my new home!

please follow me at http://thelaizydaisy.com!! i have my own website now ... so i will be blogging from there too! :) hope to see you soon!! :)

xo

i'm hanging here for a little while ... come visit ... :)

http://daisy-moonstars.livejournal.com

holy crap.

we are buying a house. and not just a house but a HOUSE. i mean look at this pic. does this look like something someone should be buying with a HELLO KITTY check? seriously, guys.

dave and i have just been stuck in this whirlwind the last few days ... between phone calls and appointments and visits to our realtor. we are discussing insane amounts of money. WE HAVE A CLOSING DATE. i'm just ... i don't know what i am just. i'm JUST just.

because of all of this ... i am more behind than usual in Life. my Renegade application is due friday ... and i have no pictures. and i am working tomorrow and friday i have to be in paramus for a meeting. i don't want to give up on this. maybe i will bring the amigurumis with me to work tomorrow and try to take some pictures on my break. i did the morris plains inventory last night and had a blast with some old friends ... but was USELESS today. got home a little after 4am, sleep around 5am, mom and i headed up to the house at 10:30am, lunch at 1pm, appointment with realtor at 2:30pm, napped till 5pm, doctor at 5:30pm, home by 6pm and napped till dave brought home dinner at 10pm. i am still zombie like. oh and its 12:30 and i have to go to work at 9am tomorrow. work till 6:30pm. darts at 7:30pm. thpthpthpthpthphthtphtpht. oh yeah and laundry? all. over. the. place. new rules in the new house? NO CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR. EVER!!!!!!!!!!

but, to backtrack a bit, inventory was fun last night! got to see some great people i MISS working with. had kait's amazing cupcakes!! and some sort of cheesy bean dip!! and half priced lattes!!! and pizza with PINEAPPLE on top!!!!!! it was fun. :) and i SURE DO miss those folks.

*sigh* so ... life has been ... crazy, right? crazy good ... but also just crazy. i am ridiculously excited ... but sometimes i just sit back and say, how is this my life?!??!?!?!? :o)

snowicane.

(not an actual picture of my outdoor world. it just plays one on tv.)

hello everyone. we are finally digging out of the epic snowstorm we've endured here in jersey for the last two days. we have over 2 feet of the white stuff out there ... thank God for a wonderful fiance who kindly dug out the cars!! :)

i spent thursday after work being lazy on the couch ... and then today, once the roads were clear, i ran some errands, got a necessary latte and crocheted. i realized my Renegade application needs to be submitted a week from today!!! EEEEPPPP! so i finished a amigurumi bunny ... as well as a few touch-ups on some completed amis ... a tail for the kitty, a scarf for the first teddy i made, and a pom pom for the mouse. up next is a panda. :) pictures coming this week!!

off to bed now .... good night!! :)

finally surfacing from world sick.

hello internets. it's 2:30am on thursday morning and i am finally surfacing from near-death. i've been sick with bronchitis since late last week ... and tonight is the first time since then that i've been able to walk around my apartment without coughing up my lungs. i haven't read, i didn't crochet. i am REAL tired of soup. everything tastes likes straw. i've watched every episode of every law and order, csi, criminal minds, ncis. ever. seriously. my sleeping is totally messed up. i realized yesterday that this is the sickest i've ever been. weird. mittens just follows me from bed to couch, couch to bed.

don't get me wrong. being home is WONDERFUL. especially today during the snow storm we had (snowed ALL DAY! OVER a foot! who's helping me get my car out?!?) i just don't like being home with all the energy of a dead slug and no desire to craft. i mean seriously. home all week is a dream ... and i wanted to take time off this week anyway to work on my stuff for renegade. instead the only thing i've created is a permanent jessica-groove on my couch.

i didn't even have nurse dave to whine too! he's in california for business. he comes home friday night! :) i like alone time ... but, again, if i was going to be home on the couch for a week, at least he could have had the decency to be HOME!! hehe.

since i was planning on taking vacation days friday and saturday anyway, i think i'll use a sick day tomorrow. i do not want this coming back regularly. maybe i can actually get some crocheting done.

hmmm. what else. what else. in wedding news the save the dates have arrived. planning a menu. trying to plan a date to see a dj. moving along ...

well, i guess i should try and get some sleep. here's to a more productive tomorrow!

cozy sundays.

happy sunday everyone! :)

we had a very productive and fun weekend!

