Certified Scrapaholic

To Corset or Not To Corset? That is the question....LOL!

Well, I got my paint on, sorta.  It did not start out that way.  I had a blank canvas, a pile of Blumenthal buttons and some Sandtastik metallic rocks and a bit of May Arts ribbon.  This is where I stopped at 1:00am this morning! LOL  Lets just say it was a metamorphisis of mistakes! 

Thank you for stopping by!

Yep, I had a little time to create! These babies are in the mail to Peddlers Den!

I love working with Tonya from Peddlers Den in Illinois!!  She sends me some goodies now and again to make some projects for her store.  I love these kind of projects because when they arrive they will be available to hold and touch and not just here in a photograph!  I hope if you are in the area you stop by!

Some FabScraps love:

Tonya knows me well, she sent a great canvas, some wonderful Canvas Corp paper and a wood laser cut tree.. what shall I make?  Can you tell I am in a bit of a home decor mode due to just recently moving?

Thank you for stopping by!

More from Australia...

My crafting tour has been a blur and whirlwind of great people and places...I am beyond exhausted but so happy to have gone to so many great places and meet some of the most fabulous people along the way!

You have all inspired me far more than anything I did for you!  So I finally got a little down time to work on some photos and post here on the blog...so sorry it has taken so long.  I have one more day of back to back workshops and then I am heading back to the US!

This last week we had workshops in Victoria, with the first stop being HobbySew in Echuca.  Karen and Helen came to pick us up at the airport and the poor girls had to hang out waiting for over 5 hours for us, our flight was cancelled and rescheduled.  These ladies had already driven nearly 3 hours to pick us up.  Then they finally got us at 9:30pm and still had the 3 hour drive to their house.  Thank you so very much you two for your infinite patience!

While I was at the workshops my husband got a chance to boat down the Murray river (spelled wrong I am sure):

Here are the fabulous girls from HobbySew:

 

Karen and Helen took us back to St. Kilda to spend the rest of the week there with the other stores.  However, on the way out they were kind enough to stop in the little historical town so we can take photos:

Then off to St. Kilda and we hit our hotel room and literally threw all our luggage in the room and turned around to head down to the ocean and pier:

This one is for my oldest daughter, a mini cooper with the steering on the right side of the car:


and a few more for Chelsea, we love to snap photos of grafitti and there was plenty to choose from:

Then the window shopping, lol!

and I got my sushi finally!


That is it for now, more photos coming...gotta hit the hay to get some sleep to teach tomorrow and then get ready for home.

Living the altered life,
Candy 

Been buried lately and there is finally light at the end of the tunnel

***WARNING...This post is image heavy***

I have been busy on a number of projects that I dont get to share quite yet (I know, it is excruciating for me too)  but I have finally come up for some air and I was going through my computer and noticed that I have never shared my CHA photos from Los Angeles, and it is only a couple months away from the next one.  (bowing head in shame)  So here goes:

We stayed at the Hotel Figueroa, a historic LA hotel that has housed many a "hollywood star" over the years.  The eclectic decor and moroccan colors were intriquing when I booked it online for the show.  We ran into Tim Holtz in the elevator and he said this is is "go to" hotel when he is in Los Angeles, and I can see why it was quite breathtaking!

Ok, for those of you that have never been to a CHA show, it is one massive convention center and can be quite overwhelming for newbies.  The very first show I ever attended I was there for 3 days and only seen 4 out of the 35 aisles.  You tend to stand there with your mouth on the floor and that takes up alot of your time.  lol.

One of my fave booths was Canvas Corp.  Love their products.


Charity Wings Booth.  Loved doing a video chat on the last day with Melissa of The Rubber Cafe and Elena of Charity Wings.




It was awesome to see Liz Hicks at the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L booth.  





Had a blast doing a make n' take for Glue Arts.  Thank you Richard and Karen for including me at this show.
 


And there is no CHA without a visit to Graphic45.  This was the first show that I have not been in the Graphic45 booth, it was very odd but I had several projects showcased and visited a few times to catch up with industry friends and distributors.

Then I got the chance to meet a few of my fave people, these are the only photos that were on my camera, I still have to get photos from those that I was with:


Stacey and her husband from Spellbinders at the morning media event at their booth.


Amy Coon, from Paperlife was at the Vintage Street Market booth.  So glad to meet Amy in person finally!

Well, that is it for now until I shanghai photos from my cohorts.  

Thank you for stopping by. 

Sharing some Scarlet Lime Love with you.....kit style!

First of all, I had the utmost pleasure of meeting Christy Tomlinson of Scarlet Lime.com at Ranger University a few weeks ago.  Christy is such a sweet girl, I love that she was just herself no matter what because just being her was great!  I look forward to my trip with Christy in Utah in the future...(I have not forgot) 

Prior to Ranger U and meeting Christy in person, we had the pleasure to feature one of the Scarlet Lime kits and She Art Class for the May issue of Scrap n' Art Magazine.  And I had some "me" time etched out and played with the kit.

