Gift Exchange

I signed up to participate in a Gift Exchange over at Craftaholics Anonymous.  Linda has spent a lot of time working on this exchange and has done an amazing job.  I had so much fun making my gifts for my "giftee".  She had a couple of items listed on her wishlist that I knew I could easily create.  My "giftee", Carrie should receive her gifts on Monday.  I hope she enjoys them.

These pillows are similar to her wishlist.  I used different material and cut out the word with my Silhouette.

Carrie also had a monogram letter to hang on a front door on her wishlist.  I struggled with this item and almost didn't send it, but decided it was made with love and again, I hope Carrie likes it.

I am definitely going to participate in the next Gift Exchange that Linda hosts.  I love making things for others and this is my chance to do so.

Simply Spray...

I am an avid reader of several blogs.  One of my favorites is Hyphen Interiors.  Kristy Swain is an interior designer who recently moved to Austin.  She has some awesome design ideas.  I feel honored that she and I correspond with each other every now and again.  Unfortunately she lives in way south Austin and I live just north or Austin, so we haven't had a chance to meet up.

Long story long... Kristy is becoming famous for painting upholstery on furniture.  She did a series about Simply Spray which is an upholstery spray paint.  I was quite intrigued and can't wait to try it.  I have 4 chairs that I love, but they are looking a little shabby.  I think Simply Spray will spruce them up so I can hang on to these chairs for a few more years.

Go check out Kristy's blog.  You won't be disappointed!

I am so blessed...

Oh where does the time go?  I have the best intentions of keeping up with my tiny bit of cyberspace and then I run out of time.  I was actively volunteering at my son's school and at my church until 3 weeks ago, when I started a new job.  This job kind of snuck up on me.  I posted for the position at the first of the year.  I had forgotten about it until I was called for a phone screen.  We hadn't even started the phone screen when I was asked to come in for a face-to-face interview.  The interview went so well, I was offered the job the next day.  I have never had things happen so fast like this.  It has been the most amazing ride in the 3 short weeks I have been there.  We are a small office and I have been welcomed and accepted with open arms.  Never in my career and I felt so at home with a group of people.  They genuinely care about their co-workers.  Our office is small right now, but we are definitely growing and I see a long and fulfilling career with this company.  God is so good.  He provided for me while unemployed and just when things were about to get a little tough, He provided for me and my family again.

I haven't really done a whole lot of crafting.  I think I burned myself out a little working so hard for the fall craft show that kind of flopped, I just haven't been able to get back into the crafting swing of things.

I did, however, purchase a Silhouette Cameo.  It arrived the other day and I have been poking around with it just a little.  I think I'm going to really enjoy having it in my collection of die cut machines.  I really would like to design my own cuts, but tend to get confused and frustrated, then I quit.  I'm going to see if I can find some online classes to take to get me over this hump.  I'm hoping this will get my crafting mojo back into motion.

Hope everyone has a great week.

I Found A Giveaway For A Silhouette Cameo!

As I have posted in the past, I own 2 cricut machines: an Expression and an Imagine.  I have invested quite a bit into both machines as well as cartridges.  I like my cricuts but am tired of being limited on what I can and can't cut.  I won't give them up (at least for now), but I have been researching all of the other electric die cut machines on the market.  After hours of scanning the web and reading about all of the other cutters, I am following with the masses and am now wanting a Silhouette Cameo.  I think this will open up a whole new world to some of my crafting.  There have been numerous give aways for the Cameo that I have entered and have yet to succeed in winning one.  I found one more give away and am keeping my fingers crossed! :-)

Sherry K Designs makes some really awesome cut files and she is giving away a Cameo.  You need to check out her cut  files and digital paper.  I just love them.

Bitten by the Pinterest Bug

Oh how I love Pinterest.  I have found so many craft ideas, recipes and decorating tips on this site.  I had the most unproductive day in a while, I spent most of the day perusing Pinterest.  I just can't seem to get enough of it!

I actually found a centerpiece on Pinterest that would match my craft room perfectly.  Samantha Daggy is the creator of these centerpieces and she has an Etsy shop selling them.  I decided to try and make one of my own since I don't need 10 of them!  I purchased my jar and styrofoam ball at Michaels and spent about $5.  I had all of the other supplies on hand.

Here is Samantha's centerpiece:

Isn't it pretty?  I immediately fell in love with it.

Here is the one I created:

Almost the same, yet a little different.  I used the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the flowers out.  They were cut at 2.5", then I adhered them with corsage pins.  I used Pink Passion Stampin Up cardstock (which is a retired color).  I didn't have pink ribbon to match, so I took some white satin ribbon and dyed it with Pink Passion ink.  I am really pleased with the results and have it sitting on one of my shelves.

Hopefully  tomorrow I can  get a few thank you cards made.  I have an idea what I want to do (again, the original came from Pinterest), I just need to see if what I have on hand will work. 

Highs and Lows

Today has been a great high and some really low lows.  I'm still not sure whether to be happy or depressed.  My nature is one of not letting the bad stuff get me down, but I'm not sure I can take any more.  The day started out really great with with 2 birthday cards from my husband and son sitting on the counter.  I was also taken to lunch by some very good friends and they gave me some awesome b-day goodies.  Good food, good friends, cool gifts, a girl can get really spoiled... until I got home.  I was checking email and my inbox had 10 job rejection emails.  It is so frustrating knowing you are a great candidate for a job and get told "no" repeatedly.  I don't know what to do anymore.  I have had several recruiters tell me my resume and cover letter is one of the best they have seen, so I'm not sure where I'm going wrong.  I keep hearing on the news that the Texas job market is getting stronger and stronger, but being unemployed since August is now taking a toll on my confidence.  So, it was a great day, and yet it was a depressing day.  I know there is a plan for me and I keep telling myself God will provide as He has done all summer, but my human-ness keeps wondering "when" and "how much longer do I need to wait?".  What lesson am I supposed to be learning?  