dave and i began registering for our wedding which was a lot of fun. (i just have to remember to remove the case of pistachios and leopard print snuggie dave scanned in ...). we also looked at five houses today ... and, well, we learned that pictures online LIE. A LOT. we saw some real winners (being factious there!).

we also learned that each house tells a story. sometimes a tale of woe (seriously - a FIST PRINT in the fridge door?!?) and sometimes a tale from the 60s (matted shag anyone?).

we saw an absolutely georgous house ... but whose bedroom windows looked right over scenic Rt. 57 and whose property was absolutely sandwhiched between like 7 other houses. i wanted to investigate buying it and then like airlifting it elsewhere, but dave didn't think that was really realistic. (what? what does he know??). the last house was a definite possibility ... but we weren't INLOVE and we have a lot of other houses on our list to see.

and so ... we continue ...

in other news, i spent a lot of time making stuff and sketching out some new ideas. i tried out some different techniques and new projects ... and will be taking a few sneak peak pictures as soon as i finish up a couple more things!

i seem work better with a goal (DEADLINE) ... so i gave myself the goal of at the very least, a new shop update on february 1st. i would like to have my new brand up and running at that point but i am still waiting for adobe illustrator (dave ...) so that may have to wait a bit.

so ... february 1st will be a shop update ... and maybe that giveaway i always promise!!! stay tuned!!

i did finally upload the pictures of the ca-ute owl pillow i made for anita as a thank you for my amazing new sewing machine!!

i am INLOVE with my sewing machine guys! its a not-very-expensive brother ... but it's absolutely amazing! sews so smoothly! so much control! i can sew felt with it without it jamming and freaking out! i can sew fast and it doesn't sound like it's going to shake apart my dining room table! can you tell how excited i am about this machine???? its like i have something in my head and i start to sew and ... it looks like what was in my head!!!! ok ... i'll stop ...

(but i really really love it. thank you thank you thank you anita!!!!! oh and thank you bonnie for the power cord and pedal!!! XD )

anyway ... it was really a glorious weekend. :) so relaxing and so productive and so fun. :o) oh and the JETS WON ... so there was that too ... ;o)

onward .......

greetings! :) all the christmas stuff is down and packed away for another year. as much as i LOVE the season, it's always nice to put everything away and get back to normal. and it was nice to know that after all the work we did in the apartment today, i still have ONE MORE DAY OFF!!! :) makes relaxing all the more ... RELAXING! :)

i am THISCLOSE to a new shop name. i am excited but also sad about losing the laizydaisy name. i know for branding purposes and having my own shop/online identity is makes sense (i mean its weird to think, but there are other LAIZYDAISYs out there, spelled different and everything! makes things confusing for a shop and an identity!) ... but it's a little annoying. X_X

and i have so many ideas .... i don't know where to begin. so i am just picking up yarn and starting something. :)

i was excited today because i stopped at the Store to get a phone number ... and there was my new sewing machine waiting for me in the office!! i couldn't wait to get home and try it out! it looks amazing. BUT! there was no power cord or pedal in the box!! i will ask anita thursday if she has it ... and i emailed brother to see if they will sell me one. i was SO disapointed!!! but it kind of forces me to work on yarny things then for the next few days.

ah well.

xoxo.

2010.

the last moments of 2009 were spent with friends and family. the first morning of 2010 was spent snuggling with my honey. the first morning of 2010 was also spent getting a fancy new pair of glasses and indulging in a few sales (aeropostale and bath and body works) as well as a white mocha. the first afternoon of 2010 was spent at kyle and jen's watching the winter classic and then playing wii fit. the first evening of 2010 was spent in my cozy apartment with my honey and my kitty, on our comfy couch eating dinner, sipping wine and watching the sugar bowl.

so why am i so cranky?

pms should be illegal on the first day of a new year. :o(

anyway.

happy 2010 everyone.

merry merry!

a very merry christmas to you!! we had a fantabulous holiday with friends and family ... and our holiday will wrap up with a big new year's dinner on thursday with my family. but, as much as i adored this season (and i was really on top of things this year, so there was minimal scurrying around when things got crazy at work), i am thankful that things are winding down. today is my first day off in like 10 days (christmas doesn't count since we had 4 places to be that day!!). i slept slept slept ... and have spend minimal time off the couch. i am sewing ... but i am just enjoying spending lazy time with dave and mittens. :) i SO needed this!

