A Box Living

I've moved... kind of

2011-01-10T20:44:00.002-05:00

I have moved on to another blogging project, for the time being. A Box Living was to be a blog about my personal life after graduating from college. I notice that a lot of crafty projects snuck in, and since I don't have free time to post every day on this blog, I'm going to move on to a blog about crafts and handmade dolls. You can now find me here: Craft E Magee

The big 25

2010-11-21T22:30:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it, but I'm turning 25 years old in just 3 weeks! I'm hoping to have a super fun party to celebrate the occasion. My theme is sort of jewel-toned colors with a Moroccan feel. I'm going to have lots of candles and lanterns, and elephants, because they're my favorite animal! I'll share pictures of the party, of course, but I was so excited about the favors that I created that I had to share a photo here.

I created the bag toppers using Adobe Illustrator. The cupcake ornaments are from Walmart, and the background paper is scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby. The little baggies are from Hobby Lobby too. Guests will have a choice between purple, pink, and blue cupcake ornaments. They're so perfect since my birthday is so close to Christmas. I hope that my friends and family love them as much as I do.

It worked!

2010-11-15T18:08:00.003-05:00

I received my free cards from Shutterfly, and they're awesome! I'm so happy to have some really cool photo cards for the Holidays. I think there is still time to get your free photo cards. Go for it!

Christmas presents

2010-11-08T19:40:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to buy and make Christmas presents! I'm very excited about these Dala horses from World Market. They are ornaments and they are so cute! I really wanted to buy some of these when I was in Sweden, but they were so expensive at every size. I had to settle for postcards at the time, so these are an awesome find!

I also made some sticker bookplates for my nephew with his silhouette. I'm going to get him a bunch of books to go with it, and of course, a "fun" toy that will make for an exciting Christmas morning.

Those are the only things I have so far, but I'm traveling 2 hours to the closest IKEA this weekend, so I'll have loads of stuff to show off then!

It's time to think about Christmas!

2010-11-05T21:21:00.007-04:00

It may seem a little early to some people to be talking about Christmas, but when you're a crafter making handmade gifts, getting started early is important to staying stress free, and getting everything completed on time. My Christmas cards are usually handmade too. I love the way handmade cards look and enjoy taking the time to create them, making each one special and unique.

This year, however, I have been wanting to include a family photo in the Christmas cards and I love the idea of selecting a card from the designs offered by Shutterfly, an online photo and gift printing website. There are so many colorful and fun designs to choose from in their Holiday card section. My only problem will be taking a photo that is cute enough for the cover of the card!

The flat stationary cards printed on cardstock appeal to me most because they look so sleek. The "All Wrapped Up," "Glitter Glamour Joy," and "Glow & Behold" cards really caught my eye.

I love being able to connect with my family and friends around the world at this time of year. Sending them a card with well wishes for the Holidays and New Year is something that I never miss out on. The best thing about creating the cards with Shutterfly this year is that I will have plenty of time for making handmade gifts!

Did you know that bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! Follow this link to find out how: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 .

The 3rd Birthday Party, 3 months later!

2010-10-17T14:52:00.003-04:00

I never got around to posting pictures from my nephew's 3rd birthday. I posted about the ideas that I had, but never the finished product.

Well the party was in late July, and finally, here are the pictures!

Joe and I spent several hours making red Spiderman and black Spiderman cake pops from Bakerella's recipe.

They were delicious!

Continuing the theme from the 1st and 2nd birthdays, Joe gave Caleb $3 for turning 3. He also made a handmade card to go with it just like the Elmo card when Caleb turned 1 and the Mr. Krabs card for Caleb's 2nd birthday. I love this tradition!

I think everyone had a blast!

A bewitchingly cute dolly for Halloween

2010-10-05T22:10:00.007-04:00

I promise that I didn't disappear! Here's a little crafty proof of my existence. :)

New Toy

2010-05-23T16:08:00.002-04:00

I saved my money and recently bought a dSLR camera. I am so excited! I love taking photos with this camera. It seems other people want to play with it too!

My Spidey senses are tingling...

