Wednesday, November 25, 2009

New photos of my gorgeous kiddos

A few years ago, I had some professional photos taken of my children. I blew them up in black and white and have them each in a simple black frame, all in a row in a hallway. I love them and people comment on them all the time. But alas, my children are growing up. And there are now 6 of them, instead of 5. So I need to find a matching frame for Spencer. And I took some new photos of them. It's rained for weeks. But we finally had some decent weather the other day. I hauled them all out, in about 50 degree weather, sans coats. Oh, the horrid things we do for our children, for the sake of photography. My mom sort of scolded me when I told her. But she cried when she saw the photos. And it was only for about 15 minutes. So I guess it was all worth it. I love them, but what do you think?

IMG_8526.jpg picture by Dielledl

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Business is building!

It may not seem like a lot, but I've had 3 sales off Etsy, then sold a few more around town. My dentist ordered one, for instance. And I made business cards and have gotten more confident in talking about my business. I'm not good at self-promotion. Even with my digi designs, it's a weakness of mine. With my carseat covers, it helps to have my super cutie, Spencer. He's an icebreaker. People stop to talk to me all the time because of him, then comment on his carseat cover. "Thanks," I say now. "I make and sell them." It's usually enough of an opening for people to ask me more about them, and sometimes enough to give them a business card. This lousy weather is in my favor, too. They see how cozy he is even though it's a rainy, blustery day. With any luck, this will help business to really blossom soon. Here's my latest one (identical to the one I have on Spencer). And I have 4 more in various stages of progress... red, bright orange, and 2 pink.
Green fleece and flannel carseat cover

Monday, October 26, 2009

Huge Sale at Digital Freebies!!!

The store is 55% off just about everything right now. It's a fabulous time to snag some great deals, so check it out... HERE

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Blog train with a great Christmas idea

I love cookbooks and it's so fun to create new little ones for Christmas Gifts. The last couple of years, I've used bragbooks to create little presents for stocking stuffers. Here's a chance to get some great recipe cards, fun new recipes, and a lovely kit to boot!

Download has now expired, sorry.
Dielle_Homecooked_Prev.jpg picture by Dielledl
Audra's Little Scraps: http://audraslittlescraps.blogspot.com
Busy Mama Designs: http://somuchtoscrapbook.blogspot.com/
Designs by Angel : http://scrappingwithangel.blogspot.com
Dielle Designs: http://diellesdarlings.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE!
Digital Compilations by Cinda: http://blog.digitalcompilations.com
Digital Designs by Lisa: http://www.digitaldesignsbylisa.blogspot.com/
Emma Moore: http://eyeletsscrapsdesigns.blogspot.com/
Kris Mazy: http://www.Scrapwarrior.com/blog
Meredith Cardall: http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com
Robin Willson: http://robin-giftsyoucanfeelgoodabout.blogspot.com
Scrap Quest: www.scrapquest.com
Sweet Tomato Designs: http://sweettomatodesigns.blogspot.com
TMA Designs: http://themathematiciansassistant.com
Wilro&co Designs: http://willrownco.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Burp!

For the last few days I've been feeling like I might be getting an ear infection. I just had lots of fluid in my ears that was really bugging me. On the way home from taking Adam to soccer practice, I was telling him that every time I sneezed, coughed or burped, my ear hurt. "Burp!?! I never heard a girl burp before!" It wasn't that my ear was really hurting that he noticed, but that Mom, a girl, would actually burp. Luckily, laughing didn't hurt my ear!

Spencer is getting to be so much fun! At 3 months old, babies just seem to come alive. He smiles, giggles, "talks" back when you talk to him, has discovered the toys on the end of his feet (otherwise known as toes) and has the greatest dimples! Oh, and he's rolling! He first did it a few days ago. We'd fallen asleep in the recliner and when I woke up to go to bed, I needed to use the bathroom. I laid him on his back on a blanket on the floor. When I came back out, he was on his tummy. In just about 4 days, he's totally gotten the hang of the rolling thing. He goes both front to back and back to front and rolls both directions. And suddenly he's a lot happier baby. I've seen this with all of my children. Right before they're going to meet some developmental milestone, they tend to get kind of cranky. Like they know they should be able to do something, but can't quite manage it... so it ticks them off. Now it's so much fun to play with him!

I don't have a picture of him rolling over, but I do have one with the darling dimples. So here's his smile, to make you smile...

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Hangin' out on Facebook... and Etsy

So I decided to join the 21st century and create a fan page on FB for my designs. I've put up a few pictures of my latest scrapbook designs. Come be a fan and get a 50% coupon off my designs. I also have pictures of the carseat covers I've got for sale on Etsy.