and i am REALLY excited for 2010!!!!!! i mean, sure i am getting MARRIED and i am looking for a HOUSE with the boy i am crazy for ... but, people! i am going to get this craft thing off the GROUND! :) 2010 will be the year of crocheted critters and knitted accessories! :)

there will probably be a shop name change because dave did some investigating and there are actually quite a few lazy daisys out there ... spelled a variety of ways. i want something totally unique ... so that will most likely be happening soon. i also will be working hard at "branding" myself ... and i am looking to do a few BIG craft shows this year (renegade anyone????). i have SO many ideas and plans ... i actually stay awake at night, laying in bed and planning and thinking. :o) i am GOING TO DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

so stay tuned ......... :o)

happy holidays and all that my friends!!

xo.

kitty.

here are the pictures of the kitty cat i made this weekend. i am so happy with her!! she will be listed in the shop soon. :)

home.

we just returned from a visit with w. i can't express enough how relaxing and recharging it was. i crocheted for 13 hours thursday!! that sure is my idea of heaven! :) i made a super cute cat and am just trying to figure out the whiskers and then it will be photographed tomorrow and up for sale in the shop soon! :) i am SO PROUD of this cat. it turned out exactly as i had hoped. i am adapting my pattern to create THE ONE ... and i think i just about got it. it's an amazing feeling to begin creating something ... and to finish it and be SO pleased with how it turned out. :) i also did some sleeping, some reading, some visiting with w and his amazing family ... and just sat with dave and w and listened to their amazing brains. the conversations these two have!!! :) i also did a lot of thinking. i am discovering some things about myself and my attitude toward life. and i think i need to make some serious changes.

it's hard now because we are living in a one bedroom apartment ... but when we do find a house, i need to create a cozy space. i need to create a "den" ... in the sense that i create a space where i feel cozy, safe and isolated ... removed from the world. being in my apartment, i am comfortable here ... dave and i have made our space great. but it's very ... smushed. work space blends with kitchen space blends with tv space blends with sleeping space. i look forward to a time where i can go into a room with knitting needles and yarn and you will actually have to go LOOK for me. spending time in w's amazing home, he's really created places where you can just burrow away and read or create ... and just feel like the world is a million miles away. i told him i consider his home my artist's retreat. he calls it the "haven" and it is certainly that. :) i am blessed to have met this wonderful person (and not just because he has an amazing home!!) :)

i also let the world affect my head WAY to much. home has not become the haven i remember from my childhood. again, don't misunderstand, our apartment is amazing and coming home to dave and mittens has made my life. but i don't let the world fall away like i once did. as i get older, i worry more. i pick at things more. i let past unhappiness creep into a perfectly good day. when i come home and kiss dave hello and am greeted by mittens at the door, i want to totally forget the customer who yelled at me because i won't take back their item. and i want to NEVER let the past ruin a perfectly good day.

i say it over and over again ... but i need to relax. i am lucky because my work stress level has decreased significantly ... but i still carry that worry on my shoulders. i am blessed because i have an amazing fiance ... but continue to last the past creep up and scare me ... while also waiting for the other shoe to drop and have this relationship explode in my face. i just keep ... waiting ... for the bad ... and i don't want to live my life that way at all. that is a horrible waste of perfectly good days! bad stuff will happen and i will have my family, my friends and my faith to sustain me. i did it before. why can't i trust in that ... and not let all this crap crowd and color my days?

but.

i am relaxed. my home is comfy and clean. i am creating. i've had a few sales. the holidays are upon us (and i am just ITCHING to play a charlie brown christmas in my car!!). oh and i have the best family and friends a girl can ask for. it doesn't get any better than this. so, dang it, jessica, let yourself enjoy this!! :)

sigh.

(from the awesome-ness that is http://wasting.tumblr.com/)

hi guys. i'm a mess. tired. migraine-y. all around yuck. i was moody and messy last week ... and this week i am just ... worn out. my creative-ness has been NONexistent these last two weeks ... which makes me feel even worse. i am trying so hard to kick myself out of this ... visiting places and blogs that make me smile. reading good books. playing video games. keeping the home relatively clean. even did some shopping yesterday and bought some cute things. and i am STILL in the blah-space. sleeping today away is just another blah in the blah blah.

what do YOU do to shake the blahs?

