happy halloween

I know, I know...the last time I posted I had said that I would be blogging more often. This was probably more a promise to myself more than anyone else, but again I have lapsed in this area.
However, something incredibly exciting happened to me today and I have to write about it.

Last week, by chance, I was looking on the HGTV website for inspiration for my bedroom...hubby and I are planning on redecorating our room, but that's another story, and I clicked on their blog. There was a photo challenge for great kid's spaces, so I decided to enter my son's room and a girlfriend's nursery (yes I know I still haven't posted pics of that one, but I will soon). Well I only had time to upload the pics of my son Alex's room, so I sent it off the HGTV with the intention of uploading the nursery pics sometime today...October 31st was the deadline. Soooo, I log into my e-mail to send HGTV another e-mail when what do I see in my inbox...a message from HGTV saying I WON!!!! I could not believe it! I've never entered anything like this before, nevermind won anything. I am over the moon!

And what did I win, you might ask, I won a kid's docking station for their ipods, cell phones, etc.., but more importantly HGTV is going to put the pictures of Alex's room up on their website! This is all so exciting that I had to share!

Anyway, besides all of this excitement, we are getting the kids ready for trick-or-treating tonight. Thankfully the weather is co-operating and it doesn't look like it's gonna be as cold as it's been the past few nights. Gotta go get everyone's costumes ready...so have a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

wow...it's been awhile

Well, it's been almost 3 months since I've posted anything. Summer was so much fun that there was no time to blog! But I am grateful that the kids have gone back to school...it was next to impossible to get any work done while they were home! So there's a lot to catch up on and I've got a ton of pics to post, I don't think I can do it all in one entry but here goes.























Our summer was filled with tons of fun, and a few scares too! We tried to keep busy doing stuff outside, and we were lucky there was an abundance of activities to do! While we spent most of our time at the splash park by our house, the kids also got to do a lot of bike riding, and we did our share of exploring around our neighborhood! We were also lucky enough to visit a farm, which the kids LOVED!!! We were there for a birthday party, but we promised ourselves to go back again. We also went to Paramount Canada's Wonderland, an amusement park close to our house...again a big hit with the kids. Hopefully we'll be able to get there again before they close in November, but we'll see how everything works out. We did still manage to get in some shopping, and a quick trip to Buffalo, NY to look for some great deals. All I really remember about that day was that everyone was kinda cranky and it was very HOT!!!























But we also had some mishaps...my youngest had one allergy scare when we were at a relatives house (I'm not even gonna go into it because it still makes me really angry!), and then last month he had a horrible infection that had us visiting the ER. But everything was OK in the end, and all the fun far outweighed any of the drama. But with school starting up again, and hope for me that I'd finally get some work done, September started off fast and crazy for us! My daughter started Grade 2, and my son began JK. It was a very exciting, and scary, time for us...not to mention that we haven't had a break since it started! We've been bombarded with birthdays, play dates, dentist appointments, fender benders, eye appointments and classes for first communion.























AND to top it off this weekend is just as busy as the last few! We have an outing with Grandma tomorrow (the kids have a PA day), 2 birthday parties on Saturday and we're going apple picking on Sunday. Not to mention all the work I need to finish! I'll post later about all of the work that I didn't do over the summer, and all the work I've had to do this month to catch up!!!

happy canada day

Happy Canada Day!! So school is out and the summer activities begin...so to speak. I have a ton of work to do, and I'm finding it really hard to get into the swing of things. With the kids running around the house, and toys all over the place, it's hard to get motivated to do art! Plus we just got the kids new bikes, and the weather's been beautiful so we haven't really been inside all that much. School finished last Wednesday and since then we've spent almost every day out! In the past 5 days we've been to the water park, biking riding every day and to the mall a couple times. Today it's sooo sunny outside ( and Canada Day too!) and of course the kids want to go biking AGAIN! I'm not sure how much work I'm gonna get done this summer, but I've got 4 orders that need to be finished by the end of July, 2 kids rooms to decorate and I'd like to repaint our master bedroom. I'm hoping that by blogging about this it might motivate me to work...or at least guilt myself into doing so:) I hope you all have a great Canada Day, even if you're not in Canada!! I think I have to work now:(

alex's room

As I had mentioned a few months ago, I was decorating a friend's nursery for her and even though the room was completed almost 3 months ago, I still have not taken any photos of it! That being said I've decided to post some pics of my son Alex's room. I really love his room! Now his room was completed at least 2 years ago when we moved him into a big boy's bed (he's 4 now), and I was determined to do something that he could grow with.


















