Winter Cleaning!!!

Wow! I was watching my "2015 Goals" video that I posted last year... My craft room was a mess then too! I did get it cleaned up and organized somewhat. But soon let it get out of control again. Over the summer I found a huge leak in the ceiling and had to shove everything into boxes in corners to make way for the repairs. I've started crafting in the dining area because I just don't want to be in my craft room. We moved to a bigger apartment so that I could have a room for crafting and not using it is just not conducive. I'm on vacation this week so I'm cleaning away!! I woke up early Saturday and did some housework. We babysat my niece & nephew after church so the rest of the evening was spent relaxing. Sunday morning I got up and started cleaning bathrooms. My determination must have rubbed off because my husband got out of bed and started cleaning the kitchen! After feeling accomplished we sat down and enjoyed the day together in the living room. When I got up this morning, I started the last load of laundry, vacuumed the apartment then tidied up in the kitchen (dishes from hubby cooking dinner) After taking a break to eat some breakfast, I stood up and opened my craft room door {{{insert scary music here}}}. Once I started, it started to go pretty quick! You may not be able to tell by these pics, but I made A LOT of progress. I can now see my desk(most of it) and I can walk all the way around it. I can also see the counter under the window!! I'm not sure if I'm going to continue or pick it back up tomorrow. I should probably just continue. But at least I've started! I hope everyone is having a great day! It's cold and snowy/icy here.

Homemade Body Scrub

I needed a gift for two friends. I had really wanted to try making my own body scrub so I scoured YouTube lol. I found a very simple recipe with only two ingredients, sugar and coconut oil. That's it! The best thing about this recipe is that it's all natural and edible. So if my friends grandson got his hands on it.... No problem! So to make this, I took two mason jars & filled them with granulated sugar. I put about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut oil in a mixing bowl and microwaved it for about 15-20 seconds just to soften it up. I then dumped both jars of granulated sugar into the bowl and mixed it up real well. The labels I made on my Cricut Design Space software. I just fussy cut them out though. I didn't want to get my machine out. I ran the labels through my Xyron sticker maker and there you have it! A quick, simple, cute Christmas gift!

2015 Christmas Cards

I made all my Christmas cards this year! I did two different designs. The first is an image from Lawn Fawn called "Winter Fox". I colored this image with my Copics as follows: Fox - E50, E51, E53, E97,& E95 for the cheeks. Cup/Coffee - BG11, BG13, BG15, E33, & E35. Scarf - BG23 & B23. I used open stock paper from Hobby Lobby and inked around the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink in "Tea Dye". I also used ribbon from Walmart. I stamped the sentiment on the inside of the card in Memento Ink "Toffee Crunch" (the first stamp pictured below). For the second card, I used an image from a My Favorate Things stamp set called "You Gnome Me". I am SOOOOO proud of my coloring on this one!!! I'm super scared of coloring with red. But he turned out super cute! I used the following Copic markers: skin - E000, E00, & E02. Shirt - C00 & C1. Pants/Hat - R24, R27, R29, & R56. Suspenders- G05, &G09. Beard - W00, W1, W3, & W5. I also used my Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Chrome for the suspender buttons. I used open stock papers from Hobby Lobby. I inked the edges Tim Holtz distress ink in Peeled Paint. I used ribbon from Hobby Lobby and stamped the image inside with Ranger Archival Ink in Geranium. (the second stamp in the image below). I also used a circle die from My Favorite Things called cross stitch.

3x3 Note cards and Folio

I made these awesome note card folios for a swap! You can get the tutorial form YouTube channel papercrafter45. I also have the links in the description box of my YouTube video of the ones I made. (Channel name Christina Z). I used the DCWV:Mariposa 12x12 paper and mat stack. I inked everything with TH distress ink in Walnut Stain. Other supplies used : Martha Stewart decorative edge punch, ScorTape, misc rhinestone gems, charms from the Fairy Tale collection, We R Memory Keepers envelope punch board, We R Memory Keepers corner chomper, and a "handmade with love" charm from Hobby Lobby. The paper is so beautiful that I don't think there's any need for embellishment but it was part of the requirements of the swap :)