Oh, I guess I never posted about that. When my son Adam was a baby, my wonderful mother-in-law made him a carseat cover. It was brilliant! Made of fleece and flannel, it was cozy and warm, which was wonderful for a baby born in November. But better than that, I no longer had to wrestle with keeping a blanket over him in the wind, rain and snow. And a bonus was that it was an extra barrier to keep random strangers from touching my cutie. Shortly after that I borrowed her pattern and started making them for friends. Immediately people started telling me I should sell them. I've used them with 3 more children, making a light one of chambray and flannel for Spencer who was just born in May. Through the years, I've sold a few, when someone commissioned one. But now after years of making these carseat covers, I've opened up an Etsy shop to sell them. They're a little different than that first one Margie made me, but based on that pattern. For summer babies or ones in warmer climates, I also make them of lighter fabrics. And I have some other great items in progress that I'll be putting in, soon. So check it out...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Paint it! challenge

It's all about paint! Paint the town red, paint your nails, or painted ponies. Create a layout with paint.

As part of the FaithSisters birthday bash, I'm hosting a challenge all about paint.

I've got a free paper pack in the store that you can use for the challenge... or even grab if you're not up to the challenge. It's only free for this week, so snag it now. Oh, I'd sure appreciate a thankyou, if you do.
And check out the other challenges. There are 14 in all, all due by Sunday night to be eligible for prizes. But each one has at least one associated freebie with it. Lots of great stuff!!!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Big sale at Faith Sisters

This week, as part of the month-long birthday celebration at FaithSisters, all kits over $1 are half off! Here are a few of my favorite kits, in case you're looking for something fun...

Monday, July 27, 2009

Smiling in his sleep

I'm sitting in the recliner, scrapping pages of this weekend's family reunion (great, amazing fun and photos!!!), with Spencer on my lap. I was nursing him, but now he's sleeping, dreaming of something wonderful I imagine. His face keeps blossoming into the sweetest, albeit fleeting, smiles. I couldn't capture the smiles, complete with the cutest dimple ever. But here's a photo of my sleeping angel...

Birthday bash & blog train (now expired)!


With new baby, family visiting, a family reunion and our baby's blessing, I didn't have a lot of design time recently. But I did create paper pack for the blog train, and love how the soft colors blend together...

TheThe blog train is now over. The different portions are all being packaged together as bonus kits, now available at FaithSisters.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Life in shades of grey

I took Sabrina to Children's hospital today for a current diagnosis. I knew she had nystagmus (which is involuntary eye movement, where the eyes dance but move together not in random ways), is super sensitive to light (basically blind in the sunlight), and had very poor vision. But I needed specifics to get help from the state Assoc. of the Blind. We saw the head of Opthalmology at Children's Hospital. We still have another test we have to go back for to confirm his diagnosis, but he firmly believes she has Achromatopsia. If that's the case, it means her cones don't work at all and she sees the world in shades of grey. Now I know that things could be a lot worse. She could be completely blind, instead of just legally blind (20/200 up close and 20/400 in her far vision). Or she could be dying or something. But it makes me cry to think that she'll never see a color. I love color. I love sewing, design and photography. All the way home I was noticing the wild flowers, the shades of green in the forests and the beautiful blue sky. She'll never see any of that. I've been thinking of simple things like trying to wear matching clothes, or plug in the cords from the DVD player to the TV. On top of that she'll never drive. I'm sad for her!

She did really well through it all, better than I kind of expected. Spencer screamed through most of it, though. Sabrina and I talked a lot about going to the Dr. and how he was going to be very nice and she needed to cooperate, etc. She was shy, but ok, with the nurses. They asked questions and did an initial eye test. It's the dumbest test, for non-readers. It's totally stylized, like stencils, with some things I'd be very surprised for most children to know. The telephone is a style of phone I haven't actually seen in probably 15-20 years or more. Everything is disjointed, literally the fingers on the hand aren't even attached. It's probably a universal chart, because they've used it in every eye clinic we've been to. But it's idiotic. (here: http://www.pediatric-ophthalmology.com/images/sub/eyegraphics/childrensEyeChart.gif ). Some, like the phone, she had no idea what it was. The house and hand she got. The man on a horse she kept saying was a dog, even when it was a really large picture. Whenever it was one she didn't know, or couldn't see, she'd say, "I can't member." She said it in an embarassed voice and I felt so bad for her!

