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!!!