Blogging break...

Hey everyone, I'm just popping in to say I'm taking an extended Blogging break...probably forever. I just have too many balls in the air, and something has to give. I've been doing this for 5? years now and I feel its time to let my blog go. Take care everyone and as always, happy crafting!!!

Lordy lordy…look who’s forty!

Me! Here is a picture of me when I was a little girl. My dad had taken me to buy new shoes and I got these boots. I still have the boots. I intend to make a shadow box with the boots and this picture…some day. I’m sure my mom sewed my dress, she made most of my clothes. I look back and see that there was crafty inspiration all through my life. It’s funny to think that I am way older now than my parents were when they took this picture. Well, I’m off to have a good day!!!

Happy Crafting!!!

It was a good day…

Thank you to all who came to our french-fry festival/Birthday party!!! Wasn’t it a great day?! All told we had about 50 people here and everyone had plenty to eat. Even too much to eat. We served, french fries, deep fried: cauliflower, broccoli, Oreos, candy bars, zucchini, sweet peppers, dough…and I don’t know what else. It kinda got to be a blur in the food department. smile. Abby was so happy to see each and every one of you…thank you, THANK YOU all so much!!!

Our wild and crazy life…

This summer has been one of the busiest that I can remember in my considerable history. And it ain’t over yet. This weekend we have our second annual french-fry festival…that will also be my daughter’s 18th birthday. You heard me she is EIGHTEEN!!! How did that happen? My middle child turns 15 five days after that, and three days after that I turn 40!  So three birthdays within 8 days…the french-fry festival will cover all of us, but mainly Abby. Cause I really don’t feel like celebrating 40…ya, woo-hoo! Your life is half over…woo hoo!! Blegh! My thirties have been insanely awesome…and from what I hear the 40’s are even better – I am looking forward to that part. I do enjoy having “older” kids now…my husband and I have a lot more freedom to date again. I expect that our 40’s will bring more travel…when the kids are just a little bit older. That I look forward to. However…I could do without the age spots and wrinkles. The gray hair has plagued almost since I turned thirty, so you’d think I was used to it by now…but I’m not. Gravity has not been kind either…sigh. I just want this birthday of mine over with so I can forget about it. For the past few years when people ask how old I am and I tell them they’ve said “Oooo, you’re almost 40!” It will be nice to have that behind me and not something to look forward to.

In the crafty news, I’ve been playing with my score board…

Yeah…I don’t know what I’ll do with them either…maybe make a few cards or something…\

Happy Crafting!!

PS: If you haven’t heard from me about the french-fry festival…this is your official invitation! Call me for times, or stop by some time Sunday afternoon. Have a great weekend!!

Button Bracelet…

Here is another project we are going to make at a Bazaar craft night…

Button bracelets! I love how jingly they are and somehow cheerful. I’m sure there are a bazillion tutorials out there, but if you want to make one and run into trouble email me…I’m always glad to help!

In other news, I acquired one of these this weekend – A Martha Stewart Scoring Board -

I can’t wait to play with it…

Happy Crafting!!!

Wool Softies

A very, very, VERY nice woman who is on the Bazaar committee with me gave me a book at our last meeting! This one!!!

It was so hard to pick what to make first…but I had to make a couple of the adorable owls right away. The little mouse is a work-in-progress for my son. I think that little guy is worth three (?) of his current stuffed animals…don’t you? I sewed everything by hand. Just a simple backstitch to make the body. I thought the book was very easy to understand, and the pictures are gorgeous! Have a great weekend- Yay…crafting!!!

Happy Crafting!!

Crafting-Schmafting

We held a three day Girl Scout yard sale here…in the rain…and the heat…with very few customers. Bummer.

I got a raging summer cold…during the garage sale…in the heat…and the rain…with a fever thrown in for a little extra fun. Bummer.

I have about six loads of laundry to do today and some really dirty floors to deal with. Bummer.

There is a heat advisory in our area for the next few days. Bummer.

My nephew had to have some pretty major surgery and I couldn’t be there. Bummer.

My nephew is doing GREAT! Yippee!!!

I have central air-conditioning! YIPPEE!!

I’m on my third load of laundry! YIPPEE!!

My fever is gone and my cold is getting better! Yippee!!!

I have leftovers for supper! YIPPEE!!!

I went to the library and we had a quick craft-session, with nothing planned, so we just had fun! Yippee!!!

Bookmarks for the library to sell.

Now, maybe, just maybe I can make something…tomorrow! YIPPEE!!!

TMTD…

(Too much to do!) We had a lovely weekend! I took the kids swimming on Friday. We (as a family) took my parents, sister and her husband and two of her children, and a friend on a launch on Mille Lacs lake on Saturday evening. No pictures. I need my mom and sister to email the pictures they took to me (hint hint!) I still can’t believe we got my nephew, who is afraid of kittens and puppies, to eat a leach! When I say “we” I don’t mean me! Sunday we took the kids to a minor league ball game…

It was a beautiful, sunny 90 degree day! We found shade and sat there. Or I would have died. Or fried!

