Crafty Goodness

I wish I had this many days off in a row more often! I'm actually getting around to all the projects I've been wanting to work on, and it feels GREAT. Too bad the next few weeks will be all work and no play!

Tonight I decided to make some wall decor for my friends nursery.

I started off with two unfinished wood craft squares from Hobby Lobby.

Gave them two coats of white acrylic paint:

I measured the small square on the top to be 4x4, so I cut out two pieces of scrapbooking paper that size. Then I whipped out the good old Cricut, and cut out two images from the Cindy Loo cartridge 3 inches tall.

Then it was time for Mod Podge to secure the paper and cutouts to the wooden squares.

The end-product?

Cute wall decor for under $5!

After those were done, and the glue was drying, I decided to tackle a mini-project!

I love my camera. It's my baby, I treat it as such. However, I was getting very bored with the Canon camera strap. The back, while strong, hurts when it rubs up against your neck for too long, say when you're photographing a wedding. I decided to sew a sleeve to cover the strap, and add a little more excitement to it! It took about 5 minutes to do, which was nice, and it was a perfect fit to the width of the strap.

I'm obsessed with polka dots, so this fabric from my stash seemed fitting! I want to make a few more camera straps so I can switch them out as I please, though next time, I think I will try to put some quilting batting in there too for some extra cushion! All in all, I'm a happy camper, and this will do just fine for now!

What projects are you working on? Care to share? :)
Linking Up To:

Gettin' Crafty!

For Christmas, my mother got me what I've now determined is one of the greatest toys ever...

The GREEN Cricut Expression! I've been wanting one of these babies for a while now, and I had never seen the color machines! It apparently comes in purple, yellow, and turquoise as well! Today I finally installed the blade kit, and just had a ball cutting random things out to figure out how everything works. There are a LOT of features on these machines though, so I have a feeling it will be a while before I feel like I know what I'm doing with it. 

I was feeling crafty today, so I decided to make the burp cloths I have been planning on making for my friends upcoming baby shower on February 5th. I used THIS Tutorial to do this project, and it was super easy and didn't take a lot of time, OR cost a lot of money.

Here is the end product!

Sewing in a straight line wasn't my strong suit tonight, but you can barely tell that they are a little crooked unless you're inspecting them!

Then I brought out the Cricut, and made a little tag to put on the front of them and tied it all together with a green ribbon!

I probably could have been a bit fancier with the writing on the tag, but I got lazy! I still think the bundle looks adorable, and I know she will appreciate it. 

I know it's a day early, but I'm linking up to :

INTRODUCING

The Desk! It's here at last. One big old computer desk, CHECK.  It is going to be a huge project for sure!

Check out that dust! And the lovely bubbles my dear nieces spilled all over the top of it. Definitely in need of some new drawer pulls and knobs. One is broken, and the rest are just ugly!

Here it is after a good scrub down. Which is all I could do today, since I just got home from work 20 minutes ago! I'm glad I started cleaning it before I went to work, or else it would have taken much longer. With the help of some water and some disinfectants, the bubbles and dust are no more. 

Next step: PAINT!

Hopefully I will find some time next week to paint it up all nice. Then comes the fun parts!

Excitement!

So tomorrow while I am at work, my hubby and my cousin are going to pick up the old desk at my mother's house that will become my craft/sewing desk after I fix and clean it up! They are under strict orders not to do anything to it, as I want before and after pictures of this process!

Is it sad that I'm this excited over this?

Laura's Baby Shower - March 28th, 2010

After a month or so of going back and forth on decor and invite ideas, Laura's baby shower has come and gone. She absolutely loved it, and I got a lot of compliments on the color choices and the decorations. Figured I would share some pictures of it, as I found all my inspiration by peering onto other people's blogs :)

The food and gift tables as well as the banner that I had printed using graphics from My Grarfico - Alisha McConnell

Balloons - We had blue hearts saying "Baby Boy" a handful of Mod Monkey balloons, and some banana bunch balloons.