I also found out I didn't make the design team that tried out for.  I'm not so upset by that since the ladies that were chosen are uber talented.  But in a day of several rejections, this was the icing on my b-day cake!

I am going to work really hard on keeping my blog updated (use it as my diary of sorts) as well as posting any new craft items I have completed.  I have one item in progress and hope to have it completed by the end of the week.  I found a centerpiece on Pinterest and fell in love with it, so I am creating my own.  So far, I'm really pleased with my creation and how it is turning out.

I will keep pushing along with a smile on my face, but would sure like to catch a break one of these days.

New Year, New Beginnings

It has been a really long time since I have posted.  One of my "new beginnings" is to update my blog on a regular basis instead of letting it sit in cyberspace and collect dust! :-)

I have been crafting non-stop since my last post and have come up with some new things.  Here are just 2 of the items I have made:

I made the jar for my sister who loves dogs.  I used the Paper Pups cartridge and cut out a border (in brown vinyl) 2 times and placed it on the bottom of the jar, then I cut the butterflies out in pink vinyl.  I added some embellishment flowers to the lid and accented the rest of the jar with ribbons.  The jar and the candlestick are from HL.

I was asked to make a set of thank you cards from a friend who does jewelry parties.  The original idea of the card base came from Julie Kraling of 3 Girl Jam.  I used the book feature from Elegant Edges (cut at 5"), then I took the ring from Tie the Knot and the necklace from Paisley.  The sentiment is from Storybook.  I used Cricut Craft Room to play with sizes, but ended up cutting them out individually on my Expression (CCR was not playing nicely in my sandbox that day!).  I put Crystal Effects from SU on the ring and the stone of the necklace to give it some shine. The pleated ribbon is from Joanns.

One of my goals this year is to be on a design team.  There is a design team call for one of my favorite blogs and I am submitting these two projects as my entry.

My short-term work project ended sooner than planned, so I am once again job hunting.  I know there is a plan for me and will be revealed at just the right moment.  In the meantime, I am very thankful for what I have and count all my blessings.  

All good things must come to an end....

I have one week left of being unemployed.  I was offered a short-term assignment for a company who needs someone to fill in while their regular person is on a medical leave.  I am glad to be going back to work since I really like to spend money!!!  Although, I really like staying home, too.  But, since I need to feed my habit of buying crafty items, I guess having a paycheck will help to feed my habit.

I am very excited to start this new chapter.  The hiring manager is letting me work flex hours.  I have worked a 6-3 shift for 20 years and I don't think I could adjust to working a regular 8-5 job.  I tried a few years ago and was miserable.

I have pretty much figured out what items I want to make for my church's craft fair in October.  Now I need to start making my items to sell.  The hard part for this little venture is determining how many of each item to make.  I have no idea what will and won't sell.  So, I think I will stick to about 6 of each item, since I have so many different things and then take orders if I run out.  My last small dilemma is trying to figure out the best way to show my items.  I'm seriously thinking about buying a Clip It Up unit to use as a display, that way customers can see my cards and then if they would like to purchase one, I can pull from stock.  I'm still mulling all of this over.  I want people to be able to see what I'm selling, but want it to be organized as well.  Most of my stuff will be cards, but I have a few home dec items as well.  Last year's craft show was very successful, they have moved it to a larger room and are expecting more people.  This is the first time I have ever done anything like this, so hopefully the day will be a success.

Well, I'm off to start working on my cards.  I have lots to make and not a lot of time now that I will be working full-time again.

Getting Organized

My room makeover is nearly finished.  I got my pink chandelier hung and working.  This is probably my favorite thing in my room (next to my pink chairs).

I am almost finished converting my wood-mounted stamps to cling.  I had over 80 sets to convert.  I have 35 sets left to convert.  It will still take me a little while to get it all done, but The stacks are getting shorter.  Once I have everything converted and placed where I want them, I will post pictures.

Being home full time allows me to spend just a little more time working on these things.  I'm still looking for employment and I'm trying to learn a new programming language as well as a new application.  So, I spend most of my time working on these 3 things in the morning and part of the afternoon.  Then I allow myself to play from about 1pm on.  Last time I was unemployed, I spent all of my time volunteering at a local hospital and was also on the volunteer board there.  But my health got in the way of volunteering, so I had to step down.  I could go back, but I have a lot on my plate right now, so I'm going to concentrate on my current activities first.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday.  

I love the World Wide Web

You can find so many awesome things on the world wide web.  I find so many talented designers and crafters by searching blogs.  I learned about a really kewl new tool called the Envelobox Creator.  You can find it on the Crafter's Companion blog.  There are times when I make a bigger card and the cricut just can't cut the size of envelope I need.  I don't think I would have that problem with this handy tool.  You should go check it out.

In the meantime, I am no longer employed, so while I search for a new job, I will be able to spend more time in my craftroom getting more organization done.  I have also decided to work on some of my cards and home dec items to sell at my church's 2nd annual craft show this fall.  I have had too many people tell me I need to sell my stuff, so this is my opportunity to see what kind of response I get.

I can't believe this is the first day of August.  My son starts 2nd grade in 22 days.  I'm trying to figure out where the time keeps going.  I keep trying to slow down and the world keeps getting faster and faster.  Hopefully this school year will be better than last year.  The "boy" had his teacher's number and knew how to push all of her buttons, which he did on a regular basis.  The last half of the year was a little trying since she just didn't know how to handle him (nothing like getting a brand new teacher who is still wet behind the ears).  I can only hope for a more seasoned teacher who won't allow him to push buttons.  We shall see.