Love Stitched Giveaway

A fantastic giveaway is happening over at Love Stitched - a Silhouette personal cutter!! Love!! And while you are there (ends Sunday night) - check out the rest of the blog for tons of crafty tutorials. She also has some GORGEOUS items in her Etsy shop!!

Decor Chick Giveaway

Fantastic giveaway at Decor Chick - a Silhouette personal cutter!! Woot!! While you are on her blog make sure to check out her other great posts. Love me some DIY decor!!

Moms Review 4 You Giveaway

Another Silhouette Giveaway at Moms Review 4 You! While you are there, check out the rest of the blog to get tons of great reviews from real moms!! Love it!

Thrifty Decor Chick Giveaway

Check out Thrifty Decor Chick for a chance to win a Silhouette personal cutting machine!! This cutter is super cool because it hooks up to your computer (no expensive cartridges!) and is SO versatile!!

While you are there - check out the TDC blog for "simple inexpensive ways to decorate your home". And in this economy... yay!!

Colie's Kitchen Giveaway

Head over to Colie's Kitchen for a chance to win a Silhouette personal cutting machine. Ah. Heaven!

While you are there make sure to check out the rest of her blog. She's got tons of recipes and product reviews. A fun way to spend a snowy afternoon!

Ridiculous!

It is pretty ridiculous that I don't own a die cutting machine. Me! The craftiest mommy in town. But the investment is just too high right now. So..... I'm hoping to win one!! Infarrantly Creative is giving away a Silhouette. *be still my beating heart* Check out the giveaway HERE.

Here's hoping!! :)

It's November.... time for those three dreaded words...

Christmas

Card

List.

Just the thought of it makes me shudder. Blech. All year long I get asked for photos of our family. I smile and say - just check facebook! (I have at least a million on there) But as DH's grandma pointed out - you can't pin facebook to the fridge. Ugh. She's got me there.

So as November begins I have to start wondering what to do about family pictures and Christmas cards. I know that people expect something crafty out of me. But the idea of hand making 50 cards... yeah, that's a no. I could just tuck some 4x6 photos into an envelope with a mass-printed Christmas letter (that no one really has the time to read anyway)... or.... there may be a better way??

For my college graduation in May I paid someone to design a custom photo invite. They turned out great. But the price added up. The fee to have them designed, the cost of printing, the cost of the envelopes. Blah. Not in the budget this season!!

I decided to look into cheaper, more efficient ways and... . *angels singing*... it's out there!! Shutterfly offers over THREE HUNDRED customizable Holiday Card options. *sigh*. Thank you Shutterfly!!! Major bonus? They get delivered right to my door. Or I can pay to have them addressed, stamped and mailed for me. Seriously?? Wow. It's a Christmas Miracle...

I'm toying between a few themes:

Option A:

I like this classic red/black look because it would go great with our family photo from my sister's wedding last month (She had a red/black color scheme so we are dressed to match!).

Option B:

A little untraditional with a bit of funk. I like it.

Option C:

Yep. This one rocks! I can skip the Christmas letter all together!!

But let's get your opinion... which one of the three would you go with? Better yet... check out all 330-and-something Holiday cards and decide for yourself!!

P.S. Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, follow the arrow à http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Recent Projects

It seems like all of my projects lately have been sewing. I have only been sewing for a few months so I am excited to jump into a whole new world of crafting!!

For my Birthday my sister-in-law gave me a gift card to Hobby Lobby. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!! I headed straight to the fabric section and picked out fun and bright fabric and coordinating bias tape to make a "cart apron" (as I like to refer to mine) using the one on Blue Cricket Designs as a model. I followed hers almost exactly except that I added another tier of pockets.