Plastic Coconut bowls filled with Banana runts

The Welcome posted I designed and printed using vistaprint.com

The favors - cleaned out baby food jars with the labels removed. Hot glued fabric and ribbon to the lid, and printed out labels. The jars are filled with pastel colored Sixlets candies, and more banana runts

The awesome frame my boss made! I didn't get a picture after we put the ultrasound picture in it though :(

The cake was delicious! Bought the sitting baby cake topper at Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the little stuffed monkey from Target's toy section

The centerpieces for the table. The planter pots doubled as prizes for the raffles we held during the shower. I wanted something that was reminiscent of a palm tree, but wasn't one of those tissue paper ones, so ostrich feathers took that place and I love love love how they came out.

A bundle of monkeys for the "head table" i.e. the family table.

Presents galore!

All in all the shower was a success! everyone had a great time and baby Luca has officially been showered! He is scheduled to arrive at the end of the month!

XOXO

-V

Fun Times With Etsy!

After having such a blast designing invitations for the two baby showers, I opted to try designing more things. Turns out, I really enjoy it! So I am now starting to offer digital files for sale on Etsy!

Of course I will be listing more items than just digital files in the future, but this is a ton of fun for now!

Hop on over and take a peek if you would like!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/anewmrs

Hope everyone is doing fantastical!
XOXO

One Down!

Sunday I went to my mother's house so we could do a test run on one of the purses we want to eventually sell. I needed a new bag, so we made one for me! It turned out great. It's really roomy, and I love that I got to pick the fabric out :)

There is the finished product!

Annnnd a random cute picture of Riley through the screen wanting to come back inside!

New Year, New Business Venture

After many sewing lessons with my mother, and just general crafty experimentation, we have decided to try opening an etsy shop together. I'm very excited about this! I've wanted to have some creative outlet to clear my mind on the days I am off from my other jobs, so this seemed like the best thing for us!

I'm having so much trouble coming up with a name! I didn't think it would be that hard, but it for sure is!

We went and hit Joann Fabrics, and Hancock Fabrics big sales last weekend, to stock up on some fabric, and we are starting the actual sewing tomorrow. We are going to start out with purses. Totes, clutches, and hobo bags. We can watch how that goes, and then expand later on!

Once we have built up a decent amount of items, we are considering entering some of the craft fairs around our area in IL. My boss crochets, and said she would be willing to split booths/tables with us to lower costs for all parties involved if we want, so that was a sweet offer!

I've been slowly catching up on all of your blogs. I'm sorry to have been so absent lately!

Hope everyone is doing well!

XOXO
-V

New Years Resolutions!

My new years resolution is to be a better blog mommy! I've been so busy I haven't had anytime to update since before Christmas! Now that the holidays are over, work and life are slowing down drastically.

The holidays were nice, everyone loved their gifts :)

Here are the neck pillows I made for the ladies :)

Now that it's the new year, me and my husband are talking about all the things we would like to accomplish this year! When the list is done I will put it up here and get to work :)

Hope everyone had a great holiday and new year!

XOXO

Poor Man's Wreath

So naturally, we're a little on the broke side. Happens a lot during this time of year! I came to the conclusion that we needed some additional Christmas cheer in the house, so I made us a wreath to hang in our big window in front!

The Wreath!

Hendrix likes to help

The Embellishments

Decorated Wreath

Ribbon

And a bow to top it all off!

Cost Wrap-Up:

Wreath : $5.99 (Joann Fabrics)

Help From Hendrix : FREE!

2 Silver Picks : $0.58 (Joann Fabrics)

4 Red and Green Picks : $1.16 (Joann Fabrics)

2 Feather Picks : $1.98 (Joann Fabrics)

Ribbon : $1 (Dollar Tree)

Total Cost: $10.71

Next year I want to try an ornament wreath, ribbon wreath, or feather wreath, but until then, this will do juuuuust fine :)

Stockings!

Today I had the day off, so I decided to go over to my mothers house, and we finished the stockings we started a few weeks back, so that I can hang them up :) I love how they turned out. I made one for myself, one for my hubby, and one for Riley. I loved the stockings I bought for the cats last year, so I didn't have the heart to replace them this soon :)

There are all 5 of the stockings :)

And a better shot of the 3 that we finished making today :)

I am one happy camper!

XOXO

-V

Holidays

I can't believe how fast this year has just BLOWN by. Next week is December. DECEMBER! How did this happen?!