If I stare at my older son too long he says “Take a picture, it’ll last longer”. So when I try to get a picture, this is what I get! He’s going to regret this some day…what a brat.

My little guy has no problem mugging for the camera! I think it’s funny that you can see me taking the picture (and my hubbie) in the reflection of his sunglasses, and the ball field! If I would have realized this we could have played around with the camera a little more!

And, my newest obsession, BRAIDING! I know, I know, I’m a little ADHD with crafting…but it is always so much fun to learn new skills!!!! I have big plans for braids…now I just need the time! We have a full week ahead of us. I babysit Monday through Friday with an extra baby all day on Wednesday. And, we are having our Girl Scouts garage sale at my house Thursday through Saturday! AND I have a couple meetings thrown in just to keep me on my toes. Anyone want to come and help? Mom?!

Happy Crafting!!!

Quilled Cards…

I quilled these cards for the library’s store…

I got the patterns from Craftcreations.com.

(Yes, this card is different from the top one…)

In other news, I don’t think I’ve been this busy in a long, long, long time! Just when I think I can’t possibly handle anything else…something else comes along. smile. The good news is that I’m eating less and moving more! Clothes are starting to fit better!!

We are busy little bees raising money for our Girl Scout trip to Houston. We bagged groceries over the 4th of July weekend and paid off $256.00 more into each of our accounts. Now Abby only owes $138.00 and I owe $399.00. I think we are actually going to be able to pay everything up with our fundraisers!

Then we were in the parade on the 4th of July. Can’t remember seeing us? Let me refresh your memory…we were the float that had the crazy, sweating, yelling woman running beside it. She was yelling at her husband (at the top of her lungs) to SLOW DOWN!!! She was racing bags of ice cold water to the Girl Scouts and racing empty bags back to the float to be refilled and she lost her mind…more than once. She knows people on the parade route could hear her…but she didn’t care, she yelled again. That blasted float was going too fast!!! Did her husband think she had wheels instead of feet? I think at one time he told her to jump on her broom, that then she could keep up just fine…I think she should be locked up for a nice long rest…

Full disclosure: That “crazy woman” was, sadly, me…my reputation in this town will never be the same…Oh – and my husband never said anything out loud about a broom – his eyes said it…we’ve been married a long time…I know what his eyes are saying…

Happy Crafting!!

Blogging Break...

First of all, have a safe and awesome 4th of July!!!

Second, I'm so busy my head is spinning. I've raced a little over two hours south two times this week to bring Abby to camp, and then to pick her up. Plus I've had four separate meetings this week that have averaged 2 and a half hours each. Tomorrow and the next day I will be bagging groceries as a fund raiser for Girl Scouts...for 6 hours each day...plus drive time and taxi service after. Then there is the prep work to be in the parade in our home town. Well, you get the idea. Grandma Mary I sure hope you can make it this year...it's going to be a fun day!!!! And after the parade we can SIT!!!! I have to get back to laundry detail now...I think dirty clothes breed more dirty clothes when we aren't looking...

Oh yeah! The picture of wood is from my trip to the dump on Wednesday!!! I got that and two brand new sleds for this winter...and one other thing I will show after it gets some tlc...

First Tomato!!!

Sorry for the cruddy cell phone picture…but I was lucky to get a picture at all! I can’t wait to eat this tomato!!!! I’ve never had a tomato ripen so early!

And another bad picture of the lovely peonies. (If you see me strolling through the neighborhood with clippers look the other way…or guard your flowers! lol)

No time for crafting this weekend. I got the decks and outdoor furniture sealed, and my knees and hands and jeans and shoes…lol. I went to an awesome grad party, went fishing on Mille Lacs. (We couldn’t keep the fish pictured below, it was too big and too small to keep. Weird rules. Of course, we caught a few of these.)

Went to a birthday party and brought Abby to camp. Phew. Now it’s Monday and Monday madness has begun again. I remember hearing/reading about “the long lazy days of summer”…huh? I think it’s a fairy tale.

Happy Crafting!!!

Needlefelted cuff bracelet and altered book…

I’ve been working on this bracelet for the bazaar, the center of the flower is a sparkly button and the bracelet closes with a magnetic snap. It is very comfortable to wear and easy to get on and off…I can’t wait to run it past the bazaar ladies next week and get their input! I have a few more of these in the works. (gotta hurry here the sun is out and I have to get outside!)

I’ve been working on altering this book for the library store.

I added a recycled three ring binder thingy to the spine…(thank you Julie for keeping your eyes peeled for these binders to recycle!!!)

