Just wanted to share the pile that is growing in my dining room.The boxes are all filled with smaller packages and I’ve transferred some sets to bags for a somewhat compact pile.  I’m not quite ready for them for take over the whole house, which they would if taken out of their packages.  Poor little birdies.

Fifteen more packages are expected, and oddly I received none today.  Hopefully tomorrow.  The post person always comes to the door totally perplexed by the off season deliveries.

I will do a post when all birds have come and will take more pictures when I start sorting.  I’m thinking I might push all of the furniture against the wall in the living room so I have a nice big space to work with.

I went thrifting this morning and scored a bunch of great stuff. These cute Japanese cups and this awesome soap dispenser.  They all need a bit of cleaning up.

One of my best vintage linen finds yet.  Nine beautiful full size sheets. All in excellent condition.  The colors are bright and colorful.  I love them.  I also got 2 pillowcases, a pair of funky pajama pants, button cover kits and a whole bunch of embroidery floss and floss bobbins.

Anyone want to share how to get thrift store smell out of linen in one wash? Do tell…

We too, as do many others, have a LEGO situation.  The situation being that there are hundreds of tiny LEGO pieces E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E in my house!!!

It has been a problem for a while, and after reading Wise Craft’s LEGO situation, I felt compelled to share mine as well.   It looks somewhat tidy in these shots, but this is only a small peek at what I’m really talking about.

A very dear friend gave us more. Some LEGOs that belonged to her now 20-something year old son.  At first I wanted to scream “NO!!!” and run the opposite direction, but these toys, although tedius & often-times irritating, are really a wonderful and amazing thing.  Nothing has kept my two boys more engrossed for hours on end like these LEGOs.  The possiblities are endless with these things and I love that. They are truly a classic and everlasting favorite.   I always have to tell myself that someday they won’t want to play with these anymore, and I will look back at these years fondly and a bit teary-eyed.

Oh, Frida. Look at those hands (earrings too).  Beautiful, passionate, creative.  You are quite amazing to me.

I picked up a little Frida notecard at an awesome indie craft shop here in town called Popcycle, then used the photo of Frida to create this little wall hanging.  Everyone needs a little Frida in there life, don’t you think?

The photo is mounted on a small wood plaque, then that is mounted onto decopauged cardboard, which is then mounted onto crinkled tin.  Of course I had to gussy it all up with beads, words and teeney bit of bling.  To honor Frida, of course.

My sweet man-guy (the hubby ) bought me a new tea mug for my birthday.  Isn’t it so pretty- like a piece of art.  It’s from Creativewithclay, an etsy shop.   Check out this video on how it was made.  Pretty cool.  I took ceramics in college.  Not one of my best artistic ventures, so I fully appreciate the work, skill and beauty that went into this cup.  Thanks honey.  My tea tastes even better now!

I would like to try to take little sneak peek pictures of the birds as they come in.  They have been coming in batches of three so far, which is funny to me.  Twelve sets–60 or so to go.  I imagine this will be the crazy mail week.  They are due on Saturday all you bird swappin’ folk!!

j.m.b mommy

Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments for my Birds of Change Giveaway.

Birds have been flying my way and it has been a JOY opening every package.  I can’t wait for the mail to come everyday.

I’ll be giving a sneek peak of some of the birds soon.

I’m a planner, list maker and box checker-offer. I have to write things down, especially plans/dates far into the future, or I’ll forget. Like, the family reunion in May. If I didn’t have that written down, I’d have to ask the husband when it is a gazillion times. That gets annoying. And with the kid’s stuff and my work, I have to have a plan, or have a yearly prospectus if you will.

I bought a really cute little planner last year from etsy, but it didn’t quite fit my needs. As I was searching for a new one, I realized that none of them really fit my needs. So I made my own (as us crazy crafters will often do). I spent hours on it. Many, many frustrating hours. Because I used Word, it was a formatting nightmare. But, finally… somehow… all the pages printed in the right order. 140 pages, front and back. Amazing. My poor, poor printer would have nothing to do with me after that.

