Truth Thursday...Surprises

I've been an absent blogger again.

Sorry about that. Truly.

When exactly do you think all the running around will stop? I'm ALMOST ready for the kids to drive by themselves, but then the worry sets in, and I try not to think about that.....

Where was I going with this?

Oh, yeah, it's Truth Thursday and I have an exciting thing that happened to me this week.

You see, as I'm sure I've said before, I like to make crafts.

Whatever I can try, I do. Some things over the years have failed...failed miserably, but some have also been great successes. (At least I think so.)

Anyway, last week I did a post about a burlap wreath I made.

It started out from a picture I saw on Pinterest.com of a yarn wreath. Then I searched for a burlap wreath and found that too. I decided to combine elements of both into my own version.

Anyway, it started out like this...

and merged into this...

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think it turned out pretty well, considering I was totally making it up as I went.

So, back to my point. One of my followers (and I also follow her blog) saw my wreath and emailed me.

Let's just preface this by saying, when I follow someone else's blog, and THEY respond on mine, I get a little giddy.

I know all you bloggers out there are normal folks. Some, granted, are a little more famous than others (Pioneer Woman, The Lettered Cottage, etc.) But I just can't help myself, when someone I admire, actually emails me back!

Vicki from Curlywillowdiy.blogspot.com emailed me and told me she loved my wreaths, could we make a trade?

You see, Vicki is a talented graphic designer. Something I once was too (maybe not the talented part...but a graphic designer....LONG ago)

She said she could make me some flag graphics for my sidebar that matched my header, could I make her two wreaths for her front doors?

Absolutely...and hey, we only live 45 min away from each other...so we're meeting next week.

As you can see, she's already made me my graphics for all my headings.

Aren't they sweet?

So, I'm finishing her wreaths, and we'll exchange them on Spring Break. Vicki also posted about this on her site the other day. You can find the post here.

She and her friend Barb, who run their blog, also have a Friday linky party, you should check out! They just started this...so help them out!

You see, sometimes you get surprises in your life...good ones. And most of the time, they make you feel pretty good inside!

Chipmunk Love

A Chipmunk.

That's what my adoring husband said I resemble when I get a new purse. I don't know how to take that comment.

I guess he means that since I am NORMALLY a talkative person, whenever I get a new purse, I hole up like a chipmunk and retreat to a corner, and fill my new purse with stuff from my old one.

Did I get that right, honey? (smile, smile, wink wink)

I guess he's a little right.

There is nothing as exciting to me as getting a new purse, and I've been wanting a new one for awhile.

I was tired of my old one, and tired of ones that have a closed top, that when my cell phone rings, I have to scramble to get open in enough time that my phone doesn't STOP ringing. UGH! Anyone else have this problem, or is it just me?

So, last week I was in Target. Not for a purse mind you, but I DID walk past the purse aisle. I didn't see anything that made my heart go pitter patter, except for this really cute, but plain bag. I think what I liked most about it wasn't the one pocket inside (that is SO not enough pockets for me) but the COLOR of the bag.

It was a greyish denimish color. Clear as mud?

Here. This is what it looked like.

Oh, and did I mention, it had a really cute liner? Well, it did.

I walked away from it and didn't buy it that night. When I had saved up my whole $13.00, I decided to purchase it this week. I knew I wanted to change it. Knew it NEEDED to be changed. I thought I could do it. I HOPED I could do it.

So, last night I decided to take the bag apart. I have never done this kinda thing before, and I was a little scared.

I started from the bottom. I used my trusty seam ripper, and removed the stitches from the bottom and the bottom of the liner.

Now, I didn't take pictures as I went. I don't know how tired you all are of my step by step tutorials, so this step by step will be a mystery.

Once the bag was open on the bottom, I cut off about 6 inches from the bottom of the whole bag. I didn't want a LONG bag. I planned on using that extra to make some ruffles for the front, as well as some more pockets for the inside.

Since the bag was also a bit on the thinnish side, I decided when I added pockets, to reinforce it a little too.

Here's how it turned out.

4 more pockets, plus a pen holder, and here is the outside.

Since I'm addicted to these fabric rosettes lately, I decided to add some. I made them, and just pinned them on the front, so I could use them on something else later.

I'm happy with the outcome. I guess we'll see how it holds up. I like the size of it. It fits my small notebook, wallet, camera, phone, etc. and it isn't too tight.

Thanks Target! Another thing off my to-do list.

Spring on my door

I'm not an excellent speaker. Ask anyone.

I get tongue-tied easily. And nervous.

I'm known to make up words when I'm trying to get my point across ---quickly (my family LOVES to make fun of me for this....something they NEED to work on!)

But give me a craft, and I become someone else entirely. A smooth talking queen.

It all started from the simple fact that my front door was looking very naked.

As a jaybird in fact.

It hasn't had anything adorning it since Christmas, and it needed something.

So, the other night, I bought another trusty foam circle, and began dreaming.

I checked out "Spring wreath" and "Burlap wreath" on Pinterest.com. (If you haven't perused this site ladies, you MUST. Every idea known to man is out there.)

I came up with some of these beauties.... (first one found here)

burlap wreath found here

There were hundreds more, but I liked these the best by far.

They gave me an idea, which is what I needed in the first place.

I already had the burlapy material, and the fabric, and some ribbon, I just needed it to all come together.

So, last night, I got to work.

I got out the supplies, and started ripping the burlap into strips.

Then I started wrapping and hot gluing.

