When Roo from Roo's Treehouse asked if I wanted to be a part of V's bloggy birthday surprise, how could I say no? After all, V is the Grand Blog Party Queen of Halloween and Mad Tea Party fame so I have to thank her somehow!
Now if you don't know who Vanessa is, she is the Mistress of all things magical at A Fanciful Twist. To celebrate her birthday, I'd like to share with you 5 posts she has written on her blog that are my (current) favorites. :) Vanessa is a unique woman with a hyper-creative soul and even though I don't know her, I'm so happy to know her. (There, that made sense right?) :D
P.S.-Uh Vanessa...I totally took your pictures without permission but I didn't want to ask you and possibly ruin the surprise so please forgive me! Note to you fine readers: blog as a I say, not as I do, stealing is wrong! LOL ;)
Her 2009 Mad Tea Party was my very first blog party and it almost killed me. LOL (over 300 blogs participated and I visited them all!) But I would do it again and again and again and again.
Vanessa's gypsy wagon is amazing! What a magical place to escape to when you need it!
This is one of Vanessa's current song obsessions and I have to say that Carol of the Bells is one of my favorites too during this time of year!
She also has a wonderful Etsy shop full of magical creatures and fanciful treasures! If you have not had the pleasure of reading her blog, make sure to stop by soon, her pictures are stunning!
So HAPPY BIRTHDAY VANESSA! I hope your day is filled with magic and dreams come true!
Contained within this blog are the most unimaginable horrors known to man. Things only whispered in the dark have clawed their way to the surface to revel in this thing we all know...love...and fear....the Blog Party. And not just any blog party. We're talking about the Mother of All Halloween Blog Parties...
Mothers, hide your children! Men, bar the door! Super old people with heart conditions, take your aspirin! For you are about to enter...Just Add Glitter and Stir's:
House of Oddities
Muwahahahahahahahaha!
Banned in 51 states, this is the show you've tweeted about...in your nightmares! Never before has this collection been on display for all to see, to witness, to lament! (Except for that one time. There was some...unpleasantness and we are no longer allowed in Home Depot.) And yet, here it is! For today only! (or until the next blog post is written) Prepare to be amazed! Prepare to be horrified! Prepare to be boarded! Step right up and see...
The Playlist of HORROR, discovered deep in the ancient tomb of Mount Craptacular...
For the first time ever, live and in person The Amazing Beeman! The man that's half bee...half man!
A farm accident caused a lamb to be fused with the World's Cutest Baby! Shudder in horror as you witness the terror of...BambLamb!
And for the naughty child that wants a puppy but refuses to eat nutritious food...
Dumpkin, the legendary creature covered in fur and full of seeds!
And now the biggest terror of them all: the Terrible Traveling Troubadours, beware their bewitching antics of talent...and horror!
*Please pause the Playlist of Horror to enjoy the show*
Yes, the House of Oddities is frightful and 100% pure cute, uh I mean evil! EVIL!
Please exit to your left and now that you have been properly horrified and delighted, head on over to A Fanciful Twist to experience even more Halloween celebrations!
First things first: how did my child lose the ability to smile in pictures? Lately every time I hold the camera up, I get this:
Don't get me wrong, still cute but EVERY TIME! lol She's a nut...
Speaking of Toot, the other day she started choking on a biter biscuit and being home by myself, I ended up having to go halfway down her throat to dislodge it and have been having mini panic attacks ever since. Not.Fun.
Anyhoo, announcement time YAY!
1. If you look to your right, you'll see notice that Gauche Alchemy is giving away some Graphic 45 fabulousness so make sure to get over there and leave a comment for a chance to win, tell them Maggi sent ya! (I won't get anything for it but I like seeing my name in print. :P)
2. And for our readers on the left side of the blog you'll notice that the ever fantastic Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist is hosting another fabulous blog party!
You may remember that Vanessa hosted the Mad Tea Party blog party I participated in and I'm looking forward to this one as well! I'm already thinking to get my mom to come over and watch Toot because I'm sure to be partying all day long if the Mad Tea Party was any indication! lol Check out Vanessa's party announcement HERE and join us for some muwahahahaha type fun!
