little gi

THIS is BIG!!!!!!!!!!

go here & you will see why i've had a permanent smile on my face this month :)

i've admired tamar & tarisota for so long...i mean seriously...complete geeked out fan over here...
so when tamar asked if i would like to be part of her team i was like "oh hmmm....YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (and i guess i should tell you i typed the e-mail back to her standing b/c i jumped  out of my chair...lol)

& if that wasn't amazing enough, in addition to tamar, i get to work with even more amazing women....ngaire, jill, jo, nic, suz, tracy, & mel....err...hello???  some of my fave artists!!!!!  yeah...i'm so super excited...these women inspire me so & i can just feel the creative energy pumping in my veins :)

& then guess what i get to work with for my first month...
`

yes...SUPER D DUPER happy camper over here :)

ahhhh....definitely DEFINITELY good stuff....i'm so excited and grateful for this opportunity :)

hope you have a wonderful wednesday too!!!

xoxoxo

gi

smiling for sure....

new word up over at onelittleword...& the creative team was so generously sponsored by Me and My Big Ideas...i had this HUGE box of goodies to play with...i went right for the gorgeous patterned paper & totally thought of ngaire when i grabbed the bling...seriously SO fun!!!

& i love it...i love love love this canvas...i've hung it up right next to my craft table & it totally makes me smile...i had come across the whole "just be" thing last year when i was cruising tara whitney's blog & at first was like "hmmm...what the heck does that mean?"...but then i just kept thinking about it & this summer i've really tried to embrace it...

sometimes you fool yourself that when you go there or finish that...
that when you get this or get rid of that...
that when you begin doing one thing or stop doing the other...
that something or someone is in the way...
you've gotta let it go...

because the truth is you just have to let it be...
stop making excuses and just be...
don't worry if you are doing it right...
or if you are entitled to it...
just take a deep breath and soak it up...

just be and enjoy every second that IS...

have a WONDERFUL wednesday :)
xoxo

gigi

p.s...look what i found when i was going through my OBX photos :)
how freaking lucky am i???

must share straight away....

go HERE to see the amazing lusi & her bingo markers...

ahhh that lusi....amazing & it is so awesome to hear her!!!

happy tuesday!!

xoxo

gi

ahhhh.......we're back :)

i love the beach...really really REALLY love the beach :)

here we all are...we had driven up to kitty hawk to spend the rainy day in the kite store peeking around...wound up having a really great lunch at mama kwan's while it poured outside...then the sky cleared up so we could play some pirate ship mini golf (mike & i tied...note to self: go back to the scorecard & check his math...lol)
& on the way back, despite my pleadings, mike took a left & drove onto the beach...oooh scares me every.single.time...seriously...i've got like this crazy mental block with driving on the beach, mike & the kids think it is hilarious & ryan says to me "show your bravery mommy"

ahh...happy monday everyone!!!
xoxo

gi

the felt addiction is getting out of hand...

thanks to this book...

the kids & i are totally obsessed with creating every single thing inside & last night i made this while a few friends came over to scrap

i think anything not nailed down is going to have a little appliqué sewn onto it :)

we are off to the beach for a week...everyone is so excited...
really looking forward to just hanging out with family, pina coladas & sand castles...
am definitely packing a bag of felt & embroidery thread so my little addiction won't have to take a vacation as well...lol

hope you have a great friday!

xoxo

gi

oooh this was really fun...

ok...remember the other day when i linked you up to the hoop-y goodness in the tarisota gallery? 
well...i got some hoops...

oooh man...FUN!!!!!
so i created this for this week's word up over at onelittleword

it is a belated birthday gift for my ker...

oooh i hope she likes it :)

have a happy HAPPY wednesday!!

xoxo

g

inspired...

i just read this amazing post by jill...

& here is a a photo i took back in january of a bit of our shoe collection

& you know what's funny...jill is so right....this little shoe picture does mean a lot to me...

i totally remember taking this photo...
because it was a sunny, warm day in january & i was longing for spring even tho it was months away...
because i was psyched to have the screen door open to let the fresh air & sun in & how cool it was that we got to spend some winter time outside & our shoes got all muddy, probably when the kids were running around like crazies with their friends at pre-school pick-up...

because i remember thinking...wow...i'm a mom w/ little kids....look at the evidence...

because i remember thinking how tiny their little feet were in comparison to my grown up running shoes...how i've gotta savor them being little...they won't be for long....
kelly's shoes aren't included b/c she was at school & i remember thinking how quickly she is growing up...big first grader, reading & all...
i remember thinking how much kate loved those hand-me-down purple shoes that kelly & another friend had worn..how much i loved them on her, they were so cute with this cute velvet flower...i remember i had been super crazy about stuff getting dirty when kelly wore them & how now with 3 little ones, i had softened about all of that & now kate is a muddy mess half the time...

the little things do mean a lot don't they...

nicole's photostreem in flickr inspires me a lot too...she also captures those little things expertly..

i've gotta try to follow their example better...grab that camera & go...snap snap snap away...
b/c i love all those little things..
i'm very mindful that it is these little things that i'm going to so enjoy reminiscing about down the road...

hope you had a great tuesday!!!
happy little thing capturing :)

xoxo

gi

i need to see this as soon as possible....

NEED!!!!!!!!!!!! NEED!!!!!!!!!!! i need to find someone to go w/ me the second it opens on friday night oooh i need to make some calls xoxo g

sum up summer week & be inspired....

week 3:

* tater turned three!!!!!
* big family time weekend...mike took friday off, all day park on friday, zoo on saturday, all day pool on sunday...really REALLY good stuff
* kelly can swim all the way across the pool!!  yay!!!
* visit from uncle jeff..."un-le jeff went home to his mom...i'm donna miss him" says tater...lol
* some late night scrappin' with laurie...so much fun
* ryan had a blast w/ all of his friends at the park
* actually caught up with laundry & it feels so good being a little june cleaver-ish
* kids went "hiking" in the backyard...kelly took notes including "lots of nats" (gnats)...lol
* kelly dressed kate "i don't need help at you!" tater told me...lol
* Madagascar exhibit at the zoo...absolutely phenomenal...we all fell in love with the lemurs & were able to get right next to the nile crocodiles...they are HUGE!!!!
* Tiger Mountain at the zoo...the male walked right up to the window & one of the females was sleeping up against it...we were a pane of glass away from touching her...absolutely amazing experience
* all day at the park on friday...sprinkler pool, playground & cupcakes

& if you haven't seen it yet, run don't walk over to the tarisota gallery...unbelievably inspiring...after i finish this entry i'm running to the craft store for some embroidery hoops :)

& another inspiring link from ngai's blog...a really poignant last letter from a woman/mother/wife who died of cancer...take a moment to read, it will definitely touch your heart & renew your spirit..

My journey in this world was difficult and painful but important in my spiritual growth. I learned that we have to be happy despite our circumstances. We can’t say I will be happy when…. No sweeties be happy now because today is all you have -                                      Andrea Collins Smith

wise words indeed....amazing words...words to live by for sure...
now get out there & enjoy :)

happy monday everyone!!!

xoxo

gi

there once was a woman named...

sharmaine...

and she was kind...
and interesting...
and open hearted...

and then i saw her art...

and saw more of her gorgeous heart that she shares so beautifully...

and i started to get to know her...
and learned more about her and found her to be even more wonderful...

sharmaine is a friend of mine...

and i count myself extremely lucky to say that :)

& i'm rooting for her big time as she creates up a storm for the Scrap-n-Crop's Project Scrap-Away contest

GO SHARMAINE, GO!!!!!

xoxo

gi