Happy Halloween!

Hello! Happy Halloween! I hope you are all having a great day and that the festivities have put a smile on your face. I know they have put one on mine! Here is a picture of the card I made for my sister with the Martha Stewart spider web punch that I promised you last week:

And here is a close up. It was not at all what I had in mind, but I did include the spider web punch...with rainbow stripes. I know she will love that part. :)

These last ones are of the costume I made:

It was much cuter when I first put it on, however, the $3 Walmart t-shirt was unable to hold up to the safety pins, so here it is slouching and with holes in my shirt! Still turned out cute, though. I made the costume from a table cloth and black t-shirt. It cost a total of $3 plus tax at the Goodwill. I am definitely proud of it! :)

And here is that smile I told you about!

(Oh! And of course I had to do my nails lady bug style, too!!)

Hope your day was a wonderfully festive one! Thank you for visiting! Crystal

A Favorite Storage Item: Iris 12x12" Storage Cases

So, I must confess that I LOVE the Iris storage cases! They are fantastic!! I use them to store all sorts of things...stickers, embellishments, stamps, ink pads, punches, tools, paper...they are perfect! And, they are wonderful for traveling!! I even love their little 4x6" photo storage containers. The best part? They are safe for photos and very durable. Looking for the 12x12" containers? Costco is selling them 5 for $19. Awesome deal! If only I needed more! ;)

One of the fun things is that they come in so many different colors now. I like the glittery ones the best! Check them out!

Cloud Atlas

From IMDb: "An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. " So if you know me, you know that I watch movies as a background to other tasks-mostly crafting. :) But, this weekend I saw a movie that was so profound that it reminded me of the hopeful child that lives inside of me. Saturday night we saw the movie Cloud Atlas. With the exception of two other movies in the past couple years (Inception and The Hunger Games), I have not seen any movies I would consider exceptional. This, of course, is a measure of how much emotion and thought the movie illicits within me, as well as the acting and filming. Cloud Atlas was far and beyond any movie I have ever seen. It is based upon a novel that it has been said is unfilmable, but the producers did an amazing job. I am looking forward to reading the book. And, I am looking forward to living each day with the hope I recall from my childhood, because hope should not be merely nostalgia, but something we nurture within ourselves and spread to others. Hope is what keeps the human race alive...it is what reminds us that we are not merely part of the machine, but truly alive. Live each day as if it will be your last. Love without reserve. Jump head first. Enjoy the ride. We are not here very long.

Happy Sunday...Scrapbuck.com Haul!

So, as I mentioned earlier in the week, I have been so excited to get my package from Scrapbuck.com! I waited not very patiently all week, and it arrived on Friday, just as they said it would. The package was very nicely organized and the two customer service inquiries/interactions I had were both friendly and professional (as I cancelled my first order to add to it...) :) I was so impressed! I will definitely shop there again, and, well, already sent in a second order last night. :D Can't wait to get the package.... Anywho, here are the items I received. I apologize that they are not all close ups, but that would mean a lot of pictures. Just to give you an idea of the value, I received 57 items and only paid $74. Shipping was free and there were no taxes. Given that the items are all top of the line companies and the price I would have normally paid, this was a steal!! And, now I will be able to do a ton of scrapbooking titles and card greeting using all the letter stickers I got. I am sooooo excited! Enough of my rambling, however, as I know the suspense is building...

(It does not look like there are 57 items, but I ordered two each of all the letter stickers to ensure I would not run out of necessary letters in the middle of a project...) And now you know why I am so excited and had such a hard time being patient! :) I would highly recommend this company for all of your scrapbooking needs. There are a ton of products available, including other basic items, such as brads, albums, scissors, tools, and adhesives, too! Hope your weekend was a great one! I'll be visiting again with you soon to show you some of the projects I am working on! Happy Crafting, Crystal

Other Projects....Summer/Fall 2012

To finish off the week, here are a couple other projects I have completed...

These are some little plastic containers that I filled with goodies for my sister and labeled. I took them home to her on our last visit. I thought she would enjoy having some embellishment toys for her newfound interest of scrapbooking...

Here are some more...

And the last of the cute little jars. I was pleased with how they turned out. And, since my little niece, her daughter, will be up and about in no time, they are specifically made of plastice with snap in tops, so they will not break or pop open when she eventually gets ahold of them! :) Plus, they will be safe for her when she is old enough to craft with Mom, too!! :)

These are some boards I made for my niece. She is showing a lot of interest in patterns, so I thought they would be fun to hang above her crib. This way she has something to look at when it is time for bed or if she wakes up and is spending some quiet time alone. :)

Here is a close up.

This is a necklace that I made for my sister for her birthday. I have an identical one, but with a charm that fits hers. :) Though the miles may be far, she is never far from my heart. I carry her heart, I carry it in my heart... That's all for today! Hope your day was as good as mine and that your weekend is refreshing! Happy Friday!!