Now I can hold my coupon file, shopping list, coupons that I am going to use, coupons that I want to make sure not to forget about, a pen and a pocket for my keys/cell. I used it yesterday while on a HUGE and much over due shopping trip with both of my girls and it honestly made it so much easier!! Here's a pic of it in action:

I have also been "re-fashioning" some of our clothes. This first one was at one point a simple, yellow t-shirt that I had previously adorned with a fabric "tie" out of floral fabric. After a few times being worn, Bean worked her magic and stained the front beyond repair. I was at my sewing table cutting the ruined shirt up when inspiration struck!! I snipped and sewed, folded and sewed some more. Out of that icky stained t-shirt came this:

How adorable is this shrug!?!? And the ruffles/flowers cover every single one of the stains! If you can't tell... she digs it. :)
I also recently re-fashioned a t-shirt for my daughters' school. I am a board member for PTA and this is the t-shirt that we will be selling this year:

I am typically not a t-shirt wearer. The design of the shirt is fine (love the green!) but I'm not the kind of gal that finds t-shirts comfy. I don't like the tight neckline and odversized sleeves (they went down past my elbows... and not on purpose!!). Again... I snipped and sewed, added some ruffles and lace, removed the sleeves, cut them down and sewed them back on again. Nothin' like showing school spirit in style! :)

SO much better. It is actually really comfortable now! And the fun part is.... there is a big ol' Wildcat logo (our mascot) on the back of it .... in purple! Gotta be girly , even if we are Wildcats!!

* You can choose purple/white or black/white... Cuz that's how we roll. ;)

These are just a few of the things that I have been spending my time with. I really am quite smitten on sewing. I have loved being able to mend, re-make and create things that my family can use!

Have any of you cut up something and put it back together again?

Holiday Bake, Craft and Sew Along

I am very excited about this!! Although I have not been updating my blog in the last four months I have made TONS of stuff. Especially since school has been out. Mostly sewing but also some baking/cooking and some paper and crafty stuff. Whatever strikes my fancy! :)

I have also been reading TONS of blogs. Hundreds. At least. Oye... no wonder I haven't been blogging! But today I went over to a recent blog find called "eighteen 25" and she announced a Christmas countdown. I know, it's over 150 days away but it will be here quick. And I could definately used weeks and weeks of inspiration!! Check it out HERE!!

4 months?!?!

Wow. It's been four months since I blogged?!! What's the big news in those four months?? Check this out:

Yep!! I graduated!! I now have a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing!! And no job. Oye. LOL. So... if you know of an open job.... *wink, wink*

sew in love with....

... sewing!! I bought a new sewing machine last month and have been trying my hand at a few projects. I embelished a few of the girls' t-shirts, turned a pair of capris with stained knees into a new pair of shorts and turned clearance shower curtains into window curtains for my craft studio and the girls' room. But I have been wanting to learn how to really, REALLY sew... you know... more than just straight lines and 90 degree angles. So far.... I have made my younger sister a travel pouch for her toiletries (she's getting married in October so this should come in handy for her honeymoon to Hawaii!), a pouch for my older sister's sunglasses, a pouch for my friend's Gypsy chargers (shout out to Kristin!) and a really cool pouch to hold my ipod and headset. I also sewed Emily (she's my oldest, almost 8 years old!) a blouse!! And it's really good!! But I can't get her to try it on for a photo. Bleh. I'll keep on working on that but for now, here's a few photos for ya.

The first photo is a pin cushion that I made out of a soda bottle cap and some spare pieces of fabric, filling and ribbon. The coolest part is, you wear it as a ring!! Very cool. This is DD2 (Bean) modeling it for us. Don't you love the stubby little 5 year old hands?? :) Find the tutorial to make one of these adorable and useful pin cushion rings HERE.

This is the first pouch/bag thingie that I made for my little sister's trip:

I used felt to make a K monogram then hand stitched tulle ruffles down it and at the top right corner for some fun. And here's something on this bag that I am totally proud of:

My first zipper!! Pretty cool, huh?? Here's the bag that I made for my older sister. She's a bit of a sunglasses junkie so this bag can hold whatever sunglasses she chose for that day and can be tossed in her bag when she's inside. She loves frogs so when I saw this flannel print I knew I had to make her something with it:

And the last bag was for Kristin. It's around 7" square and has a draw string. I found this owl fabric at Hobby Lobby and I love it!!

I chose to give her a matted monogram (also out of felt) but no ruffles. This time I used the sewing machine to do the monogram (the other two were by hand) and it was SO much easier. The bag that I made for my ipod looks alot like this but with no monogram. The cool thing about my ipod pouch is that it actually has two sections on the inside. I sewed another piece of coordinating fabric in the center so that my ipod can go on one side and the charger/headset can go on the other side. But bc it looks so much like this one, I'm not going to take a photo. I will say... I love, love, love these cutie patootie owls!!

