because you asked…

Twice this week I have been asked about this blog and why I don’t update it anymore.  It’s not that I don’t create, I have two years *gasp* of creative work that hasn’t been shared. I’m a perfectionist, and I was spending so much time getting photos ready for my blog that I wasn’t crafting anymore.  I will try, at least for the two people who asked, to post things every now and then.  I’m not going to worry about the quality of the photo because my iPhone is usually what’s handy, and I’m not going to worry about traffic on my blog because this is for the people who want to see it.  I will share things that are near and dear to my heart.  Here’s a preview of some things that have happened since May.

Some sewing has happened…

  

even by T3 who made her first sewing project this summer.

Some vinyl crafting has happened…

   

and T1 graduated

 

and then left for college.

This is only a glimpse of creativity since May.  You can image what the last two years have been like.  I may share some of my favorites along the way, I will hopefully share some new creations also.  I will make no promises.  Life takes priority.

 

 

Welcome Kimber

My sweet friend had her baby Sunday.  Kimber Dawn.Isn’t she precious!!! I finished some items for her room once she arrived (her gender remained a secret until arrival.)

This is fabric her mom picked out and I did have it finished before her birth. Mom LOVED it.

These items (as well as a pink burp I didn’t photograph) were delivered the day she arrived.  Mom was a K-State basketball player and the burp cloth was appreciated 🙂 I used my Silhouette to make a freezer paper stencil to recreate the burp cloth found on Pinterest. I also used a decorative stitch on the sewing machine I got for my birthday. YEAH!!!!

On the next visit I was able to take a few more burp cloths and her diaper basket.  Kimber’s mom loved everything.  I got to spend more time holding sweet Kimber.  I managed to leave my sunglasses, so darn the luck, I’ll have to go visit again before school starts. I’m so glad she is here and healthy and that my friend had a safe delivery.

shirt and curtains for T4

I got some glow in the dark vinyl from Pick Your Plum about a month ago and knew I wanted to make T4 a Minecraft t-shirt.  It turned out AWESOME.  We spent some time in the closet checking out the glow.

The last picture was our attempt to capture the glow in the dark.  It looks much better on my phone.

We also finished one of his curtains.  It really cuts down on the afternoon heat that comes in his window.  Since we have been in a two week heat wave with temps over 100 degrees, we really needed this.  I pinned the inspiration for the name and T4 likes how it turned out.  I think the other curtain might have a number on it like you would see on sailcloth.  I don’t have it done yet because I can’t find the brackets for the curtain rod 😦 That’s what happens when you wait two years after a move to intall curtains.

sharing with :: 733 ::

 

How to catch up on 4 months?

I’ve been gone from the blog world but not from crafting. I don’t really feel too bad about not posting; I’ve devoted my time to my family and my job. I do want to share a few of the projects I’ve completed since February. I’m posting from my phone and I used apps to edit all the pictures. I’ll mention those at the end. I’m hoping that if I can post when I have a moment, probably not sitting at home with our crazy schedule, then I can post more frequently.

I’ll start with St. Pat’s Day. You’ll see some pinterest inspiration in these pics.

I’ve also made tons of baby sets. One was a custom order to fit a changing table. A huge 12×16 inch basket!

We made some Avenger stuff, cause sometimes you just need to. 🙂

I ombré dyed some curtains for my bedroom. I hate to admit that I still only have one hung. The other is on the floor in front of the window.

I entered a swap but didn’t get the picture posted. This is what I sent.

And I made a summer sign for my entry post.

I made some teacher appreciation and graduation gifts.

I’ve used two free apps to edit my pics. The quality isn’t as good as I hoped but I like the convenience. PicCollage and Labelbox, check them out in the AppStore.

I ordered some Lucy’s Crab Shack fabric by Sweetwater and will have some things to post soon!

bedroom project and some extras

So I didn’t get this posted last weekend but I did complete it last weekend.  The Mr. T helped a lot and we finished it on Saturday.  I love it and have some art work for above the board and batten it’s just not up yet.

So the wall is the weird green color, and yes, before you beat me to it, it’s very close to my quilt color.  The difference is my quilt is more blue and the wall looks like someone threw up mint!  I have been looking for paint colors and I can’t find exactly what I want.  I have also wanted a headboard for our king sized platform bed that the Mr. T and I made 5 years ago (and still haven’t painted or stained!)  I have a love for any board and batten project I find in blogland and have wanted to do this in our bedroom since we moved in.  We haven’t done ANYTHING with decorating our bedroom, not even pictures on the walls (and maybe some unpacked boxes… and yes that’s Christmas paper leaning against the wall.  Don’t judge!)