Since Alex was only 2 at the time, I knew that if I asked him what he wanted the room would probably be plastered in cartoon characters of some sort (something of which I am NOT a big fan), so I turned to my husband for inspiration so to speak. My hubby LOVES cars...vintage cars, new cars, motorcycles, remote control cars, toy cars...the list goes on and on. I, however, did not want to do my son's room in a theme that would easily be forgotten or look like something that lots of other boys had.


















Thankfully my husband also had other interests, one of them being skateboarding. As a teenager he used to skateboard, and I'm pretty sure we still have a couple of his old skateboards in storage somewhere! We used a skateboard deck as a shelf, skateboard wheels as knobs for his dresser, and I was lucky enough to find mini skateboards that I utilized as 'drawer pulls' for storage bins and as wall hooks for hoodies, hats and bags.


















Finding a skateboarding themed quilt proved to be a little difficult, and after scouring numerous design and furniture sites I was lucky enough to find a surfing monkey quilt at Target. Normally I wouldn't have chosen anything with a character on it, but seeing that surfing kinda fell into the same category sports wise as skateboarding, and that Alex was born in the year of the monkey (Chinese calendar), I think it was the perfect solution.


















Storage was a big issue in his room as well, especially since his room was originally a den/solarium! Yup...NO CLOSETS!!! Thankfully his clothes all fit into a dresser, and the few items that do need to be hung are in his sister's closet or hanging from his skateboard hooks. We also turned a TV stand with a drawer into a toy bench. By removing the legs and adding some cushions it also serves as a nice little reading corner for our little one.

One of the most important things I learned when decorating my son's room, as well as my daughter's (pics will follow shortly:)) is that you can find great ideas anywhere...you aren't limited to things you find in children's furniture stores. I found great blue metal buckets to store toys and blocks in, but you'd never know that they were supposed to be used to house drinks and food for outdoor entertaining. Anyway, I hope I can inspire some of you mom's out there to think outside of the box, and try to do something unique for your kids...they will be just as proud of their own spaces as you are!

happy father's day

Yesterday we celebrated an early Father's Day at my Uncle's house with my grandmother and my cousins. It was a great, but exhausting day filled with lots of food (barbecue...my favourite), a kiddie pool for the kids and some bowling and car racing on the Wii for the adults. But today we've planned a day just for us. The kids have decided that Daddy would like very much to go and see Kung Fu Panda this afternoon. Now I'm pretty sure this outing is for them and not my hubby, but he's playing along:) Anyway, just wanted to wish all the dad's out there a very Happy Father's Day!!!

hmmm...sorry my bad

The other night my hubby was goofing around on the computer so I asked him to take a look at my blog to let me know what he thought. You know it never occurred to me to tell him to read it! Anyway, after giving me the "Looks good, anything else?", I took a closer look at the few posts that I've taken the time to write.

Now when I originally started this blog I did it because I wanted to keep a log of what I was doing work wise. Granted there are only a few posts, but what I have come to realize is that the majority of what I have been writing about has been weather related, and actually has nothing to do at all with my artwork! It seems like an awfully long time since I've posted anything work related...OOPS!!! I am currently waiting for my website (http://www.littlepapercuts.com/) to be completed, and I'm hoping it'll be ready by the end of June or early July. I put a lot of work into all of the artwork, layout and text for my website, and after handing it off to my web designer I now have to wait and hope for the best:) Like I've said before, I know how I want my website to look, and I'm hoping my web guy is on the same page, but I'm very nervous about whether or not it's gonna live up to my 'standards'.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I think since the weather has gotten soooo nice here, I've found it too difficult to stay home and work! The temptation to go and do something outside has been far to great to want to sit and create art, and I have TONS of artwork to start for upcoming projects! So, I am going to make the effort to post more art related stuff from now on...well, right after I take a walk outside in the sunshine:) Just kidding!

fun in the sun:)

Well it looks like summer has finally arrived in full force with the temperature soaring and lots of sunshine! And to celebrate the warmer weather the kids and I took a trip to our favourite splash park. For the last couple years we've spent almost our entire summers at this amazing park, and this weekend gave us the perfect opportunity to enjoy the heat:) What I love about this place is that the ground material is made up of recycled tires, so the kids aren't slipping as much as they would on wet pavement. Not to mention that it's nice and clean, and for the most part it's not too busy... especially during the week. Anyway, I won't bore everyone with details, so I hope you all enjoy the lovely weather while it's here!! :)

tired of being sick

Well, it's been almost 2 months since my last post, and while I would like to say that I've been soooo busy with work that I haven't had any time to blog, the truth of the matter is that I've been sick for over a month and I'm finally feeling like myself again. With my daughter int he first grade and my son in preschool, someone is constantly coming home sick. All of you moms out there know how the cycle goes: one gets sick gives it to the other one, and inevitably either you or your hubby gets it, and just when you think everyone is in the clear, one of the kids gets sick AGAIN!!! Pair being sick with having your allergies kick in and you can imagine how I've felt for the last few months. Right now I still have a cough, and allergy symptoms, but for the most part I've recovered...I wish I could say the same for my poor hubby who, like me, is sick and riddled with sneezing fits from all the pollen in the air. Oh well, here we go again!