Covered the inside of the front cover and back cover with scrapbook paper and also added a couple pocket pages. My dilemma is what to do with the outside? I kinda like it just the way it is…and yet I wonder what it would/could look like all painted and sanded…I’m really torn…so I’ll probably just leave it as is. I can experiment on another book that doesn’t have such a clean cover.

Now I have to get outside and pressure wash the decks again! It’s been days and days since we’ve had any sunshine…even though I hate redoing a job that was already done (and done well)…it’ll be nice to be outside!!!! Yippee!!!

Happy Crafting!!!

Nothin much…

No crafting over the weekend…we were just too busy. Well, no completed crafting over the weekend. My little guy and I have started a couple projects, but I have a feeling it could take us a while to complete them. It is interesting to challenge my little guy and see how he responds when something isn’t going his way. He’s learning that it isn’t always easy to get “what is in your head” to look like what is in your hands. He is learning patience. He is learning that all “talking” and no “doing” doesn’t get results. I am also learning new levels of patience. heh heh…

Happy Crafting!!!

(I planted peonies somewhere around 8 years ago and after getting just one bloom last year, and none the previous years…I have 9 blooms this year!!!!)

Paper flowers…mostly

I.Have.Been.So.Busy! Lately it’s been one thing after another. Every day has been a good, even great, day but they are long and busy. I keep thinking I have to get this or that done before I can craft.

• Clean the shed-check!
• Power wash the decks-check!  (But now birds have pooped all over them before I could get them sealed…)
• Plant bushes-check!
• Get caught up on laundry-check! (Who am I kidding, in two days it’ll be all over the place again.)
• Clean upstairs-check!
• Get Abby signed up for camp-check!
• Clean office-nope
• Clean front entry-nope
• Get rid of pile of bikes-nope
• Go to the dump with yard debris-nope (For some reason hubby is reluctant to let me go to the dump…)
• Get rest of finish off couch and chair-nope (Darn weather!)

But, I now have people counting on my crafts…so I have to make them a higher priority. It will take a while before I find the balance. Why are people counting on my crafts? Well, because I am now on the Spirit of Christmas Bazaar committee for my church. Also because I’ve recently been nominated/elected/coerced (smile) to be a part of the craftiness that is happening at my local library. Both of these places are very important to me and near and dear to my heart. Church is church, and has always been important whether here or other places I’ve lived. But now, as an adult, I feel the need to “give back” and the Bazaar is the perfect place for me. The ladies I have the privilege of working with are so talented! They are also kind and funny and it has been a real joy to get to know them! The library was the first place I “got to know someone” when I moved to this town over a decade ago. They are a private library (not publically funded) and now are looking for other ways to generate some revenue. They are opening a used bookstore and will have a crafty section dedicated to crafts with old books.

 

This was made with old books and a pattern by mmmcrafts. I wanted to see how easily it would go together. We will be getting together as a group to make things for the library store and there will probably be all levels of skills. This was pretty easy. Now I have to email her and ask permission to make some for the store. (Cause that is what you have to do…don’t forget to ask permission if it isn’t your original pattern)

Here are some flowers I made using book pages. Now I just have to figure out what to do with them…they are a bit labor-intensive for a card (all that cutting with scissors) but I suppose I’ll get faster as time goes on…

Here is the start of some bracelets I’m needlefelting for the church. It’s just a start. I still have to figure out how to clasp them…and it would be nice if the clasp was “adjustable” because not all wrists are the same size…

I go to bed at night and my brain will not stop whirling…it is almost annoying. It is time for some personal growth and time to push myself creatively. Well, I’ve jumped in with both feet now…I can’t wait to see what happens!!!

Painted shelf

I finished the shelf for my son’s room.

I knew I’d be painting more paper airplanes and this seemed like the perfect project for them!

I can’t wait to hang it in his room today, it will look so good against his apple green walls! I’ll try to take some pictures of the shelf after it is installed.

When I was outside taking pictures of the shelf I noticed this guy hanging around…!

Julie, I’m sure you know what this is, can you tell me in the comments? I LOVE this color of green and the purple bit along the top…really cool!!!!

Happy Crafting!!!!

Craft Drought…

I spent one day this week running errands, another day really cleaning my house, the next pressure washing my decks and other yard work, and the next (yesterday) cleaning the upstairs. Cleaning the upstairs (where my kid’s bedrooms are) became a 6 hour event. Holy smokes. I’ve warned the messiest that if he can’t keep his room clean…I’m going to donate anything I find on the floor to the thrift store. No matter how hard it is. Even if I made it for him. Now I have to follow through. Grrrrreeeeeaaaaaatttttt This is the only crafty thing I have for you today, if you have tiny little flowers and no vessel small enough not to swallow them, fill the vessel with little tiny rocks. Kind of a “duh” but there you go! I’m painting a shelf for the youngest today…while I wash the FOUR baskets of dirty clothes taken from upstairs…actually…the youngest is going to wash most of them…and fold them…and put them away…It’s going to be a loooong day. smile.