2010-05-19T20:41:00.006-04:00

My little nephew will be turning 3 in July and he has already requested a Spiderman birthday... but not just any Spiderman, the Symbiote Spiderman, a.k.a. the bad guy! It's not exactly easy to find party supplies for the villain, so he's actually going to have a mix of both the good Spiderman and the bad one. I don't think he'll mind!

His second birthday was a huge success! I'm very excited about planning this party with his parents. I've already started sketching ideas!

Happy's Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T13:19:00.001-04:00

"I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine-- she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights." -Terri Guillemets

Hello Spring!

2010-04-01T20:25:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I didn't post anything the entire month of March. March began with Winter storms, and ended with some beautiful Spring weather. I love seeing the newly sprung flowers and greenery around town. Today I was able to take advantage of some of the lovely weather since I scheduled some time off work.

I decided to take my nephew, mom, and boyfriend to Newport Aquarium, about 2 hours away from where we live. It was pretty neat. I had never been there before. The jellyfish were my favorite part, while Joe and Caleb were fascinated by the sharks. We even got to pet some sharks in the touch pool. Pretty cool!

On our way home we stopped by Muth's Candy in Downtown Louisville to pick up some Easter goodies!

Love is in the air

2010-02-15T19:21:00.003-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I know I did. I got to spend the day with my Valentine. I cooked a new dish for him: Shrimp and Fettucini in cream sauce. He loved it, so I was very happy!

Now if we could just get the snow to go away, everything would be fabulous!

I Heart Crafts

2010-02-07T14:43:00.003-05:00

I got some paint and glitter to make these little heart pins as gifts for Valentine's Day. I think they turned out so cute!

I also tried the felt rose tutorial from The Purl Bee.

Those little heart clips I made this weekend look so good on the gift bags!

Simple Saturday

2010-02-06T14:33:00.002-05:00

Today I'm just enjoying a yummy lunch from Shiraz Mediterranean Grill and making some Valentine crafts!

I already had these hearts from Hobby Lobby, but had to make them into little clips when I saw what Heidi from My Paper Crane made!

Unlike a lot of the country, we're not snowed in, even though there is snow on the ground, so I was able to go to the craft store for paint and glitter! Yipee!

Red and Pink

2010-01-22T22:39:00.004-05:00

I'm getting a little bummed by all of the cold, rainy, gloomy weather we've been having... so I'm totally ready for all of the reds and pinks for Valentine's Day!

I got these decorations from my Grandma's attic in a big clean out that my Mom and Aunts were doing. They are from 1984, making them older than me!

I love the animal decorations because they have fuzzy hearts!

I'm loving these buckets from Target's $1 section too! I bought a bunch of them for gifts.

Now all I need to do is get my V-Day crafting on!

30 before 30

2010-01-03T21:12:00.005-05:00

Now that we're in the New Year, I think it is the perfect time to post the list that I've been working on. Some of my co-workers were talking about reaching milestone birthdays and creating lists of things that they want to do before they reach that age. It sounds really weird to say, but in the middle of this new decade I will be turning thirty years old. I still have 6 years before that birthday comes but already it is freaking me out. I remember my mom being a "thirty-something," so the idea that I am nearing that age is almost unbelievable.

I don't know what my future will hold and I'm excited to see what will happen. I decided to make this list of 30 things that I would like to accomplish before I turn 30. Some of them are small, some big, some costly, and some scary, but all of them are things that I am interested in seeing if I can complete before December 2015 when I turn 30 years old.

1. Learn how to crochet

2. Ride a roller coaster that goes upside down (Yikes!)

3. Read “The Classics” (Moby Dick, Les Misérables, War & Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo…)

4. Get a piercing or tattoo

5. Make a quilt for myself

6. Get Joe on an airplane

7. Visit Tara in Idaho

8. Ride in a hot air balloon

9. Move out of my parents’ house

10. Explore Europe

11. Go back to Brno and Praha, Czech Republic

12. Get a full body massage

13. Reach goal weight

14. Write a children’s book

15. Cook Czech food

16. Learn Spanish

17. Go to Japan

18. Get a Master’s Degree

19. Learn fancy calligraphy

20. Put together a book of family recipes

21. Get back into volunteering with local organizations

22. Set up a mutual fund

23. Get married

24. Start a family

25. Pay off student loans

26. Start giving blood again

27. Sell something on Etsy

28. Print out all the digital pictures on my computer

29. Pet an elephant

30. Make homemade marshmallows

Of course this list is in no particular order. We'll see how it goes!