FINALLY!

i did it! i reopened my etsy shop! :) today was a gorgeous day for pictures so i took some after my meeting ... and just sat here and got it done. i still more things to list ... but just taking the step to reopen was a big one. :)

so go here:

http://laizydaisydesigns.etsy.com

and see all my stuff!

and stay tuned for a giveaway at the end of the week! I PROMISE!!! ;o)

what's going on?

been sewing my little fingers off these days, bloggies, and i am STILL not ready to reopen my etsy store. ><>

here's a picture to keep you interested ... and following for the reopening of my shop.

SOON, I PROMISE!!! :o)

good times.

what an amazing weekend!! :) we drove up to dave's friend w's home in happy valley, pa. i of course loved the farm country and the amish grocery store (!!! i bought this quilt wall hanging from a roadside stand!!!)

but the real fun was making this little guy while relaxing in the beautiful and amazing home of dave's good friend w while the boys caught up. i'd heard a lot about him over the last 18 months but had never met him. dave wanted to ask him to be in the wedding so i suggested a visit. it was about a 3.5 hour drive but it really wasn't too bad. we got there friday night and got back today around noon. w's home was AMAZING!!! and it was so nice to finally meet a good friend of dave's. he cooked us an wonderful dinner and we lots of chats and laughs. he has three kitties and one of them kept us entertained all weekend. AND, while dave and w caught up with each other, i sewed jackie o'terrapin as a thank you to our host! :)

spent the rest of today day resisting the call of the bed AND the couch (can i tell you how difficult that was???) and baked mom's birthday cake, cleaned, straightened and watched some football. we are heading over to mom's once dave is home from rehearsal to finish celebrating mom's birthday. busy busy weekend ... but SO refreshing!! :)

i still plan on reopening my etsy shop and posting a giveaway ... soon! :) this weekend got a little away from me. :) i was too busy having a good time!!

xo

coming soon to a blog near you ...

so not only did my two week craft blitz put me behind in all things home (who knew cat hair could actually pile up after two weeks of ignoring the cleaning??) ... it also put me behind in my other crafting endevours. i am TOTALLY behind in my LBF quilt-along ... my etsy shop was only to be closed for the summer months ... and now it's september and it's still closed ...

SO! in the spirit of a Spring cleaning (but, you know, in Fall), i have bloggy and etsy plans for the next week or two! so watch for ...

* monday the 21st will be the GRAND REOPENING of my etsy store! and to celebrate that ...

* friday i will announce a GIVEAWAY for one of my sweet Ami creations!!!

excited? i am! :) let's get this party (and by party i mean my Fall plans, of course) started!!!

xo

well ... it wasn't SO bad ...

and so ... it rained yesterday. a lot. when we were first setting up, i had to send dave on a lint brush mission (HOW do i forget a lint brush?? i work in fabric and felt and yarn ... and have a CAT!?!?) the rain started to come down pretty hard and i had to call him to buy a tent. :( it made me mad because it effectively ate all my profits ... but i suppose it will be needed if i do this often. :/ we had a break mid-day but then it started up again around 2pm and we ended up packing it in at 3pm (an hour early).

dave was a very good partner and helper. thanks honey!!! :)

one half of the table ...

the other half of the table ... the apples ended up being the hit of the day!

all in all it was a good experience and i got lots of "oh this is SO cute!" :) and, of course, i SOLD some things too, so that keeps me going! :o) i think i will continue to try .. continue to put myself out there ... continue to work on new and cute things ... because i think i am on the right path. :)

now i am excited to clean my apartment, catch up on my LBF Quilt-a-long and finish up Maddy's quilt for Ann Marie. :) but tonight, tonight is rest with my honey on the couch and a football game on the tv. :)

xo

ps - watch for the grand reopening of my etsy shop in the coming week!! there will be a give-away to celebrate!!! :)

pray away the rain!

tomorrow is the big day. i think i am really ready and have a lot of cute things to sell!! today is the perfect stay-at-home rainy day to finish up a few projects, tag and lint brush everything and pack up the car. BUT. the weather reports are saying showers possibly in the morning. as in TOMORROW morning. as in the morning that i am to be setting up my craft table at ole suckasunny day!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

*sigh* i got rained out last year. i BETTER not get rained out this year. :(

pray for some sunshine, guys, ok? or, at least, no rain. ugh.