I'll keep working on Noodle to get her to pose for a pic. Until then... see ya soon!! :)

MIA - sort of

So... I haven't blogged much in the last... well.. forever. I have actually been making tons of stuff but not taking pics or posting. Sorry, I'm lame. I'm in the last 7 weeks of my undergrad (yay!) and working towards my May 15th graduation. I am also doing an amazing internship with DEAN & DELUCA in their Marketing department. I'm hoping to be back in full blogging swing after graduation.Until then, I'll leave you with this quote (that hits a little too close to home, lol!):

"Creative people make a mess, clean it up and make another mess!"
-- Timothy Leonard

Just a little somethin' I whipped up

I haven't done ANY scrapbooking or card making lately. But I HAVE gotten some new scrappy supplies from Scrappin' Time so hopefully I will get to spend tomorrow (Saturday) morning at my desk and finally get to CREATE something!

I have, however, been trying to re-do some of our house decor. We live in a rented space and sometimes it can feel a bit "lifeless", if you know what I mean. I have been scouring Target and Kohls for deals and have been hitting the jackpot lately!! Target is clearing out everything at 75% off - or more!! I am mid-process on many of these projects so I'll take pics when things get completed.

I also bought some super cheap ($1.50 each!) t-shirts from my girls. I have added ribbon and fabric to "spruce them up". When my models aren't sleeping (seeing as it's past midnight and I'm up and blogging away) I will take some pics of those for you, too. Promises, promises, right?

But here are some pics that I have NOW! While cleaning their bathroom I ended up with a pile of headbands. And I know that more are lurking (along with clippies) in every room of this house! So I set my brain to thinkin' and here is what I came up with:

I had a larger and smaller canvas on hand (from a "someday project" years ago). I covered each with tulle and hot glued it to the back. Then I wrapped ribbon/twine around them and added buttons!! My glue gun got a work out with this project!

Here is the pink (headband) one up close: At the bottom of both of them I nailed in "picture hanging" nails then bent them with my pliers to make a hook. This will let them hang larger (wider, etc) headbands. The top part is designed to let them slip their headbands over the top and they are stored away! The "blue" canvas will hold hair clips. I could only round up one cute one (not that I really looked all that hard, lol) and some "naked" ones I bought in order to decorate (I have 24 so maybe ya'll will get some pics of those sometime, too!). I bought this twine for $.05 at a thrift store! So I wasn't stingy with it... I wrapped it around over and over and over again. This leaves space for about a bazillion hair pretties to be displayed.

I know the close up doesn't show the bottom of the blue one but in the first pic you might notice that there are lots of the nail/hooks. They have several "pretty" rubber bands and that will be their new home. Now... to get on all fours and scour the house for the baubles and bows....

Felt hair clips

I have been seeing tons of little do-dads made from hand sewn felt. This week I got inspired and decided to try a few of my own to use as gifts for Valentine's Day. I made a few for my kids (ok... more than a few... lol...) that I'll show you sometime soon. But I also made these two to send to our cousins in Washington. The one on the left has a rubber band sewn to the back and the one on the right has a safety pin so she can put it on her back pack (she's a little old for "cutesy" hair clips). I cut everything out free form and used embroidery floss to embelish them. Here they are, inside the Valentines card (yes, I bought one... bleh... sorry to disappoint!):

I think that they turned out super cute. I mailed them out yesterday so I'm excited to hear how they like 'em. They are SO easy to make and use just scraps of felt so they are inexpensive. I also made a watermelon, ice cream cone, star and tons of hearts that I promise (cross my heart) to take pics of soon... be on the look out!!

Dotty Divas advert challenge #7

Dotty Divas has a new challenge up! Between now and February 14th submit a project using this ad as inspiration:

There's a great prize up for grabs and tons of room for inspiration. A layout, card, altered item, mini album, tag, cake, decor... whatever you want to make is a go! Head on over and check it out. A new challenge (which I will have a sample of) will be out on the 15th. See you there!