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

2009-12-31T22:56:00.002-05:00

2009 was pretty good to me. I got a job, spent another year with Mr. Joe, watched my nephew grow and learn, and had a lot of fun. Here's hoping the new year is even better for all of us! Hello 2010!

Fiesta Photos

2009-12-31T22:38:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was planning a 50th birthday fiesta for mi madre in December. It was a wonderful time! We had margaritas and Mexican food and had a blast.

I was inspired by the fiesta hosted by Modern Marie, especially the invitations.

I really lucked out finding the Dala Horse cake pan at IKEA the week before the party. Having such a colorful party was really fun in dreary Winter. I highly recommend it!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-26T15:29:00.002-05:00

Wishing you and yours the best this holiday season.

Have a Happy New Year!

¡50th Fiesta!

2009-12-21T21:54:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to be planning a 50th birthday fiesta for my Madre. I have been collecting things since summer so that everything would be colorful and bright. I also found a Dalahäst cake pan at IKEA this weekend which I think will make the perfect piñata shaped birthday cake!

I can't wait for tacos and margaritas! Yum!

It's the Holiday Season...

2009-12-03T20:34:00.001-05:00

Joe and I spent the other night listening to Christmas songs and decorating our Christmas tree. It was a fun time.

And tonight, he made me dinner! How sweet! :)

November's almost over!

2009-11-25T12:25:00.002-05:00

I am really bad at keeping up with blogging, but I didn't want to go a whole month without posting anything!
I have been so busy preparing for Christmas because I am handmaking everything again this year. I even joined a Christmas swap that involved making 78 items and a Secret Santa at work, so gifts are on my mind every day!
This week I am off work, and have been enjoying time with my nephew and family. It's good to get some relaxation in since work keeps me pretty busy normally.

I had a Thanksgiving dinner with Joe's family on Sunday which was really nice. We will eat more turkey tomorrow with my family on the actual Holiday. I really love this time of year because there is so much going on, and so many birthdays, including mine!

Here's wishing you happiness and love during this festive time of the year!

I love Fall!

2009-10-18T19:02:00.002-04:00

The Good Things

2009-10-15T21:05:00.005-04:00

Since graduating from college I feel like I've been able to slow down a little bit and appreciate things more. I like cherishing the good things in life. Here are just a few things I'm really loving lately.

• Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Read My Pins by Madeleine Albright
• Elsita's wonderful blog which makes me feel so happy and inspired.
• This dessert, where my Mom cleverly decided to substitute craisins for the tropical fruit to make a delicious Fall treat.
• Wearable art from one of my favorite Etsy sellers
• Knitting on the porch so that I can enjoy the cool weather and the beautiful changing leaves

My Honey's Birthday

2009-09-30T21:10:00.003-04:00

Joe's birthday was today and we had lots of fun during our Japan-themed festivities. One day we will actually make it there, but until then we'll have to settle for lots of sushi and Cowboy Bebop... and a Resident Evil cake for good measure.

I got a cookie cake from the grocery with Joe's gamer handle, and it came out really nice.

We both really liked the menu at Shogun, the restaurant where Joe had Unadon (eel) and we shared the Yam-Yam and Spider rolls.

It was a very good evening, and now we have Powerball lottery tickets to look forward to.

Happy Birthday Baby! Love, love, love!

Pumpkin Glow

2009-09-27T21:56:00.001-04:00

They're hard to get a photo of, but these little pumpkin lights are so fun at night!

Signs of Fall

2009-09-27T14:41:00.001-04:00

Fall is coming!

2009-09-14T18:58:00.003-04:00

I love, love, love Fall weather! The cool air, the colorful leaves, the art fairs; everything about this time of the year makes me happy.

Joe and I went to a new art fair over the weekend. It was lots of fun walking up and down the aisles and snacking on some fair food. I really wish that I had taken my camera, but I forgot it! There was an awesome car in the parking lot painted with the characters from The Wizard of Oz that I would have loved to capture.

I did snap a few photos of the happenings in our yard this weekend.

I am very proud of myself because I'm ahead on Christmas gifts for family and friends. I really enjoy handmaking items and giving them to people. Of course I can't post any of those pictures just yet, but I'm sure Winter will be here before we know it, and the wonderful Fall days will turn into a cold Winter. I have to admit that I don't enjoy the snow as much as falling leaves.

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T15:45:00.003-04:00

Oh, I'm really getting bad at this posting thing. Well, at least I have a nice day off from work so I can share a few pictures. These flowers are growing on our fence in the backyard. A nice colorful little surprise to brighten the day.

I love the heart-shaped leaves!

Work makes it difficult to keep posting on this blog, but I am going to try. It's just such a nice creative outlet to have. Thanks blog! :)

This isn't a craft per se...

2009-08-11T23:02:00.006-04:00

...but it certainly is an art! Dance, that is. My cousin and good friend Lee has been in the process of opening her own dance studio here in Louisville. I saw it with walls and paint for the first time last night and I am so excited for her! Congratulations Lee! I love you!

Here's my beautiful Aunt at the front desk!

Isn't it fantastic when people can follow their dreams? Way to go Lee!

C is for Cake

2009-07-28T19:42:00.003-04:00

The gift that I made for my nephew's second birthday was a name book.

The window on the train was for a photo of my nephew that I cut out and put inside.

This was my favorite page:

The best part about the name book is that I could use words that he already says and also add words that he hasn't learned yet. For example, he already says lollipop and cake, but he doesn't know others like lightbulb or cactus. I love watching him grow and learn. I can't wait to read his name book with him one day when I babysit.

Bikini Bottom Birthday

2009-07-27T20:49:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was my nephew's 2nd birthday! Who knew that planning and preparing could be so much work? My brother, sister-in-law, Mom, Joe, and I worked hard to pull everything together, and it turned out great! I think the little guy enjoyed it, even though he had a shy moment and tried to hide under the table as we sang "Happy Birthday to You."

Last year he looked like this:

But yesterday he looked like this:

I can't believe how much he has grown!

His favorite cartoon right now is Spongebob Squarepants. Since Spongebob lives in a pineapple under the sea in the city of Bikini Bottom, we tried to have a Bikini Bottom Birthday party.

I made a "pin the tie on Spongebob" with posterboard and paint, and he greeted guests at the front door.

We found this wooden "Aloha" sign at the dollar store and my sister-in-law used sharpie markers to color it in.

It turned out to be cheaper to buy a helium tank and balloons from Walmart for the party. This worked out really well because I didn't have to drive to the party with balloons blocking the view out of my car's back window!

It's easy to find Spongebob party supplies on the internet or in stores, and my Mom stocked up on tablecloths, napkins, plates, cups, and more.

My sister-in-law got leis and we placed them on tables with the bubbles that I made.

We also made good use of the felt Krabby patty, Frycook hat, and pineapple balloon weights that I made.

The food spread looked like a feast with Barnacle Buns (hot dogs), Krabby patties (turkey sandwiches), Sea Cucumber Pasta (pasta salad), and Sandy's salsa (Corn & Black Bean salsa, since Sandy the Squirrel is from Texas).

My sister-in-law found these cool Hawaiian drink cling-ons. I chose Luau Lover to distinguish my cup from the others.

We found Spongebob cupcake toppers and wrappers at Wilton's online store.

I also cut out some felt flowers in the Spongebob style and cut a slit to insert twist ties. I twist tied them to the window blinds. You can see a purple one in the background on this picture.

I think my nephew really enjoyed seeing Spongebob all over everything.

We handed out Spongebob goodies to all of the kids...

...but they were more excited about the water toys.

My sister-in-law drew little Spongebob faces on sponges for a tossing game.

The kids had other ideas and threw them at each other instead of in buckets. At least they were just sponges!

Of course the birthday baby wore a Spongebob shirt, sandals, and later swimming trunks.

Joe made a great card to go with the theme. He also gave Caleb $2 for two years. (Last year he gave my nephew his first $1 