happiness

What makes you happy? Finding great deals on paper, clothes or anything for that matter. Sunny days. Going on a date with my hubby while the kids are at school. They all rank pretty high on my list (not necessarily in that order), but for me my kids are #1 on that list. Even though they have their moments, and they sometimes make me want to pull my hair out, for the most part they're pretty good kids. I'll admit there are those days when it is impossible for them to get along, but I think they play together and love each other more than they fight. Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part, but they're my kids and I love them.

I asked my kids what makes them happy, and both replied a resounding 'Playing with mommy'. I had fully expected my daughter to say 'Getting a new Bratz doll, or e-pet', and I was sure my little one was going to tell me 'Cars', which for him is no surprise, but I have to say it was really nice to be tops on their lists too. I'm sure tomorrow their opinions are gonna change, but for now I'll take what I can get!:)

spring at last

Yes, I think it's safe to say that spring is finallly here and I'm hoping that the warmer weather is here to stay. It's nice to head out the door with spring jackets and sneakers instead of packing up the kids in their bulky jackets, snow pants and boots. Things have been very busy around the Little Papercuts household so far this month. I finally sent off all my website artwork and paperwork, and now it's in the hands of the web designer. I've got my fingers crossed that it will live up (if not exceed) all of my expectations!

In addition to all of the website stuff I've been working on, I've also got quite a bit of actual work to do as well. Let's see...I've got about 4 name art orders that have to be completed by the end of April, not to mention 2 other orders due for the end of May. It's gonna be busy around here! But hey, I'd rather be busy than twiddling my thumbs waiting for someone to order something.

This morning I treated myself to some new paper packs. I love paper. Looking for new papers and finding great deals always puts me in a great mood. I wasn't really on the hunt for new paper, I have TONS (as my husband can surely attest to), but sometimes you just have to have more! Today was definitely one of those days. Last year I had started buying some of my paper pads from Indigo bookstore. They sold really nice quality paper, but they're a little pricey, so I would splurge every now and then but not very often. Well, you can imagine my surprise and joy when I found stacks of the very same packs at Homesense. Any of you that live in Toronto know that Homesense sells mainly housewares stuff, but withing the last year or so they started to carry scrapbooking products. But the best part is that they were only $9 for the larger size pads and $6 for the smaller ones. Needless to say I bought about 3 packs, and I probably would have bought more but my little one wanted to go look at toys. It's hard to force a 4 year old to be excited about scrapbooking paper!

I can't decide if it's the great weather or the beautiful paper, but overall today's been FABULOUS so far!!!!

here comes the sun!

Well, it seems the warmer weather is FINALLY on it's way...unfortunately for me (and any other mom's out there probably know this) that also means that the kids are gonna be sick. Yup, the nicer temps seem to have also brought on colds for my kids. The last week has been full of runny noses, sore throats, headaches, stuffy noses and lots of coughing. My littlest one always takes it the hardest, and true to form, the past couple of days for him have been pretty rough. It would seem that he doesn't really like to just do the usual cold and flu stuff, and we inevitably end up with him using his inhaler. Even though he always feels better after he's been puffed, the last few times he's been sick, he's fought me about using it. We went through a brief period when he was really little and I used to have to hold him down in order to use the inhaler on him. Then one day he decided that it would be better to breathe than fight me, so he came to like it...on several occasions he's asked me if he can use the puffer even when he's not sick. But this last time around he didn't seem to keen on cooperating with me.

But being home has also meant for work time for me. I'm sending off all of my website artwork and layouts with my hubby tonight. Hopefully all will be finished by the end of the month. I've got my fingers crossed that it will turn out the way I've been picturing it! I think that's why it's taken me so long to get my stuff off to the website guy. It's hard to let go and put all you hard work and faith into the hands of someone else, but at some point you have to trust that others will do as good a job, if not better, than you would.