Funky Butterflies

I am posting this WAY late... it was for a challenge over at Dotty Divas. I used the advert to create this fun, bold layout:

I used a photo collage that I had made at Wallgreens (I had a free coupon but they are regularly only $3). Then all that I had to do was find butterfly clip art and print it off in graduating sizes. I colored them in using my sharpies. A quick Glitz sticker, some buttons and fake sewing lines (again, gotta love a fine-tipped sharpie) and I was done! Easy Peasy. Here's a close-up of the butterflies:

By only gluing the "bodies" down it makes them look like they are fluttering across the page. This is definitely one of my most favorite LOs... and it took less than half an hour! I love when that happens!!

Orange you glad it's not pink or red?!?

The Card Trends Blog currently has a challenge going on for "lovey dovey cards" that DON'T use pink or red! Ack! What? How in the world....

Well, I gave it a go and it was FUN! I am going to use this card to send to my cousin, Dawson (he's 9) for Valentine's Day. I think he'll love it (no pun intended). Check it out:

What do you think? Orange you glad it's not pink or red? oye.... lol.....

Bonheaur Necklace a'la Infarrantly Creative

Many, many months ago (November, to be exact) I saw a fantastic post at Infarrantly Creative on how to make a Bonheur Necklace. I bookmarked it and have kept it in my mind for... well, 3 months! I finally found the beads at the Goodwill a few weeks back and started my project. The necklace that I bought (for about $2) was originally a three strand choker. I took it apart, re-strung it and then set it aside. Today I finally finished it by making the organza flower. I didn't do any sort of tutorial because the post that I saw it on has a great step-by-step. Check it out by clicking HERE.
.

Without further ado, on my gorgeous model, my very own Bonheaur Necklace:
:

I love how it is asymetrical and the one flower where the two strands meet. I'm looking forward to a chance to wear this beautiful new piece... thanks Infarrantly Creative!!!!

Sutton Grace

Head on over to Sutton Grace for a fab blog-aversary give away. While you are there, check out her blog... I am a bit addicted. This blog is linked on my right-side tool bar and I hop over there several times a week... and have yet to be disappointed. Hurry over and enter before Feb 5th when she will announce the winners! (Thanks for the great give away, Erin!)

From Trash to Treasure

Lately I have been seeing tons of blog posts (mostly at a personal fave site, Blue Cricket Designs) revolving around re-purposing and re-crafting the old into new. This last Wednesday I was blog hopping (for HOURS... don't tell... shhhhh) and became personally inspired to give this a go. So Thursday I set out with a mission. Recently a new Goodwill opened up near my home (about 10 minutes away in the next town over) so I went to troll for trash. Yep... trash. Garbage. Nasty and useless. BINGO!! I found it!! Here is my find:
.

Ugly, right?? You aint seen nothin' yet... check out this close up:
:Yep... that's metallic mauve and teal fabric on that baby, ruffles and all! I'm not sure if you can see all of the dirt and stains (mold?) on the bow and along the top of the mirror frame but... let's just say that I had to wash my hands after the next step:

That's a whole lot of ugly!! Here's what I was left with:
.
I started by taking 2 sheets of 12x12" paper (Pink Paislees' Valentine's Day stuff) and cutting it into 1"x 6" strips. I started wrapping them around the frame (the thing with foam on it) one at a time. I attached them in the back using scotch tape. I overlapped each one slightly over the last until I made it all of the way around the frame, which surprisingly only took about 10 minutes. Then I tied one yard of ribbon around the top of the frame to create a hanger. I used hot glue to sandwich the mirror between the frame and the backer board. Here's the finished product:
.

Cute, right?? I'm not sure if you have you noticed yet but, I'm a sucker for polka dots!
.
And notice the cute little fox I stamped directly onto the mirror? He's so cute!! Here's a close up of the finished mirror frame:

That last pic shows you a great view of the strips of paper. I used stickles to randomly highlight some of the polka dots. I also took one of the strips of left over paper (I only had about 3 strips left over) and cut it in half. I folded each half accordian style and glued them over the green ribbon to add some depth.

I don't know about you but I love the way this turned out. It's going to look adorable hanging in noodle & bean's bedroom!!