Toys and Childhood

Life was so much more magical when Santa Claus was just as real as your imaginary friend, and the monster under your bed. Do you recall the thrill of stepping into Toys'R' Us or the excitement and nervousness of waiting in line to sit on Santa's lap?

What did you ask for?

What toy did you want more than anything in the world?

Did Santa bring you everything you wanted

or did you get hand-me-downs and last years must haves?

We didn't have a lot of money growing up

but I never recall being disappointed on Christmas day

Except for the year I asked for an American Doll

I can't really recall being extremely specific

(I had almost all of these Mattel Toys - I especially loved the kitchen)

I do remember always being jealous of my best friends toys

she had all the "must-have" toys like My Little Ponies, Trolls, and a Barbie dream House

It's funny how we become so nostalgic of the toys we played with as a child

Rainbow Bright, Little Pet Shop, Polly Pocket, Strawberry Shortcake, Cherry Merry...

All bring great big smile to my face

and when I browse the toy isles today

I am surprised by just how many of these same toys are coming back

sure they have a new "cooler" look

but they still have that sweet and innocent charm.

* all images were pulled from the Portland Central Library Clipping Files

- otherwise the actual sources are unknown.

The 3 Lucky winners of last weeks giveaway

for my Sweet as Can Be- macaroon Post cards

are:

# 2 Bunny

# 3 Sassy Packrat

& #5 Gypsy Mermaid

Congrats ladies! I will e-mail you when I get home tonight.

Hope you all have a lovely week! It's going to be a crazy busy one for me as I have so much to do before this weekends Crafty Wonderland Holiday Show.

~ Chelsea Ann

C is for Cookies

Todays Post is ALL about Cookies

It's the perfect time of year to dust off your cook book

or sift through that giant bin of misc. recipes

and share the sweet goodness of a homemade treat!

Nothing is quite as sweet

as the satisfaction of serving your loved ones

a fresh batch of homemade cookies

although I must admit my cookies are not usual from scratch

in fact my favorite cookies to bake

are from the Confetti Cake Mix

oh yes with Cake frosting too!

YUMMM! They always come out so moist~

just like cake!

My favorite cookie of all time is without a doubt, Double Stuffed Oreos

I actually must admit that I have a bit of an Oreo problem

I honesty could substitute Oreos for any and every meal of the day!

EEEEK!

I also LOVE macaroons!

My favorite is Carmel because it has the perfect balance of sweet and salty

Many of us are gearing up for the Holidays

and most of us will bake a batch or two or twenty of our favorite holiday cookie

Here are some decorating ideas sure to bring joy to those you hold dear

I was just too thrilled when i found two more pages from this National Geographic Christmas Feature on making Cookie Christmas Ornaments. Wish I knew the year?

So while I might not be the best baker in town

I did bake up something a litle sweet

& I would love to send 3 lucky friends

their own Sweet as Can Be - Macaroon Postcard

If receiving this little treat in the mail would just make your afternoon

Just leave a comment!

Please make sure that I have proper contact info

incase your profile has no e-mail or blog information.

I will reveal the winners Monday!

One last little thing,

I just have to show off my new supper cute, supper comfy crochet slippers

form etsy seller Craft Junky!

Thanks for stopping by!

HUGS! ~ Chelsea Ann

A New Look... yes, AGAIN!

It's a very sad fact that your truly has a bit of an identity crisis.

My blog has taken on so many different looks

sometimes it's sweet and pretty other times bright and cheery

not once has it felt just right

I get a bit closer each time this is true

As my likes and dislikes narrow

my graphical abilities become a bit stronger

and what I once thought was an impossibility

now is

"I'm not leaving this computer until I get a 3-column blog

with my own background

I am pretty pleased with my results this time

there are still things I want to add

but for the first time I really feel that this look really captures who I am

at least for now... as I always seem to be changing-

evolving, maturing, or becoming more stubborn?

Please let me know what you think? How does it look on your end?

PC users... how does it look on your screen especially?

Oh and did you see on the right sidebar

I made buttons for my digital kits

a few lovely friends have asked if I had one

and I always said "ummmm sadly not so much!"

but now I do and so I thought perhaps some of you

would also be inclined to share some free advertising love

and as there are 4 options

there should be one that to fit your unique style :)

oh yeah and I also decided to merge all my shops into one

that means no more Keepsake Cakes

just ittybittybirdy

less complicated for me and for everyone else

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving

and are well on your way out of your turkey comas

and by now have your feet up after a long morning of shopping.

hugs!