When Dr. Weiss came in, she got very withdrawn, and then super upset when he shined a bright light in her eyes to look at her retinas. I put Spencer down (and let him scream) so I could hold her and let her feel more comfortable. She calmed down a little. Then the nurse came back in and put drops in her eyes to dilate them... which totally freaked her out. Then we went to a waiting room and sat for about 1/2 an hour to give the drops time to work. She calmed down and we talked about how nice the Dr. had really been, and that he only wanted to help her. I got her to promise to smile at him! When we went back to see him, she was shy, but totally cooperative, and then loosened up and really smiled at him.

One thing she is happy about is that he said she shouldn't wear her glasses anymore ($400 down the drain... but now I don't feel so bad about that big scratch on one of the lenses). He said that the blurriness caused by her farsightedness and astigmatism, is actually less than the blurriness from her nystagmus. And somehow, by the effort of trying to see through the farsightedness and astigmatism, the eyes kind of dampen the nystagmus. I'm planning on doing my own test with her though, to see if she really sees better with them or without them.

So now I need to contact the Assoc. for the Blind, since we do know her acuity... whether the colorblindness turns out to be acurate or not. I've wondered for awhile if she was colorblind. She doesn't know any colors, and is very hit and miss on matching colors. What I think actually happens is that she matches the value, so if there are 2 yellows, they're obviously not the same as a darker red. However, if you show her one blue and ask her to find something that's a different value or hue of blue, she's lost. Even today in the Dr.'s office, I had her in a little skirt with big splotches of bright colors. She had on a green top that matched the green in her skirt. I asked her to find the same color as her shirt on her skirt and she kept pointing to patches of yellow.

So I stress about what life will be like for her. How she'll get around when she's a mom with 3 or 4 kids and can't drive. How she'll always have to cope with being basically blind in the sunshine, and never really enjoy a beautiful summer day. I'm crying for my sweet, sweet girlie who will never see colors. But then I remembered how much I love old movies, even if they're black and white... sometimes more when they are. And I'm happy that she loves to play outside at dusk and loves that time with her brothers and sisters, when she's so much more free. I know that she doesn't see anything differently today than she did a few days ago, I just understand it in a different way. And I feel humbled once again that I was prompted before she was even born, to homeschool my family. And I know she's a smartie and we'll make it work.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Welcome sweet one!

Sweet Spencer is here. It's amazing how even though he is my largest baby, he seems so very tiny now. He's precious and wonderful. And in the words of my sweet husband, "It's unfair to the rest of the world that we have such beautiful children!" LOL! He's really amazing though, I could just sit and stare at him for ages. It's a good thing Fred is home this week, giving me lots of "stargazing" time.

This is a short post, but here are the objects of my affection:

Spencerbw.jpg picture by Dielledl

The kids all came to the hospital and were arguing over who got to hold him. Finally Fred said, "He's ours, he'll come home with Mom and we get to keep him forever!" Here's Sage and little Spencer (looking a little elfish, with his ears poking out from his hospital cap)...
sagespencer.jpg picture by Dielledl
Trey and Spencer...
treyspencer.jpg picture by Dielledl
Adam and Spencer...

spenceradam.jpg picture by Dielledl
Sydney and Spencer...
sydneyaspencer.jpg picture by Dielledl
Sabrina and Spencer...
sabrinaspencer.jpg picture by Dielledl
And a darling shot I took yesterday of Sabrina and Spencer loving their little brother...
IMG_6900.jpg picture by Dielledl

Thursday, May 21, 2009

One benefit of a late baby...

I'm ready to have little Spencer on the outside, in my arms. Everyone keeps telling me how pleasant and happy I am, even though he's overdue. I think it helps that I knew he would be. Or I thought he would be, at least. With my other kiddos coming late, I figured I just cook them long, and have always counted on that. But, I'm ready. And luckily, I'm about done. Unless something goes crazy and happens tonight filling up the maternity ward tomorrow (or I happen to go into labor in the next 12 hours or so), I'm going in tomorrow morning to be induced. With any luck, they'll only need to break my water. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I'd like to avoid the pitocin if possible.

But back to the point of this post. There are benefits to being late. You get more time to finish projects! I have a baby book about 1/3 of the way scrapped, using Janet Phillips' Nine Months and Counting templates. I'd link you up, but she's not selling anymore that I can tell. I got a new kit all finished and in the shops, Pinch Hitter... full of fun and interesting elements and papers for scrapping those Little League photos, or the vintage photos you have kicking around from when you were a kid, playing America's favorite pastime. And just a few minutes ago I finished a cover for over Spencer's carseat. It's a modified version of this KwikSew pattern.

