Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
from Mister Harley and I
I wanted to send you all a message, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you enjoy your time with family and friends.
I also wanted to take this time to thank you for all your support and friendships over the past year. I am truly grateful that I still get to teach papercrafting classes, and without your support that wouldn’t be the case.
I am looking forward to 2013. I just know it’s going to be a good year in my creative life, my “big girl job” life and my personal life. I wish you the same in yours!
This is what i see every morning as I pull away for work. He looks at me like “where the heck are you going!?” Then when I pull in after work, he is there waiting to greet me as well. I’ve been having some issues with this little boy. He has been the first indoor kitty i have ever had, and he’s been dying to go outside. Trying to sneak out, yowling at the door etc. SO.. i got him a harness (i’ll have to share the pics) He hates the harness, you would think it was killing him… he however enjoys being outside (i think). munching on the grass is his favorite, but then when i bring him in he cries and cries and cries. And worst, he is trying even harder to sneak out (with a few success). So, i am frustrated, he is frustrated.. and i’m not sure what to do. I just want my handsome boy to be *happy*
Also, sorry I missed a few TGIHarley’s- They just slipped my mind. Now i have set up a reminder in my calendar , also set to alert me… hoping to not forget again!
thought it also might be fun to do a month to month recap, I love looking back at my archived blog posts- these posts will be neat to read years down the road
remembering january
* rang in the new year with fun friends at starlight
* started my “one line a day” journal… hoping to keep up with it longer, because reading what i wrote in 2010 has been fun
* we had a lil snow storm 10 inches or so… it really has been a mild winter, i LOVE that. During the storm i drove along the shore snapping pics to send to jill over on the west coast, who has never seen snow at the beach.
* i’ve really been enjoying the sky lately. The sunrise, sunset, clouds, moon. I think this is because I am commuting so much I actually have time to “sit” and enjoy it… the moon has been amazing this winter, but i don’t have the camera skills for that
* i added a bunch of canvases to my etsy shop, super excited about my ideas for this
* i launched shurkus.com – this is a BIG one.. something that has been on my 2-do list for 11 years!!! SO many plans for this lil place.. just have to teach myself how!
* had a girls weekend… 2 of my chosen family members couldn’t make it (boo) but it was still over all a good weekend. I realized after this weekend that even the best of friends can hit bumps once in awhile.. it reminded me of how REAL my friendships with these girls are…. not just some “fluffy filler”. I didn’t take many photos, but of course this girl captured some fun shots- even a handsome one of mister H even though he don’t like to cooperate with her
* was reminded it’s good to just be silly sometimes. throw on a silly hat, goto a silly spot, and just be goofy for no reason at all (and also i realized just how pretty plumes can be)
* jimbo made a water dispenser for mister harley, hoping he would use that instead of needed the sink turned on for him all the time. Instead I just realized he enjoyed getting a BIG box filled with newspaper more. But I also love that my dad took the time to try my crazy ideas
* had some serious crafty time getting projects for creative imaginations for CHA. It was weird to not need to know what everyone was releasing, what the deals were for the store etc. definitely odd.
* I was reminded how very grateful i am for my chosen family, and for them to realize when i needed help- even if i didn’t ask
* I watched the NH primary from the outside. Weird, when you grew up there.
* I officially became obsessed with instagram #wickedfun
* I actually spent some time in my studio creating just for me, not a class not a design team project… that was nice, and I hope to continue doing so!
* Had a fun friends brunch, something we should do more often!
* Taught a class to my Cape Cod peeps, so grateful they are still supporting me, opening up their homes to me… and just simply having a wicked fun time
big things are coming to shurkus.com in 2012… just testing, playing creating and figuring all of this out.
for now you can continue to find me at: {creative chick}
howdy ya’ll ;) got into austin TX yesterday for a higher ed web conference that i am attending with my team from providence college. I’m looking forward to learning a ton and networking.. fun times :)
I have also been trying to get more into tweeting… so be sure to follow me @jennshurkus
Austin is a really fun city, and we have beautiful views from our hotel room, i cant help but keep snapping photos with my iphone 4s … and posting on instagram is my new addiciton, so be sure to follow me there too “jennshurkus” (surprise surprise!)
more soon!
part of me feels like i wrote this post already… then i realize i am just remembering last years. Then as i go through photos in iphoto… looking for one for this post, it really hits home how long watcher has been gone, and how much i have expierenced and how much has changed.
you see.. there was a time when everything that happened in my life he was there. I got in a fight with my parents, he was there…. i was going to “run away from home” he was bundled up in my jacket with me… trekking through the woods…. camping during the summers, he was there on a kitty harness…. i first good cry over a boy… yep he was there… each and every semester i came home from college… he anxiously awaited my return… all the places i had moved… all the major relationships i had been in… you guessed it, he had to step aside and “share” me…..
so it is still foreign to think of all the things i have experienced without him…. this year a lone has been a BIG year of changes…..
i just hope he realizes how much i miss him, and the friendship we had :) xoxo
Congratulations to VICKY.. she has out bid everyone and won all the fabulous creations i featured on my blog in July!!!! Thanks to her we were able to raise $385 for my friend Christy's Mom, Sue Avila, and her fight against cancer!!!