I also had grandiose dreams of selling them on etsy, but after talking to my local printer, it didn’t seem worth it cost wise.

After all my time, sweat and tears, it is my precious little masterpiece. I am so paranoid of getting it dirty, I had to make a matching protective drawstring bag for it. Oh, and that little copper bookmark was made by a local artisan.  Perfect for opening my planner on exactly the right page.

Inside, it has monthly and weekly pages for each month, and has lots of prompts for list making. For example: Places to eat, books to read, music to listen to, movies to see, I dream of…, This year I will…, I’d like to visit…, etc. It will be fun to fill out through the year. I also put lots of blank pages throughout for sketching out ideas & such. I can’t wait to mark it all up.

Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes and great bird day comments.  I’ve never had that many, so I am more than thrilled.  Thank you!

I wanted to alert you to a couple more bird giveaways that didn’t make the list yesterday. They have been added at the bottom of the original list, so please pay a visit to see those sweet little birds.

I had a great 37th.  Watched the tube all morning, happy and teary-eyed.  Then did some shopping, courtesy of my mom, my sister and my granny.  All handmade of course ~ local & etsy (I’ll show you all my goodies when they come in the mail). Ate some yummy Thai (my favorite) and then had friends over for some delicious chocolate cake, made from scratch by my favorite three guys.  A pretty awesome day indeed!

There is a lot to celebrate today.  One, it’s my birthday, #37.  Two, it’s Inauguration Day- Woohoo!!. And three, it’s the Birds of Change Giveaway.

To win this, leave a comment!

Because I think today is so special and I want to start out this new year of change full of hope and inspiration, I am hosting a blog-wide Birds of Change Giveaway. Not only am I giving this handmade bird away, but many other amazing crafty bloggers have offered to giveaway a bird as well.  Check them all out and leave a comment.  If they haven’t posted their giveaway yet, please check back. Lots of great chances to win a pretty birdie craft.

Sewing Magpie
Life in the Lyon’s Den
Affectioknit
Lexi Art & Design
Montessori Mama
Joyously Living Life
Mariek Uniek
Sistermama
Red or Gray
Calicodaisy
Tales at Wayne Manor
Sweetina
Wagging Tales
Olivethebeach
Girlville
Ashlee and Nathanael
Patchwork Pottery
Spinster Handmade
Urban Debris
Heidi Stitches When She Can
Moreart, Less Housework
Crafty oz girl
Norico
A New Path
Cultivating Magic
Deborah’s Journal
Mary Jo
Build~Make~Craft~Bake
And Another Thing
Hopfaldera
Kleas
Ledanna
What did she do today?
On a Rainy Night

Please leave a comment on this post by Friday at 5pm (US Mountain Time) and I’ll announce the winner on Friday Night.  When you are done with that, hop on ever to all of the other great blogs, leave comments and win some birds!!

**Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments and birthday wishes. I have been enjoying every single one! I’ve had to change some settings on my site, so don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up right away. Thanks again!!

***********Attention all bird swappers!***********

If you signed up for the BOCE swap by Jan 9th and have not received an instruction email from me, please let me know ASAP.  Also, if you are planning on giving a bird away on Jan 20th, please let me know very soon as well.  Please pay careful attention to the instructions in regards to postage- very important.  I have already received 3 sets of birds in the mail and they are gorgeous.  I will try my hardest to send you an email as I receive them.   Email me with any questions and I’ll get back to you as best as I can. THANKS!

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Now onto my new tea wallet.

I drink tea all day (3-4 cups), and haven’t been getting my daily dose while at work.  I take a couple of packets, and when time allows, try to get a cup in.  One of the problems is that my packets get crumpled up or lost in my big bag.  A wallet seemed best for keeping them together and protected.  Can you tell I’m into containing things in special packages lately?

The inside can carry 6+ packets, which is perfect for a good variety and for sharing too.

Would you like a cup?  I have many kinds….

I have several more in process.  I painted onto canvas with acrylic paints, then cut and sewed it onto cotton/linen blend fabric.

I hope you are having a beautifully peaceful weekend.