This layout is of my youngest daughter, Mariah of photos that were taken by my oldest daughter, Chelsea Rosenberg of CLR Photography.

All products used were in the kit, with the exception of Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L (tm) 3D Foam Dots and MyStik adhesive.

These kits are fabulous and loved working with this one, thank you Christy!

Living the Altered Life,
Candy 

I found her, but I lost her............I found another, I hope!

We were riding on the school bus, I was sitting in the 4-5th row and there were two other girls that were sitting a few rows behind me.  It was near the end of 6th grade.  These two girls and myself were snickering back and forth as we did not like each other very much.  We were heading out on a school field trip.

When we arrived we all set up camp, talked about the rules and that the boys and girls will be sleeping in seperate camps and that we were all to behave like, well, children.  That afternoon we were all assigned to take a hike in the Pygmy Forest, we were put into groups and guess who I was grouped with?  You would be right, the other two girls, Laurie and Sherrie.  They were friends, and I was fairly new to the school so I was definetly the odd man out.

Each group had a packet of papers that outlined the foliage and information that we were to identify and notate on our packet to turn in later for credit.  Well, somehow we got lost from the main group, there we were, the three of us.  We just knew that we were ahead of the rest of the group so as we went along we made arrows on the ground with sticks and rocks so that they did not get lost too.  After several hours we made our way out of the Pygmy Forest and the trail dropped us down into camp.

To our surprise, everyone was there.  We were obviously not the "leaders" of this adventure and the rest of the staff and students gave us a hard time for being lost.  We did get extra points for making arrows along the way, though.

That was the day I met my two best friends, Laurie and Sherrie.  We were inseperable after that, we went through so many of lifes highs and lows together; crushes on boys, broken hearts, family issues, school issues, the party life and beyond.  I lost touch with Sherrie not too long after school,  to this day I am not sure why.  Laurie and I remained close, through marriages and two of my children being born.  The one thing that Laurie did not get to do was be a mom, she tried, but there were problems.  I was always so sad about that.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I already had a 4 year old boy,  I said outloud what am I going to name her to Laurie.  She said to me, "You dont remember?  You named her a long time ago when we were kids."  I did not remember.  She went on to tell me that one night when we were giggling and doing what little teeny boppers do when we are lying in bed being funny, we discussed the names of our children.  We promised each other that we would do it and we both did.

She told me her name is Chelsea.  That is the name that you chose for her, so that is her name.  Her middle name contains "Ann" which is Laurie's middle name.  My daughter will be 18 years old in June.  After a few years, she moved out of the area to the east coast, we eventually lost contact.  Seven years ago I was able to talk to her, see a picture of her son whom was about 3 years old at the time.  How wonderful it was that she had a child, and we made plans for her to move closer to me SOON!  I could not wait to see her as a mother, it was her most precious dream.

I never heard from her again.  I have searched everywhere, called everyone.  I have searched the Internet every week for the last 7 years and when facebook came out I checked that every week, emailed alot of people with the same name and nothing. 

Yesterday, I found her.

I received a facebook message to check out Laurie's brothers facebook post about her.  I wasnt sure what to expect, I headed there immediately as I was so excited...maybe some information on her.  Keep in mind, that I did find her brother months before and tried to message and call about her, but no response.

So I read the post, "she passed away today" and let out a scream, scared my family they came running asking what was wrong.  I told them I found my best friend finally, but I lost her again.  I was devastated, I am still in so much shock and in such immense pain that I can barely breath.  She received my number 5 months ago, did she call me?  I dont know.  I can only hope that I did not MISS her call somehow and if I didnt miss a call...why did she not call me?  What I would give to have heard her voice, just one last time.  I know I could have helped her.

I got to see a picture of her son today, it was like looking at her.  I will never get to see her as a mom, I wish I could understand why she left us.  But now that I have found her family, there will be nothing that stands in the way.  I hope to be a part of her sons life and tell him how wonderful she was and share the funny stories when he gets older and be the Aunt I have waited so long to be.

This story is not done.

My friend that told me about the facebook post said that she would let Sherrie know too.  Sherrie?  One of the THREE MUSKATEERS?  She knows how to contact her?  I was so excited.  What I found out is months ago I was asked to be friends with a fellow student from high school.  I recognized the name, the face but could not remember what our connection was.  Unfortunately, this has happened alot with friends and acquaintances from school.  Those years were a little foggy...I was having a great time if you know what I mean.

What my friend told me is this particular "facebook friend" is Sherrie's husband.  How did I not put this together.  I went to his facebook and looked at photos and there she was, it was Sherrie.  She was here the whole time.  I asked to be friends, I posted on the husbands wall....just waiting, its agonizing.  I am dumbfounded, how could she be right there this whole time.  And the big question, why has she not contacted me?  What I would give to hear her voice.