Leaving plenty of fraying as I went.


Until it was totally wrapped.


Next I started making the rosettes I wanted all over the wreath.

First you tie a knot in the middle of whatever length of material you are using...



and twist the sides together (ignore the short stubby hands here. They were never intended to be hand models!)




Then just wrap the material around the knot, hot gluing all the time...

(try NOT to burn yourself like I did about 100 times!)


You'll end up with something like this.



I did this with all the material I wanted to incorporate, and I used ALL colors since Spring IS all colors!




I kept going until it looked like this. I just used my sewing pins to pin all the rosettes on.


I hung it on the door and realized it needed something else, so I added some crocheted ribbon that I had. I think it finished it out nicely. Total cost for the wreath, considering I had everything but the foam circle...$4.99!



My door looks a lot less naked/bland. Except for those numbers on the door, representing our address. Brent tells me they remind him of a prison number. I agree a little. It didn't come out really as I intended last fall, but I have some ideas.

So, tonight I'm linking up to some parties.


Air your laundry Friday at Freckled laundry

And Crazy Domestic

And Curly Willow DIY

Have a great weekend everyone!

Preview

I know I haven't posted since Monday. I'm sorry.


I WANT to post, really I do, but time just gets away from me at night, and this week, I've been so tired!


So, I thought I would just give you a preview of what I'm gonna post about tomorrow.


These are the ingredients I'm using...


Burlap

flower rosettes (made from my fabric scraps)


a foam circle
and...


ribbon.


Can you guess what I might be making? I'm starting tonight, and hopefully will finish it.


My front door is looking a little naked...and it's Spring after all. Well, TECHNICALLY it's Spring, but the weather just isn't acting like it! Snow on the ground this morning. Really.


I'll post the final tomorrow, maybe with some before, during, and after shots. We'll see.


Oh, and one final note....totally random, but look what picture Google was using today as their header....really cool and vintage!

See you tomorrow!

Rainbows in my life

It's time to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for pete's sakes!

For the last 2 weeks, Evan, Grace, and I have been passing around this STUPID, that's right, STUPID head cold/cough. Just when I think we're all getting better, it bites us in the butt again. Grace came home with a fever of 101 again, and another stuffy nose.


I don't know how much more of this I can take. They've started taking my driver's license number at the store each time I buy cough medicine. Could it be because when used between two kids a couple times a day, the bottle only lasts me about 3 days? Ridiculous or very crafty on the medicine company's part! If only they could listen to my children cough, they would know I'm not using it for something bad!


OK, so, I did have a point after all. I needed to feel "sunny" today. I felt I needed to see some "rainbows" so I came home and started snapping pictures of everything in my home I could find that resembled a rainbow.


Besides, the sun finally made an appearance today for at least a couple of hours!

The print above my stove is one rainbow...


so are the pretzel covered m & m's in the candy jar (which coincidentally enough seem to always be quick to empty out...um...Evan....???)

The anal retentiveness rainbow I've given to my books...(don't judge me, people, it looks pretty this way!)

The framed well-used colored pencils that used to be the kids and now hang in my craft room.

The small vintage globe I was lucky to pick up on my recent antiquing trip with two of my best friends.

A thank you card received from Shannan who writes one of my most favorite blogs ever!

More colored pencils just hangin' around Grace's scrapbooking table. (I buy colored pencils by the truckload....every time school shopping comes around, they just jump in my cart by the packageful!) I can't help it, it's a sickness!

Still to this day, hands down, one of my most favorite crafts that Grace has brought home from school. Embodies everything about why I'm living on a farm and raising a slew of animals!

The hand towels in the lower level bathroom...

And even in my coat pocket.

I guess I have rainbows in more places that I thought! It made me feel better. Even though my fate is to probably stay home from school with Grace tomorrow.

This sickness better end soon if it knows what's good for it!

Hope you all are having a better week than us!

To eat or not to eat...that is the question

About a week and a half ago Grace used her hard earned allowance money and bought a beta fish for a 5th grade school project.

She had to give a "how -to" speech about something. She decided to talk about how to set up a fish bowl with stones, water, a plant, a fish, etc., and then how to take care of the fish.

She was keeping "Flippy" (that's right, that's the fish's name...) up in her room. That is, until we discovered Flippy wasn't moving around alot because of the coldness of his water. We had to move him downstairs where the temperature was more moderate. (crappy drafty windows!)

It took only a couple of days to notice funny things were happening. First we'd see a little water outside the bowl. Only drops at first, but then much bigger pools of water.

We never actually "caught" Oreo in the act, but knew it had to be her causing this curious water spillage.

The other night, I actually had my camera within reach, and snapped a few shots.

At first it was just an innocent perusal of the fish bowl. I wasn't clear on what her exact intentions were toward Flippy.

Her head got lower

and lower... until she was actually taking sips out of the fish bowl.

Of course I scolded her, and asked her to get down. As you can see, that didn't go so well.

I think she's staring him down on purpose!

She's definitely got the intimidation and size thing down pat.

Until I actually entered the room with her, she stayed in the intimidation pose.

We're watching her closely, and monitoring her every move around this poor fish.

He's keeping his distance from her as well, and hiding in the blue shark at the bottom of the bowl whenever she is near.

Is she really just interested in the water? Who knows, the poor fish might just have a heart attack before his 1st birthday!

I'm linking this up to my friend over at Verde Farm for Farm Friend Friday. Come over and join me and check out all the other links.

Have a great Friday ya'll!