Thank you to all my creative friends for playing a long and making July an awesome month.. with tons of eye candy!!!
ok.. so i am behind in my july posts again.. and instead of making a zillion excuses i just wanted to explain….
when i originally planned this i thought the store was closing at the end of august.. and then we realized it wasnt… but i didnt want to cancel this fabulous idea… soooo squeezing all my classes from august into july… interviewing for jobs…. working…. working….. working…… i have gotten behind… but promise to catch up…. SOON!?
i wanted to share with you the posts from my friends though… since they ARE on task…
you can still continue to bid… and i will be back with my creations on monday.. deal? ok deal.
july 16th: glenda is one of my crafty friends from canada… :) she also celebrated a birthday on the 16th…. "The theme is summer/ocean. I love summer – the sun, being outside, hanging with friends. I love the ocean just as much – the sound of it, the look of it, the creatures that live in it, the beach that it crashes on to, all the great stamps that are created about it (hee, hee). So an ocean themed card it was to be… but which stamps to use (I have several…surprise, surprise)? I decided to dust off some older ones and pair them with one of my favourite colour combinations…." pop on over to her blog.. she IS donating this card!!!
july 17th: melyssa with a y… is one of my bestest friends.. one of my chosen family.. she and i met in college… and cant get rid of her yet :P I was so excited when i asked my girls aka chosen family to participate… all of them said yes! it makes me laugh a lil because i'm pretty sure it is my fault that most of them are crafty ;) … anyways this is what melyssa has to say about her project…. ( and YES it is being donated) "Just like my Jenny I am a beach girl through & through… all though I might use a little higher spf then her when we hit the beach;) beaching it with Jenny and Josie is one of my all time favorite summer activities! We just don't get to do it enough!! When she sent out an email asking everyone to contribute to her beach themed craftiness for the month of July I couldn't say no. So I decided to do a simple canvas … " head on over to her blog…. and you will also get a glimpse of my most adorable nephews!!! i just love them to pieces…
july 18th: now we have josie…. my other roomate from college, also one of my bestest friends AND chosen family…. i went into room draw sophomore year.. cause me and my oldest friend loved each other, just couldn't live together ;) …. and i got stuck with jos, or she got suck with me… either way i don't care.. and i believe everything happens for a reason :) here is what josie had to say about her project:
" When Jenn asked me if I wanted to take part in her beach-y themed project – I was thrilled! Not only because it gave me a reason to actually have to bust out my crafty stuff and make something, but also because I had just the project in mind that I wanted to make for her. Since I met Jenn in college, I can't say that we have grown up going to the beach together – but I CAN say that we figured out pretty quickly that it was a favorite place of both of ours!
Back in the day, we would hit the lake beaches – we would pack the traditional salad packed pita with dressing, put on the lowest SPF lotion possible, soak in the sun and then pretend to read when really we were talking about all of the weird people on the beach! (This would also be where Jenn was hit on by a couple 13-year-olds who asked her if she wanted to play Frisbee – I can't forget that!)
We have also been to many ocean beaches – It all began with Old Orchard Beach in Maine. We jumped in the Hyundai Elantra wagon, hit the beach for the day, and rented a hotel room to do it all over again the next day. This led to my having to call in to work telling a tiny white lie about how my car wouldn't start and that this nice guy on the beach had a friend nearby who could tow it, fix it and return it… AND, clearly, I would not be in for work. (Ok, maybe that is a bit more than a tiny white lie, but when you hang out with Jenn on the beach – these things COULD happen!)
Before long, our Stinka Girl (AKA Melyssa Marland) joined in on the fun. The three of us have had many a great beach days together – each taking the others to some of our favorite spots – from Craigville Beach, to Plum Island, to my favorite, Drake's Island. Our love of the beach has forced us to have matching Vera Bradley beach bags, a supply of Burt's Bees, the famous Beach Brew, and let's not forget the variety of sunscreens and tanning lotions!
I love, love, love my girlies – and wish we had more time to spend together giggling about things we are reading, memories of the 'good ol' days', people around us and at each other! Hehehe That Melyssa – she iis the silliest girl ever! Between not being able to hear the little jokes we are telling to wondering why SHE doesn't have matching suntan lotion – we are practically in tears with the silliness!