Goodbye, Laurie.  I hope that you have found a peaceful place. Know that I have not stopped thinking about you while we were apart, know that I love you and miss you terribly and I will be there for your son.  You are a part of me, I would not be who I am without you.  My stories would be boring if I had not had you in them.  Thank you for giving me that part of your life, I will see you again someday.  Wait for me.  I love you.

"You Are The Wind Beneath My Wings"

Signed with love,

Candy Cody

 

 

My latest vintage findings...I am one lucky girl!!!

I spent this last weekend completely unhooked from technology except cell phone with the girls calling from California, they are down there visiting family for spring break.

Hubby and I spent one day in Jacksonville, a quaint little town with a ton of antique stores.  I always hit my favorites but most of the time the others are closed.  This day, one of them was open and came out with a ton of loot!

My favorite place, Jacksonville Barn Company, of which I will have some of my altered art at their shop in another month, I found these industrial vintage finds, small little boxes of tacks and nails.  
How cool are these.  They measure 1-2" tall.  I run across medicinal types all the time but never these.

 I did not have time to take pictures of each thing individually, so here is the whole kit n kaboodle.  A few pieces for my altered doll house, the box of tacks and nails, (you can see how small they are now), some fantastic OLD books, catalogs and music sheets, a report card from 1926, some milk caps, old business cards with taxi fares and routes on them. 

One thing: the little black & white picture on the left is of the skyline of New York, one of my bucket list items, will be framed for the doll house.
 

The best find of all was this catalog from 1894.  It is an unbelievable find and I nearly fainted when I opened it up.  I have shared a few pictures below.  I think I see some stamps coming on!!!

  
 
 
Ok, I know.  I am a lucky girl.  This book takes my breath away and the mobile scanner is out and ready to go!  Yahoo!

Living the Altered Life,

Candy

Everything Happens For A Reason...

One thing that I am steadfast on is that everything in life happens for a reason.  Good, bad or indifferent.  I am thankful each and every day for every experience that I have, for every person I meet and for every life that I get to be a part of.

Walking through a boutique late last year, I came across this sign that really brought it home.  The funny thing is that on this trip, the person I was with ended up hurting me more deeply than I thought possible. Shaking my very foundation.  Alas, I am thankful for that experience too, I have learned many things from it. 

I wanted to share this sign...and hopefully it will stir something in you as well and offer some comfort in those times that try our very existence.  Life is short, never stop giving of yourself no matter what.  No matter who stands in your way, go around if you have to.

 
I am excited about what the future holds, the people that I will meet and the experiences that I will have that keep me on my journey.  I always say, "I am only part of your journey, not your destination" and what I do, I do for you...ALWAYS!

Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate each and every one of you.  I am here because of you.
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I also wanted to add this loveliness that I received in my email inbox:

Dear Beautiful Girl,

Whatever grows in your life is what has been planted there, what has been nurtured, fed, and given time and attention.

What is growing there? What is it that has been planted in your one beautiful, precious life? Have you carefully planted the rows of fruits, vegetables, and flowers? Or are things growing there that blew in with the wind? Are weeds taking over?

It is never too late to 'weed' your garden, and now is the perfect time to pull out the dead things, the unwanted things, the overgrown things, and make room for the new growth that you are so badly yearning for.

Take a moment to see what is truly growing in your life, and whether or not there is room for the things that you most want to see the fruits of.

Be brave enough to pull out the unwanted things and get your life ready to lay the seeds of your wildest dreams.

YOU CAN DO IT!

xoxo

"A little bird told me" - your Daily Truth from The Brave Girls Club - www.bravegirlsclub.com

Candy

A little fun tidbit to share. Have you picked up your latest issue of CK?

Yesterday I got a message on Facebook from a friend saying they saw my Graphic45 layout in the newest issue of Creating Keepsakes.  Of which, I promptly replied, no it isnt.  The layout was not due to come out until June/July, so I thought.   Not only that, I had scanned this issue 3 times already in the last week and did not even see it.  Ok, so I am bit preoccuppied...but still, really?  I missed it.

Well, anyways, she was right and now I can share it.
(Creating Keepsakes, March/April, page 80)

 

This is my "adopted daughter" in Atlanta, Georgia.  She is such an incredible young lady and volunteered to be "Rosie The Riveter" for a photoshoot for Bombshell Stamps.  I nicknamed her Miss Hollywood because that is where she belongs...she is a true chameleon and can fit into just about any theme!  Someday, she will be autographing this layout of mine!  Love you Kae!

Thank you for stopping by,

Candy

Look what Nathalie Kalbach did.........

I had the pleasure of meeting Nathalie Kalbach from Germany at CHA Winter in Los Angeles, this last February. Love this girl, I even went outside my box and did a mixed media canvas for her.
I was able to get her a set of my Steampunk and Vintage Treasure stamps to take back with her to play with...check out what she did with them:

Steampunk Charity Wings Set at The Rubber Cafe!

 
 

Vintage Treasures at The Rubber Cafe!

 

Thank you Nathalie...you rocked them big time!!