CPSIA "protest" video

Check out this great video made by a fellow Etsian.
Her blog Mama's Little Monkeys has a list of all the shops featured in this video.

CPSIA Will Kill Handmade

Max is in there playing with a Two Kazoos tic tac toe.

:-)

Digital Scrapbooking: Christmas Kit

My Retro Revival Merry Mod Christmas kit is available at The Red Porch. Just in time to make your holiday layouts with all those super cool pics you took yesterday! Click on the image to take you to the store (and check out the other great kits while you're there!)

Light at the end of the tunnel?

This article sounds promising regarding the new lead testing regulations.....of course they have to approve it. But it's making a lot of us sigh with relief.

Toy companies cheer proposed lead rule changes


:-)

CPSIA Product Testing Regulations

If you are unaware, the government passed new regulations on mandatory testing of products that would come in contact with children 12 and under. This goes into effect February 10, 2009. It is causing a tremendous amount of concern among us that hand make items for children.

This effects everyone though. After February 10, 2009, any item made prior to that date that has not been tested cannot be sold. Garage sales, thrift shops, consignment shops will not be able to sell childrens items.

I have been struggling to find the right way to post this on my blog. It's so overwhelming I didn't know where to start.

Here is an excellent blog post about it. Please visit and read carefully. She has explained it very well and provides links for more information and ways to help.
Sweet Figments

More links regarding CPSIA testing:
ZRecommneds: Five steps you can take

The Red Porch Site Has Launched!!

Go check it out!!

The Red Porch Handmade Digital Art

Super cool stuff!

:-)

Buy Handmade This Holiday Season

When you buy handmade items, you are buying quality.

You are buying one of a kind.

You are supporting a person that put their time, energy and love into creating something special.

What's more meaningful.....a mass produced product that everyone has or a gift that is handmade by one person for another?

There are so many amazing handmade products out there I'm sure you'll find the right one that will make your family and friends say "wow....thanks!"

Visit Etsy.

Cool handmade things for everyone on your list.
And you don't have to leave your house! (Another bonus!)

Wishing you a safe, warm and blessed holiday season.

Site launch date set for December 1!

I am so excited!

I can't believe it's here already.

Check out the blog, they are doing interviews of the artists and site hosts and picked me to go first.

The Red Porch Blog

So many folks have signed up already and it just grows every day.

The buzz is getting louder!

Handmade Digital Art - I can finally spill the beans!

As some of you know, for months I’ve been working hard on kits for a digital scrapbooking site.
They will be launching the store with my products in the next few weeks! I am very excited about this. It’s very unique, felt and fabric art. I’ve only seen a fraction of the work and it’s outstanding. (Seriously, I feel like I’ll be riding on their coat tails!)

Please check out their blog post for more information:
Red Porch Blog

They are offering an early-bird promotion right now where anyone who creates a profile, and uploads at least one layout before Nov 29th gets a free kit before they launch the store. You can sign up and get updates as well so please tell anyone you know that’s into digital scrapbooking.

You can get a sneak peek at www.theredporch.com with the awesome lettering in the header.

They are also looking for a creative team to build layouts, here is that info: Red Porch CT

I’m sorry if this sounds jumbled! I am just so excited and there are some things I can share and some I can’t just yet. I can’t show you any of the art but here are the titles of the kits I’ve made:

Maggie’s Garden Collection
Big Top Alphabet
Retro Revival – 50’s and 60’s

Thanks and stay tuned.....more to come!
:-)

So where's the punch line?

Wow.

I really don't know what to think about anything anymore.

We have been through a lot since making the decision to move almost 2 years ago. I'd like to say most of it was good but I can't. It's been an uphill battle and the only thing that actually went according to plan was Scott's "new career". "Thank God we have THAT going for us" we said.

We struggled with the decision to move for this, did the research, talked to sources. I know no one could have foreseen the wall street crash that in turn caused a downward spiral in the oil and gas industry around here.

Now we are stuck in a place where we really aren't happy, in a house we won't be able to afford soon and we can't sell.

An acquaintance said it best, "You leave your beloved Austin and this is the kick in the teeth thanks you get".

Yep!

Joke's on us!

Busy, busy, busy....

So much going on!

We signed Maggie up for gymnastics today, I'm so excited! (Okay, it's tumbling....she's 23 months!) But still, I think she'll really like it. Girl is made for this. Olympic hopeful. No pressure.

I will be opening a second Etsy shop soon. www.twokazoos.etsy.com. I'll move all my kid related things over to it and keep Brannock Arts for more art, scrapbook, etc. items. I will also be making everything in Two Kazoos out of wool/wool blend felt so they will be of better quality and more durable.