So, why do I think of my girlies when I think of the beach? Because many of my BEST memories have been with them… on the beach.
xooxo I love you girls
OK, next… I love that Jenn has taken this beach-y blog a step further and is using it as a way to raise money to help a family cope during a time of need. I absolutely wanted to add to the auction, but knew that my project had a totally different destination! So, I figured I would put in something that I made, and love – and would be perfect for this auction! When visiting Jenn, I was lucky enough to take a class taught by Cheryl Mezzetti where we created an amazing beach book. It is colorful, creative, and so Cheryl! I have been holding onto it for the perfect pictures… but want to donate it in hopes that it will be one more thing that a bidder will love and want to donate more for!
I will be back on monday with more goodies from my friends.. and catch up from me :)) thank you for understanding… and remember you can still bid here
oh man, oh man…. do i have a *fun* month in store for YOU!!! I decided what i needed to get me out of my funk are the things i love the most: summer, ocean, creating things, and my friends :))
sooooo throughout the WHOLE MONTH of july… i will be showcasing fun creative things with a nautical/summer theme….. AND i have a ton of my friends playing a long as well!!!!
check back each and EVERY day for something new :) man oh man i soooo excited!!! this is the time to be able to dig into my nautical stash of goodies!!!!
and guess what?!! there is a twist! (of course there is) I was trying to think up a way to do prizes… or something fun… and this is what i came up with…
my friend christy's mom (sue avila) was just diagnosed with lung and stomach cancer…. :( and christy always does SOOOO much for her friends, i wanted to do something for her and her mom…. so i will be hosting a silent auction right here on my blog for the whole month of july ( you can bid until august 7th) I will be donating EVERYTHING i showcase in my nautical celebration on here in july AND… yes there's more… a bunch of my friends are donating their creative goodies as well…. !!!! i hope to raise a ton of money to help sue out with her medical expenses.
How to bid? Goto this post and in the comments section state your bid… come august 17th the highest bidder will get a ton of lovely packages from all over the united states ( and canada….) of creative goodies!!
Hope you enjoy the month of JULY!!!! ;)
1. sabrina ward harrison 2. engravedwithmusic 3. lotta agaton 4. april & may 5. blair hill 6. joyfolie 7. mothballcharlie 8. source unknown
pinterest is far too addicting, if you havent been there yet, dont.
warning: this isn't a "fun" blog post.. but i have always blogged for me, to first and foremost document my life.. i love looking back on archived posts and be reminded of things i experienced and things i have been through….so this is the post that i have avoided… not blogging as much as i have wanted, because i knew i needed to address this…
So , with the announcement of this… i have been in a deep, dark, funk. 2011 was is supposed to be my year of "possibilities", but i'll be honest… i'm not so sure anymore.
i'm fearful how things come in threes, and i havent had my 3rd yet.. i think i have, but not sure… not sure how much more i can take
i can rant about shopping local, supporting the little guys… who know your name, can answer all your questions, offer above and beyond waaaaayyy more then the BIG guys, work harder then those other stores and downright love their jobs…. BUT 1. melissa did well with that here , and 2. i'm exhausted of it all… i feel like everyone is singing that song, but not DOING IT!
i have heard all the comments
"when one door closes, another opens"
"you are talented you will find something"
etc. etc. etc.
and i appreciate them, most of them are coming from the customers who have turned into friends and whom i have gotten to know VERY well over the past 8 years, but i'm not going to lie… it is still downright scary
the economy sucks. the cape doesnt offer many job opportunities for LSS managers… I haven't been in the REAL graphic design market for over 8 years…. and although i know i am a fighter… i just dont see "the light at the end of the tunnel" right now
things i do know.
i want to some how continue in the papercrafting industry… hoping that teaching will still fit in my NEW life
i want to stay near the ocean if possible… whether that means its going to be on my left… or right who knows…
and i will eventually figure this out
i have LOVED my 8 years at colorful creations… i have always called it "my store" even though i don't own it, because i have poured my heart and soul into it… I have been soo lucky to have worked with jayne… where she let me voice my opinion, and really grow…. I'll never forget the day i walked into the falmouth store, to show her some of my card samples… hoping i could teach a few classes here and there… ha! funny how that turned out!
so bear with me the next few months… and if you hear of ANY, aNy, any, AnY job prospects please let me know… for the most part i am going into this with an open mind… knowing i may have to move, i may have to have a complete 180 career change….
and as i have done in the past with all the other obstacles i have over come.. i say BRING IT… i'm ready
"and baby i'm much stronger then you know…"
and because he makes me smile i'll leave you with this:
