South Carolina crafting...

Ok. I would have pictures of this but a certain someone (ALISA!!!) hasn't sent me pictures yet. I just have to say that we had a FABULOUS time with our friends. It was a much needed break from life, and it was great to spend time with those we love. Alisa and I spent the week crafting (something that I hadn't really done since she had left) so it was awesome. I know, Alisa, that you think that I was too busy "working" on my vacation, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Here are a couple pictures of what we worked on...

(Thanks to Leigh for some of these ideas and patterns)

 

I'm already loving having one of these crayon rolls in my church bag. No more lose crayons in the bottom.

We made this to go in Bailyn's room. LOVE IT!!

  

Can't see these very well but it's the nativity scene on glass blocks. We back lit them with battery operated tea lights.

   

I love how this turned out. I definitely could use a reminder to have a little more patience...

 

These are holiday fridge magnets-in sets of three magnets. Cute!

 

That's just a little of what we worked on. Yes, we were busy-I think I probably wore Alisa out as she's expecting next month!

Getting all these crafts done started "the ball rolling" for business. I got asked to teach 4 classes at the Beavercreek Super Saturday next week and then a couple classes at the Xenia one. I'm also cutting orders for several others around the country-it's craziness!!! That's what I'm totally occupied with now-vinyl, wood, and school. I thought I'd be bored with both boys gone all day, but it's been quite the opposite. I find myself saying, "It's already time for them to be home?!?!"

I did change my work website, yet again. This one is to stay!!! I promise. It's www.vinylsayings.com. I thought it was a little easier to remember.

If any of you are crafting, I'd love to see pictures of what you're working on....

Going Green...

Wow..three posts this week. That's probably a record for me. But don't expect it to continue. I know myself too well! LOL

Anyways, I thought I would post a picture of the latest crafty thing that Amberly and I have been working on. We decided that we wanted to try to do our part with "going green". After watching an Oprah show on the subject, I went out and bought the energy saver lightbulbs and decided that I wanted to use fabric shopping bags. I have searched everywhere to find ones that I like that I didn't have to sew. However, all the ones that I found were either too small, too narrow, or cost way too much. $6 per bag? I think that's a bit much if you shop every two weeks like we do.

So Amberly and I sat down a made our own pattern and purchased the fabric and webbing with 40% off coupons so I think our bags came in around $2 each.

They really were easy to sew, once I got the sewing machine to work! LOL It helps if you thread it right. We managed to make 20, 10 for each of us and that was the perfect number when I took them to the commisary this week.

I also am trying to cut down on paper towel and napkin use. This statement from Oprah got me thinking about it all: One of those simple things you can do is to reduce your use of paper napkins…by just one a day! "Napkins make a huge difference," Elizabeth says. "We use 2,200 of them a year, per person on average. Six a day. So if we all gave up one napkin a day, we could save a billion pounds of paper waste … from going to landfills a year." Such an easy thing to do, if you're aware of what you're doing.

And of course, we're really try to recycle our paper, boxes, and cans. A week doesn't go by that Kaden doesn't find something around the house and tell me that we can recycle it and then names a list of things that we could make from the object. It cracks me up every time. I guess cartoons really do teach something-"Reduce, reuse, recycle"-Bob the Builder

If anyone is ambitious and wants to get on the bandwagon and make some bags, I'm willing to share our pattern.

Good luck-and "GO GREEN"!

Family Room Makeover

Ok. This post might be a little boring for some of you, but for others (the naggers know who they are!) this post has been long awaited. My brother, Tyson, came out here back in Feb. I believe, and helped us make over our family room. I know, many of you thought that it looked "ok" to begin with, but it wasn't me. Not that I know what is "me", but I knew that it wasn't a room that drew me in. I think it may have been the oversized fireplace and the avacado walls that just screamed "country" to me. And I've learned in the last couple years that my style isn't country.

So here is the one picture I could find of the old room... Note the large brick fireplace, oversized mantle, tv on the small stand in the corner and the comfy blue chair that didn't match anything....

   

I took a video of the new room, but I can't get it to load on here, so these pictures will have to do...