~Chelsea Ann

Why I Don't have an Umbrella this Rainy Season

It's been a whirlwind year

I swear last Christmas was just a few months ago

so it's not surprising that I totally forgot

that earlier this year I reserved to show my art

in a prominent business building in downtown Portland

I'm not quite sure how I get myself into these silly things

I think "gosh that would be fun"

completely forgetting the time, energy, and $$$ that go into filling such a large space

And what a large space I had!

Perhaps what is most agonizing is coming up with an idea

non of my artwork was large enough to fill the space

so I knew from the get go I wanted to do an installation piece

I also Knew I wanted it to have a positive message and be fitting for Christmas

So after days of agonizing I came up with this idea

of an elephant handing a child an umbrella

long story short... the child turned into a girl playing dress up

and the elephant represents her imagination

It was quite a challenging project

as I had very little money to spare for the project and had to fill such a dang large space!

So I used cheap ol' plywood... might I say I learn everything the hard way

I laid out my three sheets of plywood and just started drawing

but trying to draw an 8' elephant freehand is not easy

no not at all!

after I was done I took pictures and downloaded them onto my computer

from there I drew my elephant contours

and realized I had to make some adjustments

would have been easier to have made a grid...

but like I said I ALWAYS learn the hard way.

Oh did I mention is rained like every other day... Ugggg

Poor elephant!

This is not my first window display...

perhaps you might recall my giant robot

or last years Jack Frost Display I did for local Portland business Posh Baby?

I swear each time I say this is the last time...

Well it would be nice if I could at least have a proper handyman

My poor hubby gets a little fed up with these projects of mine

but he is a pretty great sport about it.

Window displays are impossible to document in photographs.

There are glare issues up the ying-yang.

We tried at first to do them at night...

but that really was hopeless...

I'm a self proclaimed DORK!

Ah that's better...

hehe can you see me?

I'm not 100% satisfied with the elephant

but I'm pretty dang proud of myself!

I guess you really could call this art

It's not a very busy road and I'm not getting anything out of it

but then again... omg I have now displayed my art 3 times in downtown Portland

How many people can say that?

As I didn't go to school for art and I have done little

to no reading on what it means to be an artist

I am complexed by what does and should drive the artistic soul

should it have monetary value, name recognition...

heck if I know? What rational can you give to doing such silly, hair pulling things?

I hope to explore the idea more

Someday I would even like to have my own gallery showing...

it is interesting in a way that when I was in high school

the only career that interested me

was window display and store design

and I've always wanted to have my own boutique!

It's my ultimate dream besides being a mommy.

The title of this window is

"Help Set the Stage for Active Imaginations"

This world could use a little less reality

and a bit more silly fanciful trips into the world of childish play and make-belief

if you ask my humble opinion

One last thing before I go

I just completed another page for my wedding scrapbook

oh my that silly cupcake just exploded!

The cupcake I stuck in his face was a different kind of frosting

so I think we were both shocked when his exploded all over me!

*digital elements from Kitschy Digitals, A Print a Day, and Tracy Ann Digital Art (tada)

oh yeah! If you're in the area go see my window display for yourself

it will be up until the end of January

Click here for location

It just got a whole lot sweeter on Lollipop Lane

4 new Lollipop Lane Gingerbread Houses!

Check them out here

YEAH!!!!!

It wasn't easy... life around here has been so crazy busy

and my poor little emotions have been strung around

from super happy to low low low...

but it's always nice to have one more item checked off the ol' to-do list

I'm really not very thrilled with how the photos of these turned out,

whenever the sun would make it's very short appearance -

time was never on my side

So perhaps I will take more photos soon...

but then yet again I am trying to work through my to do list

not add to it... so we will see.

These are all the Hello Kitty houses I will be making this year

I don't want Sanrio to be on my case about this or that :(

I'm not usually that into purple

but this sweet pale purple house is surprisingly my favorite of the bunch

The 4th house is actually home to the super sweet Miss Strawberry Shortcake

I found this image in my libraries clipping files

I'm sorry I don't have a source

but oh my look at all that Strawberry Shortcake loot!

Strawberry Shortcake and her friends Blueberry Muffin, Apple Dumpling, Lemon Meringue, and Raspberry Tart love to play outdoors on a bright and clear winters day

but beware girls, Purple Pieman lurks close by!

I haven't had a chance to watch the new Strawberry Shortcake shows

and sadly I didn't get to watch too many of the originals as a child

but there is something so wonderfully sweet and charming

about Strawberry Shortcake and her wonderful friends

I am sure I would enjoy watching them both just as much today

However I am more fond of the original artwork than the current

how about you?

I should have much more sweets to share with you in the next few weeks!

Thanks for all your support ~ Chelsea Ann