Sewing Projects Summer/Fall 2012

I have been thrilled to have my new sewing machine, the Singer Confidence Stylist (7467 S) since September. Here are a few of the projects I have completed:

This is a binky clip for my niece! (Please excuse the cutting mat. I know it looks dirty, but it is stained with ink from stamping. :) Oh well!)

This is a close up showing the snap. This part snaps around the binky handle. The other end attaches to her clothing/bib so that if she spits out her binky it won't fall on the floor. :) (IT is actually a clip for the back of a shirt/apron that I cut apart. It has special teeth that will not damage fabric when it is clipped, too.)

This is a baby blanket I made for a friend's baby boy. He is due ANY day now! I am so excited to meet him!! :)

Here is a close up of the stars. They are iron-on, but I stitched them by hand, as well, so that they are not a choking hazard. The blue corner piece is also hand stitched with floss.

Here are some of the details on the straps/ties for an apron I made for the same friend's daughter.

Here is the completed apron. It is reversible, with a purple opposite side with pink pockets. That side is more plain, without the ruffle.

This is our new ironing board cover. The old one was, well, old and stained. This one is pretty and new...and I replaced the padding so the wire pattern does not show through!

These are pillows I made for my niece. One is a teeny neck pillow for int eht car/stroller, etc. The other is adult sized and is meant to encourage her to spend more tummy time. :)

This is a close up of the tag I put on the pillows. It is made from craft cardstock and is meant to be cut off. The remainder of the cardstock will wash out when these are washed.

This is the paisley fabric I found on clearance in the Joann Fabric Colombus Day sale. All the red tag material was 50% off. I stocked up...big time. Let's just put it this way: When I was done I had saved approximately $130... :) I used the fabric to make carboy covers for brewing. My other half actually liked the fabric, but does like to call them our "hippie" covers. :)

Here is a picture of the covers just being put onto the carboys. These carboys are full of cabernet sauvignon...the grapes we picked 3 weeks ago. We have approximately 18 gallons fermenting! YUM!

Here is a picture of the carboys resting on the shelf. The cabernet sauvignon wine is accompanied by blackberry wine and blackberry port that is also fermenting...double YUM! :) It is hard to tell, but each cover top has elastic cording with a button toggle to keep them shut. This keeps the light out so the wine does not taste yucky. :) Hope you enjoyed checking out my most recent sewing adventures...let me know what you think! Have a happy Wednesday! :)

A Few Summer Cards...

Here are a few cards I made over the summer between outdoor recreation and projects. Enjoy!

This one was made for my Sweetheart's parents, who came to visit over the summer and accidentally left a watermelon when they left (yum!) We had a great time with them as we always do and were sad to see them go...

This one was for my sister. It was also the FIRST sewing I did with my new machine! I sent it to her with a special package with gifts for her and my niece. (See the project gallery for more projects!)

A birthday card for my sister...

And a close up! I was inspired by the videos of Kristina Werner and felt brave enough to use transparency for this one. It turned out really neat! I also used Staz-On ink to stampt the butterflies, then colored them on the opposite side with BIC Mark It permanent markers. I don't recall who the butterfly stamp was by...

This one was for my Honey Bear's mom...I love the Martha Stewart punches! They are fabulous!! (And, I happened to find the spider web punch on clearance at Michael's for $4.99-I will post pictures of the card I am making soon!!)

This last one was for my parents. The card is designed around the butterfly washi tape I picked up on our last trip home. I got it from Hobby Lobby and my mom loved it. I thought she would like it if I sent her a card with the tape since she thought it was so pretty. Also, I sent it at about the time of the two year anniversary of my Grandmother's passing, so the words were inspired by her. The butterflies are punched paper and transparency, with paint. They were a ton of fun to make. The charms are just brass charms from the jewelry section of Michael's, written on with permanent marker. (I am eager to emboss on them, too!) The green mesh is part of an avocado bag and the strips are stamped paper and ribbon. This was a fun card to make. I love using my super quick drying Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive, but would recommend glue dots under the strips. It would make it easier to get the strips on evenly. (I don't have glue dots, but will be picking some up. I hear they are wonderful!) Well, that is it for cards for now...I am planning more and have others that I made over the summer, but just did not remember to take pictures of...oh well. Hope you enjoyed the post and had a wonderful Monday! :)

Before I go for the day... I have to confess my new favorite shopping website! {www.scrapbuck.com} I have a package coming from them and can't wait to receive it. I will have to post pictures when I get it. I am so excited! For a more than reasonable price, I was able to stock up on letter stickers, border stickers, a few papers, and two stamp sets from Basic Grey that I have been dying to have, but did not want to spend the cash on when they first came out. Now, they are mine! :) You should jump on over and see what you can find...