3. You will never guess what I got in the mail today! I was fortunate enough to get some happy mail today which really brightened up my day! The amazingly talented Y from Do More With Less made me a little thank you gift for hosting the Christmas in July blog party and I was so excited to see this fabulous little box:
And the inside:
Not only that but she gave me this fabulous pin!
Thank you so much Y, this was so thoughtful of you! And listen dearest readers, if you do not visit her blog on a regular basis, you are truly missing out because she is awesome so drop by and say hello!
4. The last thing (I think) that I wanted to mention is that I bought one thing while in New York that I stumbled on by accident and have been looking for one for years. When Chris and I were dating and I went up to NY to see him, I saw these dolls called "Pullip" at FAO Schwartz. Not being cheap dolls, I was unable to get one at the time and have been thinking about them ever since.
While on our way to NY recently I told Chris that I was getting one, so there! lol And of course FAO no longer sells them! BOO! (Yes, I could buy on online but I'm an instant gratification kinda gal thank you very much) So enter a comic book store Chris used to go to years ago and there it was in the collectibles case: a Pullip doll! This particular one is called "Kirsche" and if you have no idea what I am talking about, check out Wiki. Since these dolls eyes move back and forth and close, their "lifelikeness" has started a brush fire of photographs and forums. Check out a Pullip search on Flickr HERE.
Speaking of which, here are a couple of pics I took of mine:
Plus, Top Chef is back and Project Runway starts tomorrow! WOOOOO HOOOOO! :D
I hope everyone is having a great week! I do have some crafty stuff I'm working on that I hope to show soon and will hopefully be able to do a Fab Five this week. Thanks for visiting and thanks so much for your lovely comments!
Well, the presents have been unwrapped and I think I may have drank a little too much egg nog. Anyone else feeling the effects of yesterday's blow out?? I don't know about you, but I had a blast!
I have to take some time and thank all of you, from those that hosted parties to those that visited with us and took time to leave some love. I appreciate you all so much and am still reeling from such a wonderful response and from attending some majorly fabulous parties! Wow! I saw Santa, had some rum, sang "Dominick the Donkey", helped decorate for a Pink Christmas, had some rum, watched "A Christmas Story" over and over (it never gets old), got about a dozen new recipes to try, had some rum, found some new craft ideas, shared the fun of family traditions AND I had some rum! *hiccup*
Thank you so much for making my first run at hosting a blog party so successful! All of your parties were beyond marvelous and you all deserve a huge pat on the back for your hard work, thank you again!
And the fun keeps on coming as my fabulous friend Karyn gave me this:
This is a "BFF" award which stands for "Blogger Favorite Friend" and now I'm to give it to 10 blogging friends and also tell you 10 things I love about blogging (look at me following the rules :P) So here are my pals:
Karyn (Yes, I'm giving this right back to you but I can't leave you out so there. You don't have to post it again! lol) Callista Melissa Christy Danielle
Oh geez, it's too hard picking just 10! There I go breaking rules again...
10 Things I Love About Blogging
1. I can say whatever I want because it's my blog (Buttface-poop-boobs!) 2. I don't read the newspaper in the morning with my coffee, I read blogs. 3. I've had to go to the bathroom for the past 10 minutes but I want to finish this post first, that's how much I love blogging. 4. I meet 100 times more people than I ever would get the chance to meet if I didn't blog. 5. I have a captive audience for my various witty remarks and anecdotes. (There once was a man from Nantucket...) 6. I can post embarrassing pictures of my husband.
7. Blogging is fun. 8. I've made friends through blogging that I always want to have in my life from now on. 9. I get cool awards that I can pass on to other bloggers. 10. I love posting about Toot. (Plus if I stopped posting about Toot, everyone would stop reading my blog. What can I say? The kid brings in the readers...)
Thank you so much for thinking of me Karyn! You're so fabulous!