I've finally managed to finish some artwork for my daughter that I had started last year, but between everyday life and actual orders had been left on the back burner. As promised in my last post, pics will be up soon (I'm waiting for Photoshop to be installed on my laptop). I hope you all have a great weekend, and enjoy all the sunshine we've been getting!:)

nurseries, new babies + a website

I've been pretty busy of late. My kids were on March Break 2 weeks ago, and we spent a lot of it outside despite the cold weather. The kids had a blast tobogganing and skating, hubby and I enjoyed it too but we also realized how old we are. Man, going up and down the hill 50 million times really makes you think 'What were we thinking!!!!'. But the little ones loved it so it was totally worth it. We actually kept busy enough that we did not hear them utter the dreaded 'We're bored', even once. I think that's pretty good considering the attention span of most 4 and 6 year olds! But I'm glad March Break is over.

Even after the kids went back to school, things didn't stop for me. As mentioned before, a girlfriend of mine was pregnant, so I've spent the last few weeks preparing her nursery for her. A little bit of painting, accessorizing and some organizing too went into transforming their small den into a beautiful room fit for a princess. I'll be posting some pics later this week. Between nursery decorating, and the usual mommy activities, I've also been working on the layout and new artwork for my website. While it's very time consuming, it's also been very satisfying to see everything I've been envisioning in my head come to life. I can't wait for it to be done!

Having said that, I'm not sure when that's going to be...you see the guy doing my website works with my pregnant girlfriend's hubby and their little bundle of joy could wait no longer and made her much anticipated arrival on March 20, 2008. Baby Sydney was 1 week early, and she is absolutely beautiful! The proud parents are doing well, and are extremely exhausted...Sydney does not like to sleep at night yet! So it's gonna be at least a couple more weeks before I can get all of my artwork and paperwork to the website guy.

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend. My hubby and I are taking the kids to see 'Horton Hears a Who', I've heard it's really good. Don't fill up on too much chocolate, and have fun!

what is little papercuts?

So, I realize that there are some of you who are wondering 'What is Little Papercuts', besides the tiny cuts you get from paper that hurt A LOT!! For all of you, this is my explanation. Little Papercuts is the business I started, officially a year ago. I mainly create children's name art, but I have also done artwork for adults and kids which are not name related. All of my pieces are made from cut paper, but also include ribbon, fabric, yarn and other goodies.


















Although I have only been in business officially since last year, I have been creating name art for over 3 years now. I think what appeals to most of the people who purchase Little Papercuts artwork is that they are all custom made for each individual. My customers love that they are able to be involved in the creative process, and have a finished product that reflects their child. Whether that means their personality, their interests or even something that matches their room, I strive to make something that embodies the person it is created for.


















Being a stay at home mom with two kids constantly on the go, it was difficult to find the time, not only to work, but to have creative space. I am very lucky to have a wonderfully supportive husband, great kids and some amazing friends who have encouraged me along the way. My 'company' is only in it's baby stages, but the journey thus far has been incredible. It still astounds me that people want to buy something that I have made...and I think that's part of what pushes me to do what I do.

baby shower...snow anyone?

Well, yesterday we had scheduled to have a pretty big baby shower for a girlfriend of mine. There were quite a few people expected (roughly 35 or so adults plus kids) and we had lots of food and tons of cupcakes from this great little place called The Cupcake Shoppe, here in Toronto. Unfortunately yesterday was also the day of one of the biggest snowstorms we've had all winter, and over half of the guests cancelled before 11am. Because a good portion of the food had been catered in, we didn't even have the option of postponing the shower for today...yeah, it's beautiful and sunny outside today, and the roads are completely clear!

But despite the horrendous weather, and the fact that almost everyone cancelled, we had a really great day! It ended up being about 10 really good friends of the parents-to-be, really relaxed and casual...just what the new mommy wanted anyway. She's not a big fan of crowds, and she hates being the center of attention...which is kind of hard considering the party was in her honour and she's nine months pregnant! Less people, meant less people who you don't know to have to entertain. It also meant more space for the kids to run around and play. And the best part of having fewer guests also meant MORE CUPCAKES for those who did show up!!! I'd have to say that the blizzard was a blessing in disguise:) Everyone had a great time, and now the mommy-to-be is even more excited about her little one on the way.

my first entry

Hi! This is my very first blog entry...how exciting! I'm starting this blog to keep all of the swirling ideas in my head organized...if that's even possible. Little Papercuts is my way of mixing all the things I love into something that everyone can enjoy. I hope you'll all join me as I try to navigate my way through the craziness of juggling kids, family, crafting and trying to run my own business! Enjoy!