What I've been up to...

You may remember that I have said I was quite busy over the summer and into the fall, and that is true, I have. I've also been doing quite a bit of thinking about SaMiE Designs during this time. I'd like to share both of those with you, SaMiE Designs fans.

First, let me tell you what I've been doing that kept me so busy. One thing that has basically been my life is roller derby. I started skated in the beginning of 2012 and I haven't stopped since. I am the co-head of sponsorship, board member, and skater for the Jackson Hole Juggernauts. So when I say derby was my life I mean...derby WAS my life.  2012 was our first season, and we are already gearing up for our second season, bigger and better. To the left is a photo taken from our last intra-league bout of the season. (I am the one in the first row on the right with the green helmet and black stripe, in case you were wondering. :) )

Photo: Scott Wood

Here's another picture of me skating. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the picture on a facebook page. If you click 'like' on it, it will help me to win a scholarship to pay for my derby dues for an entire year! Would love the help in getting a great financial relief!

For the first bout, which occured between Mr. E's birthday and Stink's birthday, my mom and neice flew in from North Carolina. So while getting ready for our first bout (both skating and business wise) and planning birthdays, I also prepared for my family's arrival. Since it was my mom's first time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming during the summer, we did many touristy but fun activities. Below is a picture of when we rode horses up Snow King. It was beyond fun to be able to do all these things with my family. My mom said it was her dream to be able to ride horses with her children and their children, we were a little over half way there!

Also, during all this I was taking classes at the local community college. After switching majors once or twice, I have decided to finish my degree in marketing. I was able to get some experience at a previous job I held, and realized I had a natural knack for it and wanted to pursue it as a career. Each semester I take usually 3 classes towards this goal. I have been doing very well in college, and keeping my grades up (I get mad if they're anything lower than an A+) is sometimes challenging with the other obligations and responsibilities in my life.

Moving into fall. Stink, who turned 5 over the summer, entered Kindergarten. She's a little mini-me if ever there were one, a little spitfire- so she is loving school and all the new friends and activities that come with it. I also returned to school with a new set of classes and an English Lit class that is particularly difficult in course load and requirements. 

In October I traveled to North Carolina for two reasons: 1. my high school ten year reunion and 2. my dad's 50th birthday. To the right is a picture of me, my dad, my sister, and my brother in the frame. He's overseas right now and we took a lot of silly pictures with that framed photo of him, posted on social media, and chatted with him as if he was really there, since all of us have not been in the same place at the same time in a very long time. It sounds crazy, but it was super fun and we were able to get the entire family in on it. I'll post about that later. Originally the plan was my grandmother was planning a surprise party for my dad in Virginia (where I was born and a good portion of my extended family live) where I would "surprise" him. He had no idea I was even on the East Coast, it was something only a select few knew about. In the end he got sick the day of his party, so instead we dropped by his house later that night. Of course he was still surprised to see me walking into his living room, so mission: accomplished.

So as you can see, I have been super busy lately. However, I have not forgotten about SaMiE Designs. It is my baby. Well, my 5th baby I guess you could say. However, I have been giving the blog A LOT of thought. In the end, I have come to a few realizations. 1. I have been neglecting the blog during my busy time and need to make sure that doesn't happen again. 2. I really need to finish designing the blog to my liking and 3. SaMiE Designs is starting to go in a direction that I am not all together happy with. The world of blogging can be overwhelming and confusing, and I have been distracted by things I thought were necessary. Thus, a return to crafts, the original inspiration for the blog. Don't get me wrong, we will still have as many reviews and giveaways as I can reasonable handle. However, I miss doing crafts or sharing my experiences, thoughts, and comments in doing those things, so we will pull focus back to those things. There will be a few non-essential elements disappearing from the blog, little things that are time-consuming and not of high priority to me, the blog, or you- the readers.

I am reminded of what lies under the title of this blog, the tagline that is the mission statement of SaMiE Designs. It is a reminder, an inspiration, and a goal that should be continuously filled. 

If it's crafty, green, thrifty, easy or fun, we're in.