Speaking of fabulous, look for my blog makeover giveaway winner announcement soon! You have until midnight tonight to leave me a comment on THIS POST for your chance to win!
P.S.-It has been suggested that with all of the new visitors to the party blogs, some winners of various blog candy might not know they're winners so if you had a giveaway on your blog and would like me to post your winner on my blog as well to make sure they get the good news, e-mail me the info at katamommy @ gmail dot com.
Ho ho ho! What's that I hear? A sleepy village Full of Christmas Cheer!
Seasons Greetings and Merry Christmas! Welcome to my Christmas in July blog party! I'm so glad you could join me, do come in!
A jolly wreath adorns the door and Chris has been working hard to make a special treat just for you!
Pierogies! We make both sauerkraut and potato pierogies and love eating them for breakfast on Christmas morning (although the Southern girl in me makes sure they are deep fried! :P)
Chris' family has been making pierogies on Christmas Eve for generations. His grandmother used to make over 100 pierogies by hand-by herself on Christmas Eve morning. We carry on this tradition in our home during the holiday season.
What's this? Another family tradition, making delicious oladyi which is a Russian yeast pancake. We eat them with cloves of garlic. They are a-m-a-z-i-n-g! (Sugar Addicts note: they are even better douse in powdered sugar instead of garlic!)
The table is set, let's dig in! Don't be shy, there's plenty for everyone! And once you are full and ready to rest, how about some Christmas classics before we open presents?
I don't know about you, but all of those classics gave me a second wind and got me in the mood for presents! Let's gather around the tree!
Oh look, I see a very special present under the tree!
Wait a minute...
Toot?! How did you get under there?! This picture is of Toot at one month old... Yes, I know...it's shameless Toot promotion. :P
This looks like a fun present, I'm going to open it!
Hang on, this present isn't for me! It's for you! Well, for one of you anyway! ;)
My Christmas in July gift to one lucky party goer is a Cr3zy Design Blog (Personal) blog makeover (on me!) created for the winner by the fabulous Traci at Sweet Cheeky Designs (who designed my blog!). All you have to do to enter is comment in this thread by midnight, Sunday, July 26th. I will randomly draw the winner and make the announcement next week. BE SURE TO LEAVE AN E-MAIL ADDY IN YOUR COMMENT IF YOUR E-MAIL IS NOT ACTIVATED IN YOUR PROFILE! I need a way to contact you and you wouldn't want me to regift this to someone else would you??? :D
And now it's time to say good bye as you bundle up to head off to other fabulous parties today! See that list in the right sidebar? Well those are other amazing parties just waiting for you to come and join the fun! Some have delicious refreshments, some have more presents, some have holiday stories and I know a few have some marvelous Christmas surprises in store for you! (Each link opens in a new window so you can remain here and have easy access to all of the parties!)
Please visit them all and enjoy yourself!
As you leave my cozy home to join other parties, feel free to come back and take your leisure by our fire whenever you like!
Thank you so much for making merry with me and celebrating Christmas in July. And thank you to all of my fabulous party hosts and hostesses, you are amazing and I'm having so much fun visiting with each of you and gettin' down with our holiday selves!
How can I possibly focus on a Friday Night Fab Five when there are so many things to do??? I've got so many things running through my mind I'll probably edit this post about a dozen times today so just check back with me every five minutes! :P I've got food to make, decorations to hang, presents to wrap! Oh...it's too much...I can't...getting...weak...need an elf to...help....me....
Oh here's my elf now!
Okay fine, that's not an elf. That's Toot from Christmas last year. She was only a month old when this picture was taken. Awwwwwwwww......
Okay seriously folks, I am so EXCITED for tomorrow! It's just like Christmas Eve when you're dying to open presents and you're praying Santa Claus brings you that pair of roller skates with the pink glitter pom poms and then you can't get to sleep and then your parents tell you if you don't go to sleep that Santa won't come and that scars you for life because how can you possibly make yourself sleep if your body refuses to sleep which means Santa won't come and there won't be any skates, no Barbie dream house and then no Christmas...oh no, it's happened...overload...Christmas overload.....