I came home from work tonight to my wonderful husband steam cleaning the hell out of the few rooms that we haven't put wood floors in yet. The carpets look amazing, and I'm thankful that I have someone that will do that without even being asked! I was planning on doing it Monday, as I'm hosting a Girls Night In on Tuesday night with some of my ladies.

I went and bought my ornament for the Nestie July 09ers this morning before I went in to work, and I sincerely hope that she likes what I've picked for her :) I plan on putting it in the mail Tuesday AM.

I also picked up a couple ornaments for myself, since we have so few, and I don't want a nekkid tree.

I also went in search of a coat rack for our dining room (which is attached to the kitchen, and the backdoor of the house)

After determining I couldn't find one that I liked I wound up with THIS:

The wrapping paper I originally just bought because I thought it was pretty paper to wrap gifts in. After a couple minutes though, I decided that I may use some of it to spruce up this coat rack, so it's not so plain. We are planning on spray painting it either white, or a dark dark brown, and then I will decorate :) I love little personal touches.

Monday I'm planning on putting up our tree and decorations, which I'm excited about. I love all the extra color it adds to a home! More photos to come then!

XOXO

-V

Life, or something like it!

Ahhhhhh, finally a week without too much work in it! And a few days off to boot! One of the many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving! Next week is also a pretty light week, so I'm workin on getting those creative juices flowing again :)

The weather is finally switching from a VERY warm fall, to Winter type weather. I am not sure how I feel about this. Snow is a beautiful thing, but I hate driving in it. It's best for me when I'm looking out my window at it, nice and warm.  I hate that it is now pitch black by 430 or 5 PM. Makes it feel like the day is already completely gone. However, I love taking photographs in the winter time, so that is for sure an upside :)

I started my Christmas shopping this past Sunday. Partially online, and then me and my mother went out shopping. I got some great deals on the items I am purchasing, but many of my gifts are going to be handmade this year. As I type this, I am waiting for the first layer of paint to dry on my recipe box for my grandmother. I haven't quite decided what to Mod podge on to it, but I figure once I see it fully painted, something great will come to me :)

I was very excited to find a US Marine Corps Snuggie on www.harrietcarter.com, as my grandfather is a proud marine, and we have gotten him all the Marine Corps items we could find over the years.

Upon further discussion on our home situation, we have decided to stay where we are. What it came down to was when I have a child, what school I would feel comfortable sending him or her to. We have worked out a fantastic deal, and are starting to upgrade the house further in February 2010.

So that's my update! I plan on getting my booty in gear with crafting, and then soon decorating for Christmas!

How are all of you doing?

XOXO-
V

Oh Blankie Where Are Thou?

So today I finally sat down and finished my blanket. Easy project I know, but it felt good to finally cross one thing off my list! It's extremely warm, and I've been snuggling under it since I pulled it out of the dryer. I was right, took about 5 minutes to pin, and 5 minutes to sew.

Winter, bring it on! Now I have TWO layers of fleece to fight you with :)

Midnight Madness!

And no, I'm not talking about the awesome 80s movie!

I'm talking about this:

For those Crafters out there, there are some amazing sales going on at Joann Fabrics!

If you're into fleece and flannel (which I most certainly am)

Blizzard Fleece Prints and Solids are 60% off

Snuggle Flannel prints and solids are 60% off

Buy 1 Get 1 Free Thread (best time to stock up!)

50% off plastic storage containers(trying to get organized anyone?)

$0.99 McCall's Patterns

5 for $0.95 open stock scrapbooking paper

Ohhh I was in heaven! Just figured I would share. I came home with some fun new scrapbook paper patterns, and 7 yards of flannel today. I will take $2.39 a yard over $5.99 a yard flannel anyday!

 

 The flower one is to make neck pillows for some of the women in my family as christmas gifts. The owl and bird flannel I don't even KNOW what I'm going to do with yet, but it was so cute I couldn't help myself. Same with the cupcakes.

I'm a sucker for cute fabric!

Rest In PIece... Trusty Glue Gun

WAHHHH

I sit down to make one of my wreaths today. Plug in Mr. Glue Gun. He refuses to heat up!