sweet sunday.

yesterday was just the best day! dave and i slept in, discovered it was beautiful out, went for a ride, had lunch outside on the patio of the tewksbury inn, went to the storage place, target, a&p, did some stuff around the apartment, had dinner in, watched football. i (almost) finished my work on week 3 of the quilt challenge (ran out of thread!!) and am starting the binding on maddy's quilt. it was a productive, relaxing, fun day.

days like today - dave and i bumming around, running errands, doing some things around the home, enjoying each other's company - just make me so happy. there was a time i thought i would never have lazy sundays with someone. there was a time that i thought that, even if i did have someone to share a lazy sunday with, i would be too busy worrying about life and the world to actually enjoy it. there was a time where i just didn't believe that there was someone out there who even WANTED to share a lazy sunday with me.

but. i was proved wrong. huh. go figure.

my faith has struggled a lot over the last few years. i am still not where i was ... and pretty sullen towards God. i don't blame him ... i don't ask him why ... i don't even care why. he's just been ... quiet. and i don't really listen for him anymore.

but i am working on changing that.

and, even if things are a little quiet and strange on the spirituality front, i can and am still thankful for a lot of blessings. i know how to live on my own ... and i know i can SURVIVE on my own. that was a HUGE learning experience. i also am thankful for the wonderful people in my life to share everything with. and then there is my dave. :) there, even when God is not speaking to me (or i can't hear him ... or forgot how to listen ...), in my life is a boy who is so patient, so loving, so kind, so supportive ... how can i not think he's a blessing? how can i not see that God had something amazing in mind for me when life blew up in my face? how can i not be thankful for a guy who likes to spend sundays riding around, running errands and vegging at home with me? *sigh*

sometimes i look at my life ... i realize it's been awhile since i've been scared ... or hurting ... i realize that this is what happiness is ... and i am thankful all over again. :)

so busy ... so good! :o)

so busy these days ... but it's been all good things!! :) i am on week three of the LittleBitFunky quilt challenge brought to us by sweet Crystal. and here is a little preview of my progress ...

i still don't really believe i will have a quilt when all is said and done! but, i won't think such negative thoughts!! ;o) i am combatting my perfectionist qualities with this quilt. no templates? no pencil markings? no pining? ahhhhhhh! :) but i will perservere!!!

and speaking of quilts, i decided to make ann marie's twin girls fleece quilts for their 3rd birthday. a week before the actual party. and i've never made something like this before in my life. ever. i figured that HAD to be a sign of insanity. "hmmm ... i've never made a quilt before ... lets make TWO in a week!" i, of course, did not finish in time for their sunday birthday party ... but i showed ann marie my progress so she could see the goodies that are coming ... and i did finish Sydney's this week ...

since my sewing machine is pretty basic and i don't know how to do anything other than sew in a straight line, i had to stitch the binding by hand! hence, the length of time it is taking me to finish ... but, i'm getting there!

hmm ... let's see ... what else has been going on ...

we've been eating, sleeping and breathing football these days! dave and i went to a giants preseason game ...

and jets training camp ...

(dave watches ALL football like a coach. it's the cutest thing!)

and we are off to the giants and jets preseason game today after little anthony's birthday party. :o)

~*~

my craft show is QUICKLY approaching ... and i am starting to panic. do i have enough completed? is what i have good enough? i didn't complete NEARLY what i wanted to ... i am free and clear on sunday and i plan to spend the day sewing ... here's hoping i finish A LOT of stuff. OH! and miss crystal made me THIS for my table since i knew i wouldn't have time to make my own ...

isn't it the sweetest?!?! i can't wait to see it in person!!! :o) thanks crystal!

~*~

work is work ... it's fine ... but it SO does not fit in with my crafty lifestyle!! but i am working HARD at not letting that be a factor. i am trying to do SOMETHING each day ... wether it's sew a few strips together or put some stitches into a binding or cut some fabric. if i have to work at a job that sucks the very lifeforce from me (hehe) then i will spend my remaining hours crocheting!! :)

~*~

oh and we picked a wedding date and reception hall ... October 16th, 2010!!!! and we want to look at going to tuscany on our honeymoon! and we are pretty sure we know who our caterer will be! IT'S HAPPENING!!!!! eeeep! :o)

~*~

and ... that's all i got guys! off i go to get ready for birthday parties and football! have a sweet weekend!