Other crochet objects

Here are a few other crochet projects that I learned how to do over the summer! One is an earwarmer inspired by pinterest. I followed a tutorial on YouTube, channel name Stitch Stitch Boom. And the other is a hat that I learned by following a tutorial on YouTube, channel name epicabundance. The only problem that I run into is measuring. If you aren't using the exact same yarn, your project will turn out the wrong size. So you have to add/subtract rows depending on the yarn you are using. :)

Altered Altoid Tin & Mini Album

This was for a swap. We were partnered up and the theme was coffee or tea. We had to pick one based on our partners preference. My partner and I both chose tea :) As soon as she told me that she preferred tea, and her favorite colors; I new that I had the PERFECT paper line to use! I had been hoarding the Graphic 45 Botanical Tea collection!!! (And still am because honestly it didn't take much of the paper to create this project lol!) So the goal was to alter and Altoid tin and create a little mini album to put inside. I started by painting the tin with acrylic paint. I used Mod Podge to glue down the papers and just use a hot glue gun for the embellishments. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the doily is one I got in a RAK from a friend, and the tea pot charm is from Hobby Lobby.

For the album, I attached two tiny butterflies punched out from a Studio G punch. I also used my Wink of Stella glitter pen. I wish I had remembered to take pictures of the inside of the album! :-/

Noah's Arc Banner and Cupcake pics

I recently made a Noah's arc themed banner and cupcake picks for a friends baby shower! I used the Create A Critter cartridge with my Cricut Explore to create the images. I decided that since Noah took a male and female of each animal, that I needed a male and female duo for the picks, so I added a flower to make distinguish the females. :) The pattern paper on the banner is from Hobby Lobby: The Paper Studio - Petit Bebe. I used a few different distress inks for the edges; Broken China, Cracked Pistachio, and Tea Dye. I wanted all of the different animals to be part of the banner, but didn't want to make it extra long and didn't want to make two banners. Then I had the idea of attaching them to the bottom of the letters! I was so happy with how it turned out!

For the picks - I "flattened" them to print as one single image and cut them out. I then cut out the shadow image in tan cardstock. I ran the animals through my large Xyron sticker maker and stuck them down to the shadow with a toothpick in the center.

Crochet Pigs

Back in June I discovered a YouTube channel called HappyBerry Crochet. She has a fantastic tutorial on how to make this cute little pig! I am obsessed with pigs, if you can't tell. My favorite breed is the Duroc so I made a brown one. I posted this pic on my facebook and a friend asked for one in purple. So I finally got around to making it this past week! I have a lot of friends with kids in FFA as well as my son who use to show pigs, so I think I will be making quite a few of these!

Long time, no POST!!

It honestly doesn't seem like it's been that long since I posted anything on this blog! But apparently it has been almost a year! My plan for the next few hours is to post several projects that I have worked on for the last few months. I think it will be easier to connect to pinterest form my blog than a photo.... but we will see. The main reason that I have neglected my blog is just laziness! I have to email myself pictures from my phone, open my email on the laptop and download the pictures, then link them to the blog post. I wish I could do it all on one device.... I'm sure there are solutions out there, I just don't have the know how lol. It's been a busy year. My uncle passed away very unexpectedly on new years eve. Prompting our first official "family vacation" so that we could attend the funeral. I've gotten VERY behind on my scrapbooking. With the trip to Louisiana, then helping at other stores, prepping for inventory at my own store, and helping more stores....I've been a bit stressed. Then this past week my son got {{{{{{BIG GULP}}}}}} his driving permit!!!!! He is 16 but didn't get to take driving school until about a month ago and we want him to drive with a permit before getting his license. When I was a kid, you were able to get your license 30 days after getting your permit. Now they have to wait 6 months!! WOW! I think I like it! lol Anyway, today is the last day of vacation and my only alone day so I'm working on this! :) Just for fun, I'm adding a pic of my son in his proud moment! I just wish I had a picture to share with you of my face while letting him drive on the highway! :-/