Just when I get some ambition to finish something.

And to top it off, I was going to go by a new one, but the weather is so rainy and crappy that I don't want to go outside because the bottoms of my pant legs will get all wet, since I'm too short for 98% of the pants I own. I'm also very whiny today. Inexplicably.

I rate today as : LAME.

Minus the good TV watching coming my way tonight.

C.D.D.

Ohhh I have it. Crafting Defecit Disorder! I have all these ideas, and they are ready to be made, but haven't been able to actually sit down and complete anything! Work contributes heavily to that, as I am working more hours than I'm used to. I figured if I made a list of the things I want to get done, maybe I have a better chance of finishing them! So here goes (I will update later with pictures, I'm too lazy to even take the pictures right now!)

1 - New fleece blanket! I got some of the cutest fleece ever to make a blanket out of. Sitting down and sewing it would probably only take me 10 minutes, so this will more than likely be the first one done.

Fabrics Chosen:

2 - Fall wreath. I had a 25% off your entire purchase Michael's coupon that I used to gather all the supplies I could need or want for this.

3 - Recipe boxes! I'm making recipe boxes for the ladies in my family for Christmas gifts (as they alll love to cook!). Once again, have all the supplies, just don't have the time to sit down and complete all of them.
* I know nobody wants to think about Christmas yet, but I like to have a goooooood jumpstart on my shopping before October even hits. Call me crazy, because I might be.

4 - I want to sew a more comfortable camera strap than the one I've got right now, since I lug my camera everywhere. I have yet to get fabric to do this. UPDATE 9/16/09: Got the fabrics :)

5 - Start making stock for the Etsy shop that I hope to open before the holidays hit.

6 - Make myself a new pincushion. Mine has seen better days!

7 - Finish making Christmas stockings. They are all cut out, and waiting to be sewn!

This is only some of what I want to do. Add the Beach themed room craft projects onto this, and I have way too many ideas, and not enough hours in the day.

I'm off Monday... so hopefully I will wake up inspired!

Just Beachy!!

After our honeymoon to Cancun, I completely fell in love with tropical/beachy themes. It inspired me to redecorate my office and use a beach/sea kind of theme in it! Here is a picture of the room:

To Do List for Office/Crafting Room:

• Re-drywall, whoever put the drywall in this room did a horrible job. You can see seams and patching all over the place.
• Take down Stucco ceilings, and drywall those too. This Stucco is AWFUL, and it must go.
• Replace trim around ceiling and doorways
• Change ceiling fan, that thing has to be 30 years old! The shades are white with little blue flowers on them. Maybe I can talk my dear husband into a fun leaf ceiling fan, or just get a plain white one and call it a wash.
• Change out switchplate and outlet covers, they are currently a coppery color that I'm not a fan of.
• Replace carpeting with hardwood (this will be one of the last things we do, but hubby does hardwood floors for a living, so it's only a matter of buying materials.) Plus, we want to do hardwood throughout the whole house, minus my massage therapy room and the bedroom, so it can definitely wait.

We will be getting rid of the piano on the right (since it was my mom's, we have no use for it, and she doesn't want it anymore) and putting in an old computer desk (once we're done refinishing it) to serve as my craft and sewing desk. This will wind up being another post when we start working on it, as there are a lot of changes to turn the old desk into a masterpiece. I don't have pictures, it's currently in my mothers basement.


We replaced the curtains with these:

 

From Bed, Bath & Beyond - $14.99 per panel

Calypso sheer panels in sky 

I didn't think to get that curtain rod with the starfish on it...but I may go back to get it.

We are painting the walls a sandy color, ones we like so far are:

Glidden - Oyster Shell

Glidden - Navajo Sand

Valspar - Riviera Dune

We have not purchased any yet, we are still deliberating!

I have lots of leftover seashells from our honeymoon, so I'm going to make a few of these, inspired by Linds over at  That's So Cuegly (Seriously her stuff is amazing, and you should check out her blog!)

I would also like to make a couple of them covered in blue (to match the curtains) and white feathers.

 

I guess it is time to break out the old glue gun!

Adventures Of The Dog Bed - Part 2

Annnnnd we have a dog on a dog bed!