Fit Moms for Life Review & GIVEAWAY!!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

It happens to all moms, I believe. You're living your day to day then one day you wake up to discover your favorite jeans don't fit. Then you try on another pair. They don't fit either. You go through your entire closet and then it hits you, "What happened to my body?" "When did I gain all this weight?" "How am I going to lose it?"
 Having had four children, this has happened to me more than once. The latest experience was only a few months ago. In the past year I have changed jobs to a desk job, had surgery, and quit smoking: all experiences where weight gain is a major after-effect. When I finally got to the point of no clothes fitting me I looked in the mirror and gasped: I had gained FORTY pounds in the past year!

I was so excited to be chosen to review Fit Moms for Life, it came at just the right time for me! I quickly unraveled the package when it arrived in the mail and immediately began thumbing through it. I can't lie, I was skeptical that a MAN would write a book for WOMEN, much less for MOMS. However Dustin seems to fully understand moms and their desire to lose weight, as well as the obstacles they face in the average day to day life.

What I really loved is that this isn't another diet or workout plan, which is ultimately setting me up to fail. This is about changing your mind, changing your outlook, ultimately changing your life. You can't get this book thinking it's a magical cure, because it isn't. You have to be ready to change, and willing to put in the hard work to see the results.


This book is a great place for those who are willing to make the change in their lives for a healthier self, a healthier family, and a sustainable program. I am so excited to be able to offer one of these books (with its free exclusive content) to one of SaMiE Designs fabulous readers! Read below for more information!

More about Dustin Maher: Dustin’s inspiration to help moms comes from his nurturing upbringing and continued close relationship with his own mom. Dustin has helped thousands of women get in amazing shape all over the US and the world. He has been on TV close to 100 times and has been in many magazines, newspapers, radio shows, has over 250 YouTube videos, and over 450 articles and videos on his website. His website Alexa ranking around 300K and he has an email list of 7000K. Dustin is also hosting his own Fit Moms for Life talk radio show at http://webtalkradio.net/shows/fit-moms-for-life. To learn more, please checkout Dustin’s website at www.DustinMaherFitness.com.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Single Moms

For years I have faced up-hill struggles as a single mom. Each day there is a new barrier, a new battle to fight. I have to prove that I am not the stereotype that a few unfortunate single moms have set on the rest of us. The fact that I have been a mom since I was 18 does not help matters. No matter my IQ, college credit, or skills I have been judged by my circumstances. I think that some people truly believe that I chose to be a single mom, or that it is somehow, my fault. I really wish they would think about that more clearly. The ones who work hard every day are not the villains, they are the heroes. It is to that thought that I thought I would mess around with all those job description posts that have been making their way all over the internet. Here for your enjoyment is one on Single Moms.

And if you're a single mom, girl you rock and don't ever forget it!

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Running my First Webinar

One part of SaMiE Designs has always been to start my own consulting business. Specifically for Social Media, but since beginning the Blogger Sister program I have gotten more questions about blogging. I love sharing what I know, little or great, to others. 

I am hosting my first Webinar today entitled,

"Spreading the Word: Posts, Contests, and Linky Parties"


on Sunday, Feb. 26th at 7:00 MST

To join in on this Webinar please click here to register. It's a FREE webinar, I just like to know who is on the other side of the computer. 

Please leave comments below. Thanks for being there for my first time hosting a real webinar!

We'll be back momentarily..

I feel like it would serve me better to be transparent about a few things. So here it is: I am a little overloaded at the moment.At my job in the corporate world there has been...well, let's just say a transition.. that has left me running very tired, stressed, and in need of some quiet time.

I have this feeling that I look like this at the moment:

But let's be honest, shall we? I am a working single mother of four children who is starting her own product line and consulting business. No matter what I do, I'm pretty sure this is me any given day of the week:

I don't know what you might be thinking, so I am just going to pretend I do so that I can answer a few questions I know I would have if I were reading this post.

So are you saying you can't handle your commitments?
We've all thought it, let's be honest. I would like to specify that this is not the case. I am able to commit to my personal and professional endeavors. However, these are extenuating circumstances and I need to direct my attention to for the moment.

