Happy Halloween everyone!

We have a treat for you all. Yesterday we uploaded this little goodie for our facebook fans. It's a free download border sheet to go with your S'more Love papers and embellishments. This pattern did not make it into the paper release, but I think you may find it on something somewhere at some point in the future (I can't say anything more).

For now, feel free to download this, print it, use it in your digi layouts, share it with friends, etc. However, I am obligated to let you know that it is copyrighted and you may not sell it or copies of it in part or in full. Thanks! (If the download doesn't work for you here, try our fanpage because I know it is working and printable there.)

Download Border Sheet | Smore Love | Cosmo Cricket
Now that we've hopefully put a little smile on your face. How about the chance to win a really big treat? You see, I couldn't get in the mood to craft for Halloween this year, but now that it is here and almost over, I find myself super excited to start getting ready for Christmas.

If you're like me, you do a lot of crafting for Christmas from Ornaments to cards to gifts, etc! So, I hope an early Christmas present for one lucky friend will help someone on their way to a happy handcrafted holiday.


Leave us a comment today to enter yourself into a random drawing for 2 of each paper in our Jolly Days collections, the canvas Christmas brads, the Jolly Days stamps, stickers and Ready, Set, Chipboard. We'll announce the winner tomorrow. Happy Halloween!!!

My favorite color is MODA! That is the theme of the Moda booth this year and they went all out.

(I designed the above quilt and Lissa Alexander of Moda had it made. I love it!)

Our little corner of the woods was next to Mary Jane's line Glamping.

(Sorry for the blurry cell phone photos!)

(This quilt was designed and made by my wonderful and talented sister Emily Bailey of Aunt Em's Quilts.)

So, we Glamped out for a bit. Afterall, the skirt I made fit right in. I told Eric that I would sew him a shirt for the next market, but he declined my offer..... can you even believe that?!?! I think he would look smashing in an orange, camera-print oxford.



While walking the floor we found another quilt I designe and Lissa had made. This one you'll be able to make yourself soon. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Quilts and More magazine.

But the real fun always happens in the last few hours of the Moda party! Welcome to Texas Eric and Julie!!!
 
My video looks like slow motion compared to Eric's. The bull controller-man was nice to us girls, but I swear it felt like I was moving so fast. Partway through I got this great idea to throw Eric my hat, but I learned the hard way that one should not get creative while riding a mechanical bull!
 

Well, well, well. We have a lucky winner to announce today, but before we get to that...

Are you a creative girl with creative girl issues? I once sat on a chipboard sticker, sticky side up. I was on my hands and knees looking for it under my desk when Eric came in and got the best laugh of his life! Unfortunatetly, that is too hard to write into a short headline, but here's some other creative girl problems you may relate to. Maybe you even have some of your own to share with us?!?









But being creative is more than just problems, right? I mean it does have it's perks.

And it is a pretty awesome way to spend your free time.

So, here's to all you creative girls (and guys). You make the world fun, beautiful and happy!


Congratulations go to Kim S. who said, "The paper collection is gorgeous! I am sure at some point we've all lost our mojo. It happened to me and one day I just felt like stamping and sewing again and that was it. It's alot of fun these days to create. You'll get it back :-)" 

Kim, send your info to julie at cosmocricket dot com and I'll see to it that you get all those fun goodies. 

I think this giveaway was a good idea because I am feeling inspired again. Maybe we'll have to repeat it with the Jolly Days collection next week. What do you think?

Whilst surfing the web for my mojo, I found this darling layout by Lanette Erickson. If you follow the link, you will find the sketch she used to create it too.

Maybe I can get my mojo back by giving away some Art Angel. What do you think? Let me know and I'll enter you into a random drawing to win the following. The Art Angel 8" deck.

The Element Deck

The chipboard stickers.


The cardstock stickers.


And the stamps!

Good luck everyone! We'll announce our winner Friday morning. Thanks!

Whilst surfing the web for my mojo, I found this darling layout by Lynette Erickson. If you follow the link, you will find the sketch she used to create it too.

Maybe I can get my mojo back by giving away some Art Angel. What do you think? Let me know and I'll enter you into a random drawing to win the following. The Art Angel 8" deck.

The Element Deck

The chipboard stickers.


The cardstock stickers.


And the stamps!

Good luck everyone! We'll announce our winner Friday morning. Thanks!

Where, oh where has my mojo gone?
Where, oh where could it be?
With is it's attention span short
And it's quirkiness long,
Where, oh where could it be?

If you find it, please return to:
The Comstocks
C/O The Julibrain
5' 08"  Noggin Road
Northern Region, Insanity @#&%$ 

If you can't locate it, please offer me suggestions on finding it myself! Until I do, enjoy this fun countdown project by Miss Donna of Meme's Art Place using our Jolly Days collection. Please note: There are only 62 days until Christmas. This was the count from CHA Summer. 

Get your cropping scissors ready! (I'm just joking Aunt Darlene, I promise!!!)

Sometimes you just need an angel to save the day! A special thanks to Donna Budzynski for creating this beautiful project with our Art Angel collection. If she hadn't I wouldn't have a thing to share with you, so thanks Donna!