Scott and I celebrated our 6th anniverary this past weekend. We were able to go out to eat sans kids and it was a really nice evening.

Oh and last but surely not least HOCKEY SEASON HAS BEGUN!!
I have been jonsin' for months (um.....since the cup was awarded??
Ha ha!)
So here's to a successful PENS year!!

My poor neglected blog...

It seems weeks fly by and I realize I have a blog. I wish I had more time to devote to it and would love to start featuring artists twice a month.

Max got into his old school at the nick of time....they called me the week before it started and I was so surprised that we actually got in AND before it started! Here he is on the first day.

Scott is with a different broker now and started this week. I've been busy with freelance design work and the occassional custom order from Etsy. I've been neglecting that as well.

We had a scare with my Mom this past week when it was thought she had a mini stroke (almost a month ago). They did a scan and found a lot of blockage in her neck. Once they got in there they realized it was 95% blocked! She had a procedure done to remove the blockage and she is doing well. She dodged a bullet on that one.

Still working on kits for the new venture which was supposed to launch Sept. 1 but had a few bugs that needed to be worked out which is to be expected with new things. I'm very excited about it and can't wait to be able to announce when it's ready.

Maggie is talking like crazy. She is amazing. She can count to 10 and knows some letters. She'll be 2 in 2 months and Max will be 4 in 4 months. I can't believe how fast time is flying.

Old and new, pee and poo

I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I've been searching for vintage toddler patterns THINKING I might make some simple jumpers and pinafores for Maggie. These styles are still popular. My Mom bought one a-line jumper pattern when I was small and made a ton of jumpers. My grandmother made this cute worm pinafore and I actually found the same pattern on Etsy and bought it. When I told my Mom about it, she dug through my baby clothes and found the pinafore. So here is a picture of me wearing it at 25 months and Maggie wearing it at 21 months.
I have found several cool patterns so maybe I'll get the nerve up to actually make something one of these days.

I am still working hard at getting my items uploaded for that new venture.....the site re-launch is in a week and I really can't wait to finally be able to tell everyone about it!

Max is still resisting the potty. So I had to give up our preschool spot, for which we were on a waiting list a year, because he isn't even showing the slightest bit of interest. We also had to turn down another spot that came open. I have him on two waiting lists now, one at the place he was last season. I should have just re-enrolled him there.
Ugh.
Oh well.
Hopefully they will have an opening soon and he'll get back in.

Bubbles and big boy underpants

What an easy bribe. "Max, if you wear your big boy underpants we can go outside and blow bubbles." "OKAY!" he says. But as the potty training gods would have it, now is not the time. So we are back in diapers. I need help with this! I am pressured to get him trained for his preschool that starts in a month. He is resisting and I don't want issues later. UGH. So frustrating.
So in the meantime we will just blow bubbles and see where the wind takes them.

All in one day....

This will never get old to me.

Our dining room has two big windows that look out into the front yard.
This morning during breakfast, there was a rabbit out in the front yard but he was too far away for the kids to see.

During lunch we saw a baby deer running after her mother from the south neighbors yard into ours and then another female followed. They hung out in our yard for a little bit then took off across the street.

The formal dining room (which is the kid's playroom) has big windows looking out into the back yard. This afternoon a rabbit was really close to the window and sat long enough for Max to get over and see him. Then he ran off towards the back fence, Max said "run, bunny, run".

Then this evening I went out the garage and saw three rabbits chasing each other back and forth across our front yard.

It's just the coolest thing.

I'm a licensed artist....

I signed a licensing agreement last week regarding the use of images of my art. I'm really excited about this new venture. I can't disclose much since it's regarding a new idea and website launch September 1st. It could be a really cool thing if it takes off.

Busy Week....

Well last week was a blur. A lot going on. But the best was Wednesday night. Scott and I got to go out sans kids and had a nice evening. We met some friends for dinner then went on to see BettySoo and Abi Tapia at the Blue Door. The Blue Door is owned by a guy from Austin and he books lots of Austin acts. This may be our saving grace for being here. At least it takes out some of the sting.
Abi and BettySoo stayed with us, which was cool, but they were on the road early the next morning headed back to Austin (I tried to squeeze in the trunk between the guitars and luggage, it didn't work).
Check out their websites and new cds. Super awesome.

New Item Listed

Wall hanging.
I think I'm going to phase out the clippies and do wall hangings, tiny totes, embellishments and the tic tac toe pouches. It's all just a process to see what works best.
I really enjoyed making this wall hanging. It allowed me to be more creative.

Co-op

I think we've found a way to get around the crappy grocery options we have. Join the co-op!
I think it would be well worth the annual fee of $51.75 to have 100% locally grown or processed items. And what a variety of items it is!
Check it out: http://www.oklahomafood.coop/.