So anyone remember that frantic Christmas feeling from childhood or was I the only looney tune up late on Christmas Eve praying that God would knock me out so Santa would come? Hmmmmm????
Well at any rate, let's take a break from all of the Christmas in July Eve cleaning, planning and preparing with a little break, eh? For those of you who aren't aware of the newest Christmas tradition, a particular television channel here in the states shows the movie "A Christmas Story" on Christmas Eve over and over for a straight 24 hour period. And it...is...AWESOME! So let's relax a little before we get back to work, shall we?
All right, break's over! :P
I do have some late breaking news to share with you all and then I'll give some final instructions and tips for tomorrow! *excited Jillian dolphin squeal*
1. The ever fabulous Karyn is paying it forward by making a little something something for 5 people that visit her blog. I was lucky enough to be one of those 5 people and now I get to pay it forward by making something for 5 of you! You know, I don't even mind if it's more than 5, if you would like something made by me, just let me know by e-mailing me at katamommy at gmail dot com and I'll send something out to you! (International peeps are welcomed!)
2. The newsletter is up and running at Life Preservers Scrapbook Club and if you click here and scroll down you'll see their member spotlight. Go on, keep scrolling! Did you see it??? Oh snap! It's me! *blush* Garsh golly gee!
3. The amazing Kirsty from Giggly-Cupcake gave me this award!
Thank you so much for thinking of me Kirsty, you are so fabulous!
4. The marvelous Ally is hosting a vintage themed ATC swap and last I heard she had two spots still left open so if you're interested in a swap, head over to her blog or e-mail her at xoxoallyserrato at aol.com for more info! This is my first swap with Ally and I'm super excited!
5. And not only that but I am hosting a vintage themed ATC swap over at LPS (what can I say, I cannot get enough vintage!) and we have 4 spots open at the moment so if you're interested in signing up, head on over and sign up for the message board! The folks there are so amazing and hey, I'm there so...you know... :P
Hey, look at me! I did post a Fab Five today! Go me! :D
And I bet you thought I had forgotten about my pay it forward stash giveaway and you would be right, so sue me! :P
The winner is...Christy! E-mail me your address and I'll send ya some special Maggi stash! (Scrapbooking stash I mean!)
Now on to party business....
I cannot believe the response I've gotten from people ready to celebrate Christmas in July with me! From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much! And for those of you that aren't able to host a party but are planning on visiting with us, thank you very much, you will be so amazed with everything in store for you!!!
Now, I want to make sure I make things as clear as possible for you all so here's some last minute tips and instructions:
-You do not need to host a party on your blog in order to enter any giveaways or to party hop. We want everyone to enjoy all of the parties and the hosts are looking forward to sharing their Christmas in July with you! So don't be shy, stop by these fabulous parties, leave a comment and spread some Christmas magic of your own!
-Party hosts: don't forget to post your parties!! lol If you need to be taken off the list or want to be added on, e-mail me ASAP! katamommy at gmail.com
-Tomorrow, you will start here with my party, then you can begin to visit the blog parties listed to your right in the sidebar. They are listed in alphabetical order and you can visit them in any order you want! Start from the top, start from the bottom or start from the middle! Go crazy!
In order to make visiting the parties as easy as possible, each link will open in a new browser window so that you never leave my blog and lose the list. If I can give you a tip: click on a few of the links at one time and then close each window after you leave a comment there. Then carry on to the next few you click on, make sense? Believe me, this will save you some time and you can have blogs loading while you're reading others. My personal strategic maneuver is to click on 5 blogs at a time, comment on each and then go to the next five.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to go put on my stern Mommy face for this next bit...
Okay, I'm back. Now it's time for a gentle nudge, to both party hosts and party goers:
The people hosting parties on their blogs have put a lot of time and effort to make it as fun and special as possible. Some of them are giving away blog candy (out of their own pockets) and quite a few are first time blog party hosts and I want to make sure that they all have the best experience possible.