Happy Crafting!!!

Where does the time go?

For some reason I was compelled to needle felt a strawberry last night. And as you can see I still have a ways to go. Gotta get those fuzzies felted in.

And here is a bunny in progress. (He’s been in progress for a while…)

There just hasn’t been much time for crafting these days. The kids are home from school and it is busy activity all the time. Well, that’s not exactly true…but when there isn’t busy activity we’re resting up. Today I have to go “to town” and get some stripper for the couch and chair I’m refinishing. I’ve sanded as much as I can and it’s time to try something else. I’ve also found that I greatly overestimated the amount of denim I have on hand to slip-cover the cushions so I want to price that too. If the stripper doesn’t work out I’m going to paint the couch – red? or white? We’ll see.

Happy Crafting!!!

More necklaces…

I’ve been painting more necklaces…all of these need to be drilled and some of them need their coat of acrylic. I particularly like this one:

I know I’ll be painting paper airplanes on everything now…I really love them!

This cute little robin caught my youngest son’s eye and he came running in the house yelling “MOM GET YOUR CAMERA!” So I did…

There just hasn’t been much time or, to be honest, much drive to craft any more than what you’re seeing. Today I get to clean my house because I am hosting my book club tonight. How we managed to destroy a clean house in one day is really beyond me…the fact that I’ve spent the morning unclogging my kitchen sink might have something to do with it. Abby thought it would be OK to put a good quarter pound of hamburger down the sink…grrrrr.

I really do love painting these little tiles…I can just dab away here and there…and it doesn’t take up much room. If any of you have any ideas for cute little images that I’m capable of painting let me know. Well, back to the kitchen sink…

Happy Crafting!!!

Necklace and card…

I got these little wooden pieces at a garage sale and decided to turn them into pendants. Here is one painted with the over-used owl. smile. But I love these little guys!

Here is one painted with a mushroom and spider. It still needs to be glittered and sealed.

I am going to a baby shower this weekend and made a card. You can find the pattern here. (Thank you for the pattern!) I can’t wait to buy my digital cutter…but this one was cut by hand…

Well, that is about it! Today is my daughter’s last day of school, because she is a Junior (a Junior!) she gets out a week earlier than the rest. She is very excited! I think we’ll have a nice time together next week…I’ll have to think of something special.

Happy Crafting!!!

Craft Funny…

We will have to make do with some cruddy pictures…there is no sunshine to speak of here. I do however have a house, unlike many who lived through tornados over the weekend…God Bless you all!!!

I saw this idea for a succulent ball and really loved it. Had to try it. I picked up two mini hanging baskets with coconut liners at my local Dollar Store and was raring to go! Heck, I even thought they would make great Mother’s Day presents. Mothers, be glad I didn’t follow through…cause this is what you would have ended up with! Here is how it is supposed to look!

In my defense, I didn’t want to add any more Hen and Chicks until I knew they would root in the coconut liner. Cause that sucker is so thick the roots don’t even touch the dirt inside. The dirt that got everywhere when I tried to put the two halves of the baskets together…right before company was coming…in the kitchen…sheesh! It’s been a few days now and they haven’t blown off so maybe I’ll add some more…or maybe I’ll just plant them in the garden and try again next year! Click on the picture to be taken to the link if you are brave enough to make your own…

Over the weekend I got to go to a few garage sales. At one there was an awesome table of free stuff and I picked up:

and

I can’t wait for Valentine’s Day to set up the centerpiece, it looks as though it has never been used! And the bottom picture is an embroidery patterns that includes the fabric and floss. It is printed in another language so I’ve been trying to figure out which embroidery floss goes where…I think I have it. It will really brighten up my office when it is done…I love orange!

Happy Crafting!

Painted bowls, coasters, and wooden tiles…

It has been a busy week, but I find if I leave my paints and something to paint on at the kitchen table there is always time to paint…I get a lot done while browning hamburger…These paintings are up to six layers of paint thick! It takes time for the paint to dry between coats…

My wooden coasters are coming along…I now have two painted…

Only thing left is to clean up the outsides and the edges…

I liked the colors so much I also painted this bowl…and left the background natural. I LIKE it…this will only work for some of the bowls though.

And since that was so much fun I started painting wooden tiles…cause I’m gonna run out of bowls…I want to put a pithy saying in the blank area…how about “Food or Foe”?

I loved adding the dots…made it more frilly. I had two consultants ages 10 and 8 giving me advice…they have wonderful advice! They don’t know the “rules” and aren’t afraid to break them! I have three more wooden tiles in the works…it’s great practice…I learn something new every time I paint…only problem is that I forget what I learned and have to relearn every time!

Happy Crafting!!!