny little kids stool and a wonderful quilt rack!  Watch out Ebay here I come, don't you think an old quilt would be just the ticket for this rack!

We are making a list and checking it twice, because we are headed to Canton for Trade Days in February. {better add an old quilt to that list}  If you have never been to First Monday then you need to go.  It's huge and there is something there for everyone; antiques, junk, crafts, new stuff, old stuff, crap and carnie food! {and one guy who makes the best darn roasted peanuts} Canton is just a sleepy little town east of Dallas, TX except on Trade Days.  Which by the way is held the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the first Monday of every month. We try to go on Fridays because Saturdays can be a booger, too many people, too much traffic and we just like to get a jump on that. 

It is going to be cold and rainy here this weekend so I think I will play with some new things I bought at Micheal's the other day.  I saw this great idea for journals and found these neat little canvases, so I will pop in a good movie and sequester myself in the workroom. {sounds like a plan}

Thanks for stopping by,

So Excited

Sorry for this being a day late, yesterday was a huge mess! You know how that is, you start off with a plan and before you know it you are still on the first item of that "To Do" list, just bogged down in details!

That is the beauty of a nights rest; a whole new day, a new chance to get things done and renewed energy! {If I don't open my email I might keep this perspective}

Well, I am so happy to announce that I have been accepted as part of a new Online Primitive Group of Folk Artists and Crafters at

Kelle, over at Pattern Mart and Instant Printables, decided to start this exciting group and I am pleased to be a part of it.  This will keep me moving because you have to post something new at least once a month.  Her expected launch date will be March 1st, so come on over to the site and join her mailing list to see everything they have to offer.

Tomorrow is Texas State Sales Tax Deadline Day and I am happy to say that chore is behind me and today is going to be spent getting as many orders out as possible. I want to get started on a few new things before my Prim Nest launch.

Thanks for stopping by.  See ya,

Just Had To Share

This has nothing really to do with crafting or junkin or anything like that, but I just had to share a few of the photo's from my niece's wedding.  She married the greatest guy and they make a wonderful couple, she is an EMT/Paramedic and he is a Fire Fighter.  They met on an ambulance run {how romantic}! 

What a great couple!

The beautiful Bride.

Not only is she pretty, she is smart, has a wicked sarcastic sense of humor {wonder where she got that?}, loves people, is so responsible about her life and is a cowgirl Diva at heart!

Here is the aisle runner I painted for the wedding.

All Kyle {the groom} said about the wedding is that he didn't care where it was, as long as he could wear flip flops!  Well here they are! {too cute}

My sister, Nanette has so much to be proud of.  Two wonderful daughters that have great husbands and now she will be a grandmother in June! {spoiler - It's A Boy}

After all these wedding photos I do have a confession to make.  I have found a blog that I have spent way to much time on this last week.

Junk Salvation!

You have to take a peek at all the wonderful things these two crazy sisters have to offer.

Have to run, I am headed to Wally World before the day really gets crazy. 

See you next time.

Look What We Found

Last Friday was a big success.  We hit all the usual places and came away with several things.

A chair and two lamps that I think will become Santa heads.

This funny Santa head pot, that I can just see a Prim Christmas tree in {after I grungy the face, too garish}.

And the big find of the day, a dulcimer, what a find! It still has four strings and makes noise {I wouldn't call it music}. Don't know what I will do with this yet, but I know it will come to me.

Well, better hop over to my other site Kraft Outlet , I am working with a new creative design team and they gave me a long list of items they would like to see on my site, so over the holidays I placed orders for many new items.  We are now a distributor for 7Gypsies products!

When the two huge boxes arrived yesterday I wanted to stop what I was doing and play with all the new things.  They have such unusual products and a distinctive style {sort of like My Spare Time Designs!}  We will be getting in many more new things soon, like some really cool rubber stamps, twill tapes and a great line of books for inspiration.  I have about 25 new items to add to the site so better get started.  Mr. MySpareTime is headed out of town for the rest of the week so I will have plenty of time to get things done {or at least that is the plan}!