Now, I know that you have busy lives and I certainly don't expect everyone to be go all out but please make the effort to visit as many (if not all!) of the parties as possible (especially you hosts!). Just join some parties instead of reading the morning paper with your coffee! I will definitely be visiting everyone on the list and cannot wait to see all of the creative parties out there!
Again, I don't expect anyone to be perfect and I certainly understand that there are time issues, just please do your best, it will be so appreciated by our fine party hosts and hostesses!!!
Stern Mommy Face off now...Thank you for your kind attention! :)
Okay, I've read, reread and rewrote that last part a dozen times and I'm praying that didn't come off rude or mean! *nervous* I'm so excited and you know how it is when you host a party, you want everyone to have the time of their lives! lol
Listen, y'all are fabulous and I am just so excited to be sharing this event with you all! How will I get any sleep tonight?!?!?!?!?!
Gauche Alchemy is currently having a contest to name their pink kit! So put your thinking cap on and make your suggestions here! Tell them I sent ya! (I helped named the blue kit, "Blue Streak" yay me! lol)
Update "Christmas In July" blog party:
Wow, have you seen the list over to the right there? I was praying I'd get 5 people to party with me this Saturday and we're over 40 now! That is so awesome! Thanks to everyone that's going to celebrate Christmas with me this weekend. Please make sure you actually post on Saturday if your blog is on the list! (You of course have the option to post your party on Friday if you'd like to get a head start!) If you've decided that you will not be able to participate please e-mail me and I will take your name off of the list. If you want to be on the list and do not see your blog, please e-mail me ASAP! I've tried to make sure I have everyone listed. katamommy at gmail dot com
If you cannot host a party of your own, I hope you will join us on Saturday and party hop your fingers off! A little birdie told me that there will be loads of giveaways (including one from yours truly), yummy food and who knows what else so don't miss out! One last note, I'm taking sign-ups until Friday night so it is never too late to sign up! (Well, unless it's Saturday...then its too late. :P)
This week's challenge over at Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge Blog was to use an unexpected element in your project inspired by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (They pick a different movie every week, fun!) Luckily you are able use inspiration from any of the HP movies because I decided to make a page in my 3x4 altered book using my movie ticket from the new movie and a magic wand made from a toothpick:
I think this little book is finishing up, I'm running out of room! Luckily, I got the best idea yesterday after visiting one of my muses, DustJacket Attic so look for a new project coming soon!
The crop at Life Preservers Scrapbook Club was a blast although I did more chatting and game playing than actual scrapping...oops! lol Oh well, here's a couple of mine from the crop anyway:
Oh boy, I've got a ton of things to share with y'all today so buckle up everybody! lol
First of all, I made another trip to the bookstore and of course did not leave empty handed (although I did leave empty walleted. lol) Here's what I picked up (not shown is a DVD copy of "How to Marry a Millionaire", one of my favorites!):
This is such a neat book on collage techniques!
Holy crap, how fabulous is Maureen O'Hara?!
Woo hoo, it's finally mine! lol I think I'm going to crochet a giveaway or two from this book for my Christmas In July blog party.
Speaking of which, thanks to everyone who have already signed up for my Christmas in July blog party! There's plenty of time to sign up, just make sure that you add the button to your blog and e-mail me at katamommy at gmail dot com to sign up! I've noticed some comments saying you're in but I don't want to add your blog until I get an e-mail. Don't want people yelling at me because I added their blog and they weren't seriously interested. I'm sensitive you know. :P So e-mail me to add your blog! I'm so excited about the presents I'm going to be giving away at my party! Whether or not you sign up your blog, everyone has a chance to win! *excited party fever dance* Get more details here!
I do have a little project to share with you all (go me!). I got this project from Marie Magazine, a magazine full of amazing crafts inspired by Marie Antoinette. They are shoes made from paper and then embellished. They looked so fantastic that I tried my hand at making one myself:
What do you think? They are so easy to make and the embellishment possibilities are endless!