Now for our winner. Congratulations go to  Gertie Pie who said, "I think the best reason is that this fabric is to die for! I don't need to share it with my friends surely? I especially love the cameras and the 4-pointed stars. Cosmo Cricket for President!" Gertie, send us your info and we'll send you some fabulous fabric.

PS: If Cosmo Cricket is elected president, we promise to make all fabric and scrapbook items fully tax deductible and purchasable with food stamps!

Quilt Market isn't for a couple weeks, but we are giving away some of our soon-to-be-released 2TWENTY-THR3E fabric today!

Here's 23 reasons to try winning this fabric:
1. It won't be in stores for months.
2. It looks great even before it's sewn into anything.
3. You can never have enough fabric.
4. You can use the money you would have spent on buying it for laser hair removal.... or whatever.
5. Your friends will be really nice to you if you win.
6. This fabric may be just the thing to get you off Pinterest.
7. It would totally justify buying a new camera to match.
8. Just think of the bags!
9. It would make your day and a really cute quilt.
10. You would have a reason to use/buy that new sewing machine.
11. It would prove you are a lucky person.
12. If your hubby complained about more fabric, you could tell him that he married a WINNER!
13. It would make you smile.
14. It is the cheapest way to feed your addiction.
15. Getting fabric in the mail is so much better than getting bills.
16. If you support O'bama, you could say that everyone deserves a chance at not-yet-released fabric, not just the 1% (designers).
17. If you support Romney, you could say that trickle-down-fabric really does work.
18. If you're undecided, you could say, "I'll cut this free fabric down the middle."
19. Hand-drawn cameras... do we need to say more? Uh, I guess we actually do need to say a few more.
20. It would make you happy.
21. It will be easy to enter... much easier than writing this list. Whose idea was this anyway?!?!?
22. You may be able to win over your mother-in-law. If you share, that is.
23. You'll be able to say, "Not tonight honey, I have new fabric!"

I took a photo from the huge box of goodies that Moda sent me. I will cut off a fun set to send to one lucky winner. 

All you have to do to enter is leave me one comment telling me why you should be the winner. Be creative, be funny, be smart. Why you ask? Will it help you win? No, but I read every comment and I like entertaining stuff!

We will pick our random winner tomorrow morning. Best of luck everyone!

We had to be out of our house completely on a couple of days during the remodeling. On one of these days, we took our kids... except Ethan who opted to hang out with friends... to the animal reserve in New Braunfels.

This is something of a drive through zoo. As you enter, they give you a bag of animal feed you can drop on the ground in the hopes that the animals will come over to your car. I wasn't the only one nervous about this idea.... especially since all my kids are of reading ages.

I had Jack on my lap when a zebra come over to the car. I was snapping away photos though a zoom lense when the zebra lifted its head. Because I was watching through the lense, that zebra seemed to be less than an inch from my face. I screamed which caused Jack to scream which caused Eric to start using his favorite four letter word. When I put the camera down, I realized the zebra was still a foot or so away and all was well. Nothing like good, wholesome, family fun with a few swear words mixed in!

There was also a moment where I thought this ostrich was either going to give us a piece of his mind or try to take a piece of ours!

But the deer were the cutest.

Unlike Jack and Abby, Kate wasn't nervous at all in the petting zoo. In fact, one little black goat fell in love with her, following her everywhere.

After a while, Jack and Abby got brave.



Maybe we need to get kicked out of our house more often because it was a great day!

Did I win a dream vacation by answering three questions over the phone?

Did I come down with West Nile Virus from my many Austin mosquito bites?

Did I just forget my Typepad username and password and get locked out of my account?

No, actually, Eric and I decided to do some remodeling... and like many a project that we take on, it had unexpected twists and turns!

When our bathroom pipe broke and flooded our main floor, it made wallpaper in the bathroom start to peel. I began on that one little corner thinking I had a simple job.

After I peeled the first layer of wallpaper (it had been mudded, textured and painted over) off, I found another layer that had been painted. When I peeled that layer off, I found another layer.

Eventually, I did find the wall!

I would show it to you, but it won't be finished for a few more weeks... I'll explain further... stay with me.

After the wallpaper was all off, Eric removed the bathroom vanity.

Then he took out a built in cabinet that we no longer wanted because we were scheduled to have our floors redone next.

I'm glad we are really good at moving things, because we had to move everything on the main level upstairs or to our garage so that the floor crew could remove the tile and do the floors. A 3-4 day project. Wow I thought, 4 days without a downstairs, a kitchen, an office... that's gonna be hard!

They pulled up the first layer of tile, and you guessed it, found a second layer right underneath. Seriously, our home is like an archeological dig. This is the tile under the tile.

Because of the extra tile and a bunch of other issues, our 3-4 day project took 8-9 days and we missed our the window for our bathroom crew to redo that room before my parents arrive on Monday. They are now out 3 weeks. Ughhh!

But, we are trying to make the best of it. While I was stuck upstairs, I got some popcorn ceilings cleaned off (WARNING: Please don't do this yourself, unless you verify you have NO ASBESTOS in your popcorn!)

I have done two rooms now and have 3 more to go. 

I know you all want to see the big reveal of how everything is looking, but we want it to be just right before showing it off, and like I said the finish work won't be done for a few weeks. You'll just have to stay tuned.

But, we are back online with an office and kitchen and that's a really good thing!!!