Are we there yet?

Everyday I wish we were back in Austin.
I'm not going to go on with my rant ad nauseum.

We've been here 9 months and at least time seems to be flying. I look at it as just steps closer to getting back "home". I guess it's not so bad being here during this time of our lives when we have so much going on with Scott's new job and two small children. Not much to do here anyway. We would be (and did) miss out on a lot in Austin the past few years.
Every once in awhile we see that one of our favs made it up here. Sometimes after the fact (damnit) sometimes before but we couldn't make it (such is life).
Guy Forsyth will be here this week. BettySoo will be here next month. Brave Combo comes here regularly (thank goodness) and Los Super Vatos was here recently.

Last weekend a friend and I went to see Spamalot at the Civic Center. Freakin' hilarious. Sat five rows back so had an awesome view. We went with her Mom. I don't think she liked it. Of course, she has never seen The Holy Grail (or anything Monty Python for that matter).
I loved it. Go see it.

Travel Tic Tac Toe!

Here is what I've been working on lately...
just in time for the summer holiday. A 6-inch square pouch that holds all the pieces (extras included) and the "board" is on the outside. I'm really excited about them and I think I've worked out the kinks, now to just come up with all the great color and piece combinations!

CEM for Charity

Cafe Etsy Moms Street Team has a special shop set up for charity. Right now the charity is the March of Dimes. Click on the link below for more information and to see the cool items available.
www.cemforcharity.etsy.com

I know it's just stuff but....

UGH!!

Well, our garage flooded when we had an all day deluge, came all the way up to the door leading into the house. The stuff at the front of the garage was sitting in about 6 inches of water. The front porch was so flooded it came into the house. Lovely.
That was several weeks ago. We couldn't get to everything in the time frame needed.

We just keep finding more stuff damaged by the flooded garage.
My portfolio (of senior projects, studio jobs, first design job) ruined, in the trash. My original artwork from school (pencil and pen illustrations, some framed, all ruined) in the trash. The file with all my school papers (letters, transcripts, certificates) trashed. Framed prints, Mexican folk art, books, trashed.
My Grandmother was an artist and I only have two of her original watercolors. Found one last night, completely wet. Salvaged it from the frame but it has mildew on it in some places (at least that can be covered by a mat). I don't know where the other one is, hopefully it's in the house somewhere.
I wasn't worried about the antique china but now I feel like I need to go through the boxes as they are covered in soaked newspaper. I hope the furniture is dried out fine and not too messed up. I really dread opening another box.

I feel for those that have lost all their belongings in a total house flood or fire.

Bring on the refund....

because we need a French drain. Ugh. No more rain please (and no more high dollar surprise expenses!)

What's new at Brannock Artsy Etsy store? French barrette clips. As usual the store is a work in progress.

And lastly but most importantly, please visit the blog of an Etsy friend whose hosting a charity auction for her brother to help support his ministry, knitsandknotsweb.blogspot.com. Check out the auction items....cool stuff!

We aren't the only ones.....

So, those of you who know us...what has been our big gripes since moving here from Austin?

This letter was in the April 16, 2008 issue of the Oklahoma Gazette. Other than the bits about the NBA (cuz we could care less), it's right on (but if bringing the NBA here causes these changes to be made, then so be it).
Mr. States, we feel your pain.

Still Stagnant After All These Years
I say that Oklahoma City is really not ready for the NBA. The Oklahoma City Council and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce need to lobby the state to change Oklahoma's liquor laws and court some new stores such as Costco, Whole Foods Market and H-E-B.
We need to show America we are more than a Wal-Mart state. If the mayor thinks having an NBA franchise in Oklahoma City is going to bring new residents, he is sorely mistaken. People of nearby states - Texas, Kansas, Missouri - are used to having choices in where they shop.
To compete with true NBA cities we need to change. We need to be able to offer strong beer and wine in the grocery stores or wholesale clubs. We need there to be alternatives and choices.
I moved away from Oklahoma in 1995 due to its stagnant economy and views and moved to Austin, Texas, where I found an abundance of choices and bright ideas. I have since moved back to Oklahoma and found not a whole bunch has changed at all. Still stagnant in choices and views.
-Jeffery States, Tuttle

That was close.....

Um, okay, when I said "bring it on" I meant thunderstorms, NOT TORNADOES!