What does 'For the Moment' mean?
Well, in my mind when I say that I am thinking two weeks, plus or minus one. I can't give an exact date, but I do mean a short period of time.
 

What does this mean for SaMiE Designs?

Only that I will be doing more of the review and giveaway types of posts for a little bit.. (I know, sacrifices, sacrifices) I only need to take a pause from crafy-type stuff.


So what should I do?
Stick around, my friend. I still will be offering great reviews, awesome giveaways, and when I catch a second, a truly amazing craft post! Show your support by posting, commenting, and sharing!

2012 Sketchbook Tour

About 4 or so months ago I saw a posting through an affiliate association of my work's about a Sketchbook Tour Project. I was immediately attracted to the idea and read all the details. I asked for the Sketchbook project for my 27th Birthday, and my mom was so kind as to fulfill that Birthday request. I received my sketchbook approximately three months ago, knowing I had until January 31, 2012 to mail out the finished copy. Ideas begin floating around about what I could possibly do for the sketchbook. When I originally picked the theme "In Ten Minutes" my intent was that I would do ten minute sketches.

Then I decided I wanted to be more creative and make different pages of things you can do in ten minutes, like read a magazine, etc. Then my mom gave me the idea about a baby being born, a man proposing, with the thought of "huge life changes in 10 minutes."

I thought the idea was great and started thinking of the different pages I could do. At first I wanted to go with really powerful and controversial pieces, but after much thought I realized I didn't need to be so out of the box to get a message across.

In the end I decided to show the difference of things you can do in ten minutes, some are huge and meaningful, and some are otherwise defined as a waste of time. I would call this book "Comments on Society." And as an extra bonus, I would try out different mediums to make it diverse and interesting, for myself and for future viewers.

I started working on it immediately, then life got in the way and I kept saying, I'll do it this weekend, I'll do it tonight. Before I knew it, it was January 25th and I still had quite a few pages to do. I pulled it together and was able to get pretty much everything I wanted to do in the book and EVEN get the book mailed out on time. (For those that know me, this is why I was SO busy suddenly at the end of January!)

I did sign up for the digitized version of my book, seeing as how it will NEVER be returned, but just to be on the safe side I copied it before I sent it off. It's on its way to Brooklyn now, where it will be digitized and then go on the 2012 World Tour.

So here it is. Check it out and Enjoy!

The Front Cover, Done with Markers.

The Inside Cover, which explains the sketchbook and the Mediums used.

The first page, and my mom's suggestion. Done with Charcoal Pencils.

The Last Page I completed, a reminder to myself that I am thankful. Even if it's not November. Done with crayons.

Don't you just love those profile pictures that are made to look like they're "in the moment" when you know they spent forever on them? Done with an acrylic background and photos printed on copy paper.

There are ones that I did very simply. Art doesn't have to be elaborate to make a point. Grandma, if you're reading this... I "tagged" you in this one, lol. Done with colored pencils.

It's important to spend time on yourself. (Okay, I have trouble on this one sometimes) This was the first piece I started working on and it's a Victoria's Secret catalog cut up into pieces. :)

My son, Mr. E, was diagnosed with PDD/NOS (A high-functioning level of Autism) when he was four. He will be turning 9 this summer. I wanted to make a statement for Autism Awareness, and I think this came out pretty good. (Except when the modge-podge picked up pieces.) Done with chalk pastel, photos, and modge podge to protect. And apparently ruin. Imagine the irony.

I really wanted to comment on the whole 15 minutes of fame and the rise of reality superstars. Done with an acrylic background and pen.

I was so tired of hearing these comments about Pinterest, which I do think is awesome. So...... there you go. And I did it with Permanent Markers. It was a very stinky page.

I really had to add on to the last page to further the joke. (And also I was short on time, lol.)

The "About the Artist" page. Super well done, I know. :)

And finally the back cover, where I even continued the theme.

I hoped you enjoyed my sketchbook, now go on over to Art House Co-op and get your own sketchbook today!