Its Going Going Gone time at the Sweet Shoppe, and that means TONS of goodies on HUGE discounts before they go away forever on retirement!  This time around, although it really pains me to admit it, my store was pretty full of things that I needed to let go of, so I took a deep breath and bravely made my list of FOURTY TWO things that I’m ready to say goodbye to!

I thought It might be helpful for my customers if I created a linked post so that you can see what exactly I’m retiring:

Solo Kits (only $3.00 each!)

Scoops and Dips (between $3.50 and $4.00!)

Other Elements ($1.00 to $1.50)

The Graffiti Grunge Collection, individual packs are between $1.00 and $1.50 and the collection of the 5 sets is only $4.00 dollars!

Truly one of a kind, and the first Shauren Project ever: The Extreme Collection is finally retiring. (each kit is on sale for $2.50)

Also The Color My Mood Collection (Priced at only $2.00 per paper pack!)

Also, since we really really want people to be able to enjoy these collections while they are still in the shop, we brought down the full collection prices to a major major discount.

Both are discounted at 80 percent seriously!!! The Extreme Collection is going for $5.00, and the color my mood is going for $6.00!  Don’t miss these because once they are gone, they are totally gone!

It’s a little hard to accept, seeing so many of my beloved products going away!  But I know it is time!  It gives me some room for new products to really shine, and also it gives these oldies but goodies one last hurrah!

So don’t miss it, if you’ve been eying any of these goodies or if you are seeing something for the first time that you love, its now or never!  Because on Saturday October 3rd they’re be gone for good!

It went off with out a hitch!!!  YAY! (boys were the biggest fans of the black beans, but the cornbread totally made up for it! …and… I’m almost looking forward to making tonight’s meal…)

So… I’m the first to admit it… usually I have absolutely no answer to this question. The whole home making cooking type thing is really just not my thing… I’d much rather sit and talk to my kids, or duel it out through a game of mario party.  I’d much rather get take out every single night (hahaha, wouldn’t everyone??? I know there are actually people that really want to eat real food but I guess I’ve been so bad at putting that up there on the priority list).

The thing is, I grew up with a mom that fed our family dinner, a real “4 food groups” type meal every single night.  And not only did she feed us, but she self taught herself how to cook straight from the good old betty crocker cook book! AND, she really has taught me how to do a lot of cooking.  I have no excuse, it isn’t like I open up a cook book and it all looks like a foriegn language to me… its more like… I feel a  uninspired, indecisive and too tired to just figure it all out!  Its sad really, and mostly based in sheer laziness!

BUT, the thing is, as we are starting this new chapter in life with the boys. I’m seeing more and more where the sitting down to dinner piece is something that we’ll really miss out on if I don’t get it together. The boys are gone all day, so we need some set out time where we are all together. Also, they are getting older, and its going to start to get a bit embarrassing, for all of us, if all the only foods they will eat is fish sticks and pizza. I’m also starting to just feel the need to have some regular routine type things that are going to bring us together…. my oldest son is a mere FOUR years away from adolescence, if he isn’t used to sitting down with me daily, being fed and cared for, spending that regular time together…. well then it will be too late to convince him that I am there to talk to you know???

ANYWAY… this is all just Shawna’s long winded explanation for talking about this new site I found.  Randomly, when I wasn’t even thinking about my cooking conundrum, I saw this link that someone at SSD posted as one of their favorite sites (ahhh I wish I could remember who it was!).  But anyway the site is called Menus4Moms and it is this whole site that does all the stuff I have no interest in doing FOR you… weekly they send you a menu, with recipes and a grocery list, and then all you have to do is cook it!

I am royally indecisive… so this is going to be the perfect starting point for me… theres no sitting down at the kitchen table and leafing through page after page of cookbooks.  Or you know link hopping from site to site online, where not only can you find a recipe for anything under the sun, but you can find 800 million versions of it!  Also, G and I are not picky eaters, we don’t have like… expensive tastes or specific needs in food, so like even if there IS a better recipe for tuna casserole out there, we probably won’t really notice LOL.

The best part is, I can do this for free for as long as I would like, because they have a totally free version on line!  But if we like it, we can also start paying for a subscription and then we can get the calorie information, points values, some healthy substitution options, and some other stuff too… I am really cheap, especially when it comes to something I think I can get totally for free (aka, if i just sit at the kitchen table and leaf through 8 million cook books I can do this myself!), so I love that this is free.  I can try and see, or I can keep doing it free for as long as I want.

Who knows, maybe some day I’ll be at a place where the week is begining and we are ready to do our grocery shopping (I say we, but I mean g, he does the shopping because I am too indecisive… seriously, i’ve been known to spend 15 mins overwhelmed in the ketchup isle trying to choose a bottle….) but maybe there will be a time when I can think, OH! I know what I want to make this week! and I can rattle off a list… but until then I’m going to need some help, and hopefully this is just the ticket…

So, here we go, wish me luck… I’m sorta excited!  Just waiting for some one to ask me that question, because TODAY I have an answer!!!

YAY!  So Fridays are becoming one of my favorite times of the week, I love seeing all my work come together and getting all ready for the big release at midnight at the Sweet Shoppe.  Plus, g is home on Fridays, so its the one day I can truly devote to working if I really want to .

You’d think it would lose it’s thrill, because we do this every week. Posting sneak peeks over in the forums, getting everything all set up and ready and then waiting till the big midnight reveal when the store goes live, but I swear, every time I have something new in the shop (which I have been setting a goal for myself to have something new up every week), I just get giddy with excitement.  I love being able to work doing something that is artistically fulfilling like this.  It feels good to me to sort of put a little bit of myself out there, these things I make, they really are labors of love, I always pour a little of my heart into a new kit, and get really excited about the new things I make because, well they make me feel good, and competent… and happy

Anyway… It’s Friday night again, and I’m really thrilled about what I have coming out tonight!  I took a bit of a break from the cute and wonderful girlishness that has been showing up in my work the last several kits, and I came up with this:

Center of my Universe is My Take on the classic spaceship theme for boys kits, and I just couldn’t help it, I had to throw in a bit of “You are super awesome just being you” theme just for kicks!

Its really packed full, and it has some great doodley goodness as well as some nice tangible type of elements for dimension!  You should check out the product listing for a full list of elements because it’s loaded!

Also, I decided it would be fun to expand on the “You” theme. So I put together this little pack to to add on for the perfect complement –

These You Titles come in layered psd files as well as flattened pngs. So you can color in your “you” how ever you want, you can even use any solid or patterned paper for a custom look!

AND for this week  only, you can get them FREE with the purchase of the Center of My Universe Kit!

See that’s worth getting all excited over isn’t it!?!