About 1:00 am the siren goes off. Good thing I was awake from the storm and hail or I wouldn't have noticed it. We turn the TV on to find out the "hook" is a few miles away, headed in our direction.
Then we lose power. I hate that, not having any information. So we get in the closet and come back out, not feeling really threatened but I was concerned. I was trying to remember all the signs a tornado was near that you learned when you were a kid. All I could remember was all is quiet, no rain and lots of quick flashes of light. Well, it was doing that! It bypassed us though, hit a neighborhood southwest of us where we had our rent house.
It was too close for comfort in my book. Thanks goodness we really didn't have anything more than water in the garage. Of course that soaked the boxes in there and who knows what's ruined. Mostly books and we tried to get those unpacked but it's a nasty sight. And we discovered water filling up our floor vent in the entry way last night. Can't figure that one out either. Maybe it had something to do with our flooded front porch.
Needless to say I didn't get much sleep and woke up in a "fine mood" that just got better once we discovered the soaked garage.

Welcome to Oklahoma.

This week at Hacienda Brannock

Addicted to felt:
I've just added some bracelets to my Etsy store. I've been working on several things, finding cute ways to utilize felt.

Maggie:
Well, she still has infections in both ears. Not good. She's on a stronger antibiotic and if this doesn't work then off to the ENT specialist.

Insurance:
SUCKS! We finally get our "real" policies and they cancel Maggie since they didn't get their premium this month....that THEY deduct from my account. Figure that one out. So I have to redo some paper work, no biggie (I hope). I just wish it was in place since her new antibiotic was $92. I can send in a claim but it's the whole principle really. Hey, I don't need any ammunition to go off on insurance companies. (Was that a pun?)

Weather:
What a beautiful day today! I am SO ready for warmer weather. Not to mention those good ol' Oklahoma thunderstorms of yore. Bring it on!!

I hate Walmart

I hate shopping at Walmart and I hate that the closest place for us to buy groceries is Walmart. If I can, I will go a few miles farther to the first grocery store, but when I need something in a hurry (with kids!) that is where I have to go.
So there we are today, specifically because we needed to get new phones and a new service plan. Ours expired March 15 and ironically both of our phones crapped out shortly after. We thought we could just go in, pick out our phones and be done with it.
Oh no.
We were told that when we switched our numbers to another region it automatically renewed our contract for 2 years. WHAT? No one told us that. When I called to change the numbers they didn't say that nor did they bring it up when I asked when our contract expired (March 15, 2008 is what they said). So the Walmart gal gets on the phone with AT&T and she talks to them, we talk to them and finally they agree to let us renew now (upgrade really).
So that is worked out, but since our old plan is no longer available she can't key it in to ring us up, she needs an over ride from a manager. She calls for one several times, trying several different ways. Not one manager ever showed up. We didn't want the higher rate plan because it would be an additional $20 a month and we don't even use all the minutes in the plan we have. So she keyed it in at a higher rate plan just to get it to go through and then back on the phone with AT&T to make sure we still get our old plan. We walked away with new phones, our same plan and didn't pay a thing. (I guess we'll see come our first bill).
So, how long were we at the Walmart phone counter with two small kids? An hour and a half. Probably spent 2 hours total in that stupid store.
AT&T fixed their problem.
Walmart just added to theirs.
I hate Walmart.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Okay, I know it's tomorrow.... but we thought fixing the big meal today would be easier.
So we put on the Irish music and poured the Guinness.

St. Patrick's Day has always been a biggie to us but now it has more meaning to it.
Maggie was conceived on St. Patrick's Day, she's our little Guinness baby, and she'll be 16 months old tomorrow as well.

So with that said, crank up The Pogues, avoid green beer and kiss a blarney snake.

House of Sickies

Well, this has been a crappy week for our house.
Max and I have been gross for a week. Poor Maggie has had the upchucks since Thursday night but no other symptoms. I hate seeing her so miserable. I can't wait for normalcy around here again where my kids EAT. (Well, Miss Maggie was already a picky eater much to my chagrin).
And the real kick in the gut was how nice the weather was all week. Perfect for playgrounds and running around. But no, we were prisoners in our home.

I got an email from a friend in Austin today. She talked about her son's varsity basketball games with Dripping Springs and Marble Falls. I got super homesick for Austin at that point. I miss it. I miss the surrounding areas. I miss West in September. I miss Fredericksburg in October. I miss Dripping Springs in April. Austin had an annual "fill in the blank" every weekend. Sure, we didn't get to go to everything every weekend. But it was nice to have that choice.

Let's get painting!

I'm so ready to start painting this house!!

We looked at paint samples this weekend and I have a pretty good idea what I want to do for Maggie's room. Still up in the air about Max's. Lots of color!

In Austin our house looked like a Mexican restaurant. Our living room was purple, kitchen was yellow, hallways minty green, master bedroom dark green. We had dark green carpet and three giant geckos painted going up wall between our kitchen and living room. We can't wait to do the same here! (Same concept, different colors).

Let the Brannockfication of this house begin!!

Welcome!

Okay, this is my first blog site. I hope I can become a creative blogger like my husband.