I had actually made one a couple of weeks ago, the first I'd ever done with a woven fabric on the outside. Usually I make them with fleece out and flannel in. But since I'm having a May baby, that just seemed WAY too hot. It turned out really fun and funky, out of a fine cord that had a distinctly Joseph's coat-of-many-colors feel. And I never took a picture because, um, well, I just never got around to it... figuring I had plenty of time. But then there was a baby shower for a gal at church and when I didn't get hers finished in time (long story, but it involved ripping off a toenail... OUCH!), I gave her mine. So today, finally, I finished up that one for Spencer. It's much more tame, in a chambray and flannel. But still cute and great for summer. I considered not making one, since it would be summer for most of the time he's tiny, but having had them for 3 of my other 5 kids, I decided it was a necessity. It's so much easier to keep the rain off, and let's face it, even though it's late May, this is the Pacific Northwet, I mean west. They stay on, when it's a little windy or a baby starts kicking, unlike the most well-placed blanket, and... ***drumroll, please*** they keep random strangers from touching your precious child! Woohoo

Ok, so I've rambled on enough. Here are some photos of my new kit and the carseat cover. Enjoy!

Pinch Hitter, available at both DigitalFreebies and FaithSisters. 30% off at DF until Monday.
Full kit...
Dielle_PinchHitter_Prev.jpg picture by Dielledl
Papers...
Dielle_PinchHitter_PaperPrev.jpg picture by Dielledl
Alpha...
Dielle_PinchHitter_AlphaPrev.jpg picture by Dielledl

Carseat cover closed...
SpencersCoverClosed.jpg picture by Dielledl

and open...
SpencersCoverOpen.jpg picture by Dielledl

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Totally Fun Blog Train... it's for the birds!

***The links have expired, and the massive mega kit is now available at Faith Sisters for free with purchase.***

This is the first time I've been part of a blog train, so hopefully I'm doing this right! All the Faith Sisters designers put together this amazing collab kit, For the Birds. Hop around to each blog listed below, to pick up the various parts.
Dielle_ForTheBirds_Prev.jpg picture by Dielledl
4 Shades of Blue: http://4shadesofbluedesigns.blogspot.com/
Adriana Hollenbeck: http://adriscreations.blogspot.com/
AEDesigns: www.aedigitaldesigns.com
Albums to Remember: http://albumstoremember.blogspot.com
AnaFlor: http://anaflordesign.blogspot.com
Audra's Little Scraps: http://audraslittlescraps.blogspot.com
Camie Designs: http://camiedesigns.blogspot.com
Chelly Scraps: http://chelsant.blogspot.com/
Claudi Designs: http://www.scrapnfun.de/
Cre8tvlyYrs by Gina: http://www.cre8tvlyyrs.blogspot.com/
Dielle Designs: http://diellesdarlings.blogspot.com/
Digiscrapalicious: http://digiscrapalicious.blogspot.com/
Designs By Angel : http://scrappingwithangel.blogspot.com
Digital Compilations by Cinda: http://blog.digitalcompilations.com/
Digital Designs by Lisa: http:/digitaldesignsbylisa.blogspot.com/
Dragonfly Beach Designs: http://alumnaanimi.blogspot.com/
Eva Lindqvist Designs: http://everything-eva.blogspot.com/
Eyelets Scraps Designs: http://eyeletsscrapsdesigns.blogspot.com/
Glayce Cavalcante: http://glaycecavalcante.blogspot.com
Julie Marie Designs: http://juliemariedesigns.com/blog
JZDesigns: http://jbzwick.blogspot.com
Kreative Karma : http://thekreativekarma.blogspot.com
Lifesong Kreations: http://lifesongkreations.com
Merchi Makes It: http://www.merchimakesit.blogspot.com
Meredith Cardall: http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com
Michelle Batton: http://www.blog.mellowbutterfly.com/
Monique Drost: http://moniquedrost.blogspot.com/
Robin: http://robin-giftsyoucanfeelgoodabout.blogspot.com/
Sarah Morgan Designs: http://sarahmorgandesigns.blogspot.com/
Scrap Quest: http://www.scrapquest.com/
ScrapWarrior: http://www.scrapwarrior.com/blog/
Simply Susan : http://www.simplysusangodfrey.blogspot.com
Sweet Tomato Designs: http://sweettomatodesigns.blogspot.com/
TMA Designs: http://themathematiciansassistant.com
Willro&co: http://willrownco.blogspot.com/

LAST STOP! http://www.faithsisters.com

Oh, and make sure to check out all the fun stuff happening at FaithSisters for NSD!
NSD-Adb.jpg picture by Dielledl