Christmas Card Preview

This is the only hint I am going to give about my Christmas cards...you will all have to wait to see them until Christmas! :) I know it is early, but my cards have been finished since the 8th of October! The envelopes are all addressed and ready to go-I just need to sign the insides. This is good, however, since all of my gifts are hand made this year. And, yes, you guessed it, they will involve my wonderful new sewing machine!!

But first, I am off to make a beautiful Christmas dress for my adorable niece... Catch you later! Crystal

Happy Fall and Happy Blogging!!

Hello everyone! I am back! I had intended to start writing on here again sooner, but you know how life is...and time flies when you are having fun! (Or just getting older! :) )

Anywho...I have been busy in the creation station. I got a new sewing machine in September (The Singer Confidence Stylist 7467S) and love it! It sure beats trying to sew in the creation station and spending the better part of the afternoon cussing at my machine! As you can imagine, I have been sewing everything I can get my hands on...a new ironing board cover, pillows, carboy covers (we brew beer and wine), clothing for my niece, baby blankets for friends, and various paper craft details. It has been a blast so far!! I have also been busy with work and adjusting to 8:30-5:30 or 6:30 hours. This is very different than my last job and is one of the things I promised I would share when the summer was over and I was back on my blog. As some of you know, I was previously working with kids as a lead teacher at a daycare that more than stressed me out. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but the situation was not right for me. After 2 1/2 years of applying for jobs, I finally found a good fit as a banker. I love it! I meet people from all around the world and get to spend the day helping people out. There are still stressful moments, as there always will be, but I work with a great team and can get up in the morning without stomping my feet or whining...or crying...and come home with a smile, even when I am beat. It has been a wonderful change in my (and my other half's life). The only thing that has been particularly difficult is realizing how short the day is for other things when I work these hours. I was spoiled before, working a 7-3 shift, which left plenty of time for crafting and recreation in the evening, especially in the fall and winter when it gets dark early. I am having a hard time adjusting and have found that the only way to feel like I have done anything but go to work is to get up earlier, and bring my crafting to the living room for down time with my Honey. It is definitely a work in progress! Over the summer we spent some time backpacking, as we love to do. We travelled to the Washington Coast and spent 5 days camping on the beach. It was heaven! I did not ever want to leave! There were eagles flying all above our camp, the tide was negative for a few days, allowing us to view sea creatures that are normally hidden by the dark ocean waters, and the weather was great! We saw huge ferns, walked through shin deep mud, and spent many salty mornings, afternoons, and sunsets exploring and admiring the beauty all around us. (I will post pictures soon!) We also backpacked into the Wallowa mountains. It was a gorgeous, but buggy trip! (I will post pictures of this, too.) We love being outdoors and try to spend as much time as we can outside in the summer. This includes running, long walks, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, going for drives in the jeep, gardening, berry picking, and whatever else we can think of.

This year was particularly bountiful in the garden, too! It was our first year with a garden plot at the local community garden. This kept us busy, too! We grew potatoes (red, yukon, blue), garlic, shallots, zucchini, watermelon, peppers, cilantro, green onions, shallots, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, basil, lettuce (and cucumbers, cabbage which did not turn out). There was a lot of weeding and watering to do! We have some gorgeous San Marzano tomatoes (the only ones my Sweetheart will use for pizza sauce) canned. We are excited for next year's crops, too!

We were also lucky enough to have the opportunity to pick about 500 pounds of grapes from one of the top 10 vineyards in the US...we are making a delightful Cabernet Sauvignon. It is tasting great so far and we just added oak this weekend. It will be a knock your socks off cab, and we are anticipating that it will need to age for a few years to mellow out the tannins. Can't wait!! :)

In addition, I have started running again after not doing so very consistently over the summer. The wildfires were almost unbearable, yielding the air hardly breathable. That seems to be mostly over now, and the air is cool, crisp, and warning of snow on some days. We will see what the week brings! I am planning to run Robie Creek in the spring of 2013 and need to get strong again. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but am excited to run again. It has taken several years for my foot to heal after injuring it on a run in Boise, but it is finally able to sustain more than 5 miles without aching. I am thrilled!

{And, the best part of the summer, besides visiting with family and spending time at the ocean with my Honey? My niece was born on June 11, 2012! She is the most smiley baby you ever did meet...with her first action being a big grin when she came into the world. She is absolutely delightful and is the best reminder of how beautiful the world can be. She makes me smile every time I get up in the morning! She has brought our family together in a way that I could have never imagined. She is amazing!} So...as the summer has turned to fall my mind has turned to inside projects and I will share more with you as I plan and finish the projects. I am excited to be back and to see all of the things that all of my fellow crafters are up to. I find so many great ideas and inspirations from all of you....THANK YOU! Hope you are having a fantastic Sunday! Take care!