All of my Mad Tea Partying a couple of weeks ago resulted in my winning this fabulous handmade pair of earrings from Judy at JMK Originals. I was shocked! I got them in the mail yesterday and could not believe how dainty and detailed they were, I do believe these will become a permanent addition to my Mad Tea Party next year!
Aren't they the sweetest things ever?! Check out her Etsy store here!
So let's dish "Bachelorette"! Is it me or does Jillian seem to be trying to convince the guys they should fall for her instead of the other way around? She's working awfully hard for these losers that don't seem to be making much effort at all. (Ed being the very slight exception) *sigh* Someone buy her a copy of "He's Just Not That Into You" stat! And I swear if Wes isn't beaten up at the reunion special I'll just pop a gut!
Well, I believe that's all for now. I was tagged by the marvelous Kathie at My Net Finds so I will save that for next time since this post is a mile long already...
I think I'll end this post with a question...
Was I ever this limber?!
I think I've only ever put my foot in my mouth metaphorically...
I don't know about y'all but I need a little Christmas, right this very minute!
I love the sounds, sights and smells of the holiday season. It's cold, there are carols to sing, Rankin & Bass animated specials to watch and pounds to put on. And since here in beautiful North Carolina it is currently hot and humid, what better way to cool off that to throw a Christmas party in July?
"But Maggi, this is madness!"
Yes but if the stores can start putting out their Christmas wares now, why shouldn't we be able to have our own Christmas in July blog party?
"Gee, I never thought of it that way. But what can I do? I'm just one blogger."
Never fear my internet friend, I am here to help!
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a party that leaves no mess, creates no extra bulges in the stomach area and won't max out the credit card! I love throwing parties and I hope you all will join me!
Everyone is welcome to participate and if you don't celebrate Christmas, feel free to join with your own holiday traditions or a Winter Wonderland party! This party can be whatever you want it to be: your holiday recipes, old pictures, histories, story telling, holiday crafts, giveaways, pictures, anything you can imagine that is Christmas/Winter/Holiday oriented!
This party is going to be so awesome, the amazing Gypsy Fox made me two fabulous banners! (Thank you dahling!) Feel free to post either one to your blog and invite everyone to join in the fun!
The Fine Print (otherwise known as "What the heck are you talking about?!")
1. If you would like to become a Christmas in July partier, simply post one of the above banners (or the button below) on your blog and then e-mail me at katamommy at gmail dot com with your blog/site name and URL. I will list everyone that has signed up in my right hand sidebar so there will be an organized list for everyone to visit on party day.
2. Throw your "party"! Basically, this will be a post that involves Christmas/Winter in some way. Feel free to "serve" drinks and snacks, post pictures, share recipes, tell a story or share memories, show us your holiday crafts or creations and if you've been holding back some blog candy for a rainy day, forget that rainy day and have a giveaway as part of your party! Just use your imagination and be creative! (I will only make one suggestion and that is to use the auto post function so that your post publishes early in the morning on the 25th. You know how early birds tend to show up and we don't want anyone missing your party!)
**Please include my blog link in your party post so that your visitors will know where to come to find a list of all of the parties!**
3. On Saturday, July 25th start here and join me for a rocking Christmas party! I'll get you in the mood for some holiday fun and I will be giving away an awesome "present" from me to one lucky person (and it is not a fruitcake)!
4. After you've enjoyed the festivities here, hop around to the other parties listed in the right side bar. Whether or not you decide to host a party, everyone is welcome to hop through the blogs and enjoy some Christmas cheer!
If you sign up to host a party, please make sure you do, in fact, have a party post up on the 25th! If you find that you won't be able to participate, that's okay-just e-mail me and I'll take your blog off the list. You can e-mail me to join the party anytime up until the 25th, the more the merrier!
Here is a smaller button, just copy the HTML below to add to your blog:
Or you can use this button:
I hope you will all join me in getting down with our bad selves! Please feel free to e-mail me at katamommy at gmail dot com to sign up your blog or with any questions!
"It's A Marshmallow World" here at Just Add Glitter and Stir!
