Less Expensive Than Therapy

A Realization...

2010-01-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

I know I started this blog ages ago, and have hardly put much on here... but, last night, when I was up way too late playing in my new craft room (yes...it is an entire room now...not just the closet!) I realized that THIS IS INDEED THERAPY for me! When I get stressed, I get an itch to be creative. I've been pouring all of that energy lately into cardmaking. I started a Stampin' Up business with the intentions of using my love for stamping (and teaching others to stamp) to help the world be a better place. I intend to give all my profits to benefit special needs adoptions and other wonderful causes like clean water, etc.
So...here are some recent creations.

Crayola Cakes

2009-08-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

What do you do with a broken crayon?
Break em some more!
Sort em!
Bake em into Crayola Cakes! (Or crayon rocks, or whatever you want to call them!)
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle... i can just hear Jack Johnson now. :)
This was SO fun and kept their little fingers busy for a LONG time.
And, they are so fun to color with, too!

Bags!

2009-08-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

A Hankie Holder! Inspired by Amanda Soule, but much less professional. ;)

A bath bag (for mae to put her jammies/clothes in for her 2/day bath treatments) It hangs on the bathroom door

The Rag Bag- hangs on the kitchen door and holds our old rags (we use them instead of paper towels... they are NonPaper Towels. :) )

Mae sportin' her bath bag.

My New Craft Corner (aka: the guest bedroom closet)

2009-08-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Gotta go...Mae is begging to go stamp! :)

Crafty Crazy

2009-08-02T12:37:00.001-07:00

I've been going nuts the last couple of days...sewing up a storm!
Here are a few of my projects:
Cloth napkins for the kiddies... a few of them are monogrammed, per kids' request

Flannel washcloths for a new baby friend, Ellie Marie.

and...a washcloth mit to hold them

matching dresses for addie kate and mae mae and a matchy match headband for mama.(still finishing them...i'll try to post after i get them finished)

I've also sewn a couple of bags for groceries from the book Handmade Home, by Amanda Soule. I'll try to get them posted ASAP. :)
Fabulous book...i love it...and her first book...and her blog. :)

Mizzou Rah!

2008-01-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

Fight Tighers, Fight for Ol' Mizzou!
Okay, so this was really made for Maegan's baby doll, Annie, but Ry soon found it and it became Truman's for the day...
Introducuing the red sweater...

Have I Mentioned it Yet?

2008-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

My sweet Mother-in-law told me that she was putting money in our account for our Christmas gift. I told her that I was going to save it to put towards a sewing machine. "umph." she said."You always spoil my surprises!" "What do you mean?" said I. "I'd already planned to GIVE YOU my machine when you move back!" "REALLY?! WOW!Great! Now I can put that Christmas $ towards our adoption instead!!!"
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited!! I can't even tell you how excited I am!! Last night on the phone she told me not to buy anything. She has seam rippers, and buttons, and tons of vintage fabric all waiting for me!! She said she didn't even use her machine once last year, and only once or twice a year all the years before that, so she's happy to let me have it, and just come over and use it when she needs to! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Shirley!! You are the SWEETEST!
I'm already dreaming of all the projects that I want to make for all of my kiddos! Aprons, and bags, and quilts and puppet shows... Have you seen Amy Karol's book? or her blog, Angry Chicken? I bought the book for myself after Shirley told me she was giving me her machine, and Becky brought it to me when she came to visit. I've had so much fun drooling over the wonderful pictures and dreaming of what I will make... I love her laid back "grab a cup of coffee and put on some tunes when you need to rip out some seams" and "its supposed to look homemade" attitude. (those aren't direct quotes, but you get the jist). How exciting. I'm gonna sew!
For the record: I've sewn a couple of things before. I made a pair of p.j.'s with a matching pillow for home ec in high school. Ryan is very attached to the pillow, but the pj's are long gone. I made a crib skirt, and valance and a slip cover for our rocking chair when I was preggers with Mae. I made Ry a little carry sack for his Thomas Trains. But... I think that's about it. Not a lot of sewing experience going on here. Don't look at the seams. They're pretty crooked. I think that the zigzag stitch will be my friend.

07 Review

2008-01-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

Here are a few cards I made in 07...

Knit One, Purl Two...

2008-01-03T05:28:00.001-08:00

When I told my momma that I was learning to knit, she asked me if I knew how to 'tog' yet. I had no idea what she meant, till she told me a lil' funny on my late Aunt Verna. I guess that when she was learning to knit she told my Grandma Letha that she got the knit one, purl two down, but she still needed to learn 'tog'. My Grandma asked her what 'tog' meant? She said, "I don't know. The pattern I'm reading says "knit one, purl two, tog." My Grandma got a big laugh out of that... 'tog' meant 'together'.
Anyway, I guess I've learned to 'tog'! Here are a few pics of my first ever knitting projects... the first one was the baby doll hat... it started as a scarf, but kept getting bigger and bIgGeR and BIGGER until I learned how to take a few off... then it got smaller and smaller until at last, it was a hat with ear flaps! I love how you can take something that is a mess and turn it into something fun. This one sports a chin strap (so I don't have to tie it over and over, Mae can just slip it on).It doesn't show in these pics, but it now has a pompom on top, too. Maegan loves it. And. That. Is. All. That. Matters.
Ryan loves his doggy scarf, too. Shout out to Wendi for the doggy. He's being well taken care of! ;)

Stamping Bella

2008-01-03T05:18:00.000-08:00

I LOVE these stamps... They make me happy. You can find them at www.stampingbella.com
Here are a few of the cards I've made... and one that Maegan made, as well. Can you guess which one is hers? I love having her as my lil stampin' buddy!

Thus Begins the Crafty Blog...

2008-01-03T05:10:00.000-08:00

A new year... A new blog...
This one devoted to my crafty side.
I've found its a whole heck of a lot easier to give away the projects I make (cards, knitted stuff, etc) if I take a picture of it first. Thus, this blog.
Come along for the ride... I hope it'll be fun!