New Year's Resolution

Today is Friday and one of my New Year's Resolutions is to make time for Mr. MySpareTime and myself.  We have worked so hard getting our three craft businesses successful that sometimes there just isn't enough time for FUN!  After raising 3 sons {and thank goodness they are almost grown}, I have decided this year is all about ME!  I sometimes feel like I get lost in the shuffle.

So today Mr. MySpareTime and I are going junkin.  We have declared Friday as "Fend For Yourself Friday". We are going to take 1/2 day, every other Friday to do what we want; hit all the Goodwill stores, Habitat for Humanity ReStore , thrift shops and anyplace else that strikes our fancy.  We might even go wild and go to a movie {if we could find one that we want to see}. On one of these Fridays we are already planning our first trip of the season to Canton, Texas Trade Days.

It almost feels like playing hooky.  You know that feeling, part excitement, part guilt, part freedom and part fear! You want to go, but you have responsibilities.  You need to go and take a break, but you should really be getting things done.  Well, I am going hog wild and making a break for it.  I have things I could and should be doing, but I am heading out of here at 12:30pm today with no regrets!  I will not answer the phone or check email, I will run with scissors and throw caution to the wind {well that sounds good, but I am not too wild}.

I have to look at this realistically, I have to collect new items for My Spare Time Designs or there will not be anything at the craft shows.  I am really working {even if it feels like fun}.  So I will post pictures on Tuesday of all the new things we find today, so wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

I'm back and already I'm a day late!

So many things have been going on around here and it just hit me, when I saw the last blog post, that it has been 2 months since I last posted.  I am back on the Tuesday {except for today} and Friday posting schedule.  Many changes have been made in the last two months, but I promise to share regularly all the things that I am working on in My Spare Time!

First, you might notice a few changes here on the blog.  I have switched over my website to this blog and will be using this space as my website.  Didn't seem like a good use of time to have a site and a blog when the site was never updated.  My Spare Time Designs is moving in a new direction and we will be focusing on the unique, one of a kind items that my customers seem to love.  I love to create, but when it comes to mass production {even if it was just 5-6 of each} it is a BORE!  So join us here and become a Craft Junkie!

Second, the look of the blog is a little different.  Because I switched my blog over to a commercial blog I could no longer use the blog graphics that I was using{no CU on graphics from the Shabby Princess} .  I really liked the look and thought the graphics gave the perfect feel to My Spare Time Designs blog.  Well after a Google search I found Shabby Miss Jenn Designs and fell in love with her graphics!  She gives you the rights to use any of her graphics on your blogs as long as you buy the graphics and you do the work, {NO file sharing}. So I used her wonderful graphics to make this custom blog set just for ME!!  Love the way it turned out.

Third, {now hold on to your hats} I have made a Facebook and Twitter page for My Spare Time Designs! I know I posted a whole thing about not wanting to be so technically connected, but I have made it a New Year's Resolution to learn to do both.  So click on the buttons to the right and become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.  You can also get us as an RSS Feed and be notified of all the goings on here at My Spare Time Designs. Now remember that I am knew to this, so don't expect too much!

Fourth, after a lot of thought I have decided not to participate in the Champion Forest Baptist Church, Winter Wonderland Market this year.  The show is wonderful and well run, the people there couldn't be nicer and I have always done well there, but I'm sorry to say that I will not apply this spring.  I have come to a place in my Folk Art where I cannot produce enough product to supply four days of sales.  The Northampton Spirit of the Holidays Marketplace and the Judy Dierker Craft Classic at the Foundry UMC are the only shows I will be doing this coming season.{I will keep you updated about these shows} So mark your calendars for these two shows in October, you can see my schedule posted on the right.

So with all these changes being made and my other two websites, you can understand why I took off two months to get some house cleaning{both mentally and physically} done.  Thanks for following along on the tales of an Online Primitive Crafter.