We used primed MDF boards from Lowes and it was a super cheap project

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The wall looks small without the bed

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The bedroom is far from done.  I need bedside tables that fit the smaller space, curtains and some wall art, but this is a good start.

I do have one piece on the wall in the bedroom, and old window inspired by Cheryl at I am Momma.  I have followed her blog for quite some time and she is a fabulous crafter. I made a cork board in the bottom middle using wine corks.  The two panels at the side are covered sheet metal so they are magnetic.  I plan to change the gray out with fabric when I find some I like.

Another birthday party for T3 so another snappy top bag.  This one requested Mickey so I busted out the iron on vinyl.

My last little project is a pencil pouch.  I’ve had this pinned on Pinterest for quite some time and decided to make one.  It’s very cute and handy.  The original post is from A Spoonful of Sugar with a good tutorial. After making two, I might increase the length by 1/2 an inch.  Will definitely add this to my gift giving list.

St. Pat’s decor is going up and Valentine’s Day is coming down.  I have a few ideas for green to post soon.  Happy crafting!

Sharing at:: Thirty Handmade Days :: Simply Designing :: The Trendy Treehouse ::Fingerprints on the Fridge :: The Shabby Nest :: Whipperberry :: Creation Corner ::

My Tardy Valentine

Nothing like posting all of your Valentine stuff AFTER Valentine’s Day.  Things have been CRAZY at work so any crafting that I’ve done has been in the wee hours and not much for enjoyment, mostly for others.  I have a few things that didn’t get pics.  Oh, well.

This was a gift for a birthday T3 went to.  Her friend is obsessed with the Hunger Games so we put a mockingjay on a snappy top bag (see my tutorials to make one of your own).  I got the iron-on vinyl from Expressions Vinyl.  Do check them out, they have a great selection, prices and FAST shipping. (If you click on the link here or my side bar, I do get a referring reward the next time I order 🙂 )

I made this almost a month ago with the Mr. T.  I plan to change the signs out with the season.  Again, I used outdoor (permanent) vinyl from Expressions Vinyl.

Yep, this came from Pinterest. Follow me if you want! We changed it up a bit and wrapped mini Hershey’s with camo and stuck the soldier to them.  Love me some Pinterest!

T4 made his own Valentine box.  I helped with the duct tape and paper on top.  He used glue dots (and loved them, actually snuck them into his backpack and I had to take them back!) and stuck all the stuff down.  We knew he wouldn’t win the contest but I was up to my elbows in Valentine Banquet decorations and this is about what I could manage.  The competition is ridiculous anyway (see next pic) and I will NEVER have time in February to make a winning Valentine box. Yep, that’s a submarine the size of the table, moving propeller in the back and all.

I was also asked to decorate for the Valentine banquet at church.  I love helping out with things like this and I thought it turned out pretty good.  Of course, I forgot to take pics of the place once it was done, but here are the flower centerpieces.

And here’s what my table looked like while making them (please ignore the dirty dishes in the kitchen!!!)

We did make some goodies for Valentine’s day.  T1 & 2 made sugar cookies and I made the red velvet cake balls posted on Pinterest (recipe here). Now, to be honest, we couldn’t eat very many of the cake balls because when you leave out a cup of flour from the recipe, it’s a bit, sort of, EXTREMELY oily.  Oh well, they looked cute.

I also made a purse for T2 from some burlap coffee sacks we were given.  It was such a hit that I made another and SOLD it. I have two more sacks and one is earmarked for T1’s purse.  I would love to keep the other sack for a basket for me, but I have at least 3 other people who would buy a purse from me.  (money, basket, money, basket – such a tough decision)

I also found a duct tape basket idea on Pinterest (original post here).  I had some duct tape left over from T4’s Valentine box so he and I made a no sew basket.  You staple it together and tape it with duct tape.  It was fun to make and is a good idea if you need a wipeable lining for something.  I would definitely sew it the next time, but T4 thinks he might be able to make these himself.  It would be a fun activity for a birthday party. Last but not least is one of the gifts I made for my sister for her birthday (almost a month ago.)  My parents are just making it out to see her this weekend and taking the gifts.  She had seen a window when she was home for Christmas and wanted me to make her one.  This is a slight variation of what she saw but I think she will love it the same. Have a few requests for some more of these too.  Luckily my Dad has some old windows in his shed he is letting me have.  I have the best family!

Well, I hope I didn’t lose you along the way.  I feel like I’ve been typing for hours.  Since this is a long weekend for education, I have some projects planned.  Hope I can get the Mr. T along for a few of them 🙂 and I hope to post again before I return to school on Tuesday!  Happy crafting.

vinyl and spray paint and clearance, OH MY!

This past weekend it was over 50 degrees.  Now to most people that just means and unseasonably warm January day, but for me in means SPRAY PAINT!  I have had a few projects that needed some attention and I was able to get them done. My a to z bookends didn’t show up against the dark wood bookshelf.  Green paint to the rescue.

And since it’s such an awesome color of green, I decided to paint a small table that color too.

I also painted a old brass floor lamp a rubbed bronze.  Hopefully I can show you that soon; it needs a new shade!!!

I ordered some vinyl form Expressions Vinyl, my favorite vinyl place.  They ship SUPER fast and are very reasonable.  I needed some green and gold  to embellish some travel mugs for my sister and her husband.  They got these mugs on clearance after Christmas.  Stainless steel (inside and out) with a leather like removable cup holder.  She sent them home with me so I could put their favorite teams on them.  The rounded sides are tough to put vinyl on but they turned out pretty good.  It is permanent vinyl that is hand washable.  Since the sale was so irresistible (ridiculously cheap!) my brother-in-law got me a few (quite a few) more mugs thinking I could dress them up and put them in my shop.  I played around and made one for myself, replacing the leather like holder with a quilted one.  Obviously I will have to use non-licensed ideas for the ones I sell, but for personal use, I love mine. Dr. Seuss rocks!

Speaking of clearance, I scored a king sized quilt at Target for $24.  T2 needed heavy curtains to block the cold in her room and she really liked the orange in the quilt.  We also found some tie back bars on, you guessed it- clearance, at Lowe’s that we still need to mount, to hold the heavy fabric back.

One last picture – our dog Latte, who insisted upon having her picture taken while I was taking pictures of the table.  She’s something.

Silhouette Fun

I love my Silhouette. No it’s not the Cameo but it still does what I want it to do. Here are a few projects I’ve done recently with my favorite little machine.
We’ve only lived in our house a year and a half. It’s about time I got some house numbers on the place!

This is a glass etching order we filled recently.

And my favorite project, a picture inspired by my amazing pastor. This past Sunday he preached about anxiety and worry, something I struggle with.  This was a favorite quote of his so I made him a picture.  I am also making one for my wall as a constant reminder.

Working on a window frame project… can’t wait to share it.

Last group of Christmas Presents

We had our last Christmas gathering yesterday and I can finally post the rest of my pictures.  I have included a few orders that I have filled too.  I’m getting ready to work on some SNOW projects, just being hopeful :)!

This first project came from Dog Under My Desk and I added personalization to the back.  Thanks for such a great tutorial (although I wasn’t near my printer so I didn’t use her pattern, but I would have been easier if I had!) T2s friends loved them at their gift exchange on New Years Eve.

We also put vinyl on A LOT OF STUFF.  The monkey nightlight is for my nephew to match his monkey themed room I made the goodies for. The others are gifts and orders we (my friend Steph has been helping tons!) have filled.

created by Jen during Crafts & Spirits night 🙂

nightlight for T3 & 4s bathroom

gift for my grammy

order

Zach's nightlight

I made a marker roll & marsupial for my nieces as well as these dry erase frames for their rooms.

And last but not least, how about some Angry Birds with blocks.  T3 & 4 used the little Angry Birds that T4 got in his stocking and filmed (no I didn’t include the MANY videos they made) each episode of the Angry Birds game.  They worked on this for hours.  I love how creative they are!

I go back to school tomorrow 😦 but I am trying to adopt a new attitude toward all the changes coming down the pipe in education.

Source: Uploaded by user via Mandi on Pinterest

Sharing at :: Sew Can Do :: Skip to my Lou :: Sumo’s Sweet Stuff :: Craft-0-Maniac :: Boogie Board Cottage :: Singing Three Little Birds :: Embellishing Life :: The Girl Creative ::

December at a glance

I haven’t posted any crafty stuff for A LONG TIME.  So here is some of what I have been doing.  We’ll call it December at a glance.  I apparently didn’t take pictures of everything I’ve done, but here’s some of it.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas and is ready to ring in the new year.

I’m opening a tab on my blog called color me m boutique where I can take custom orders for the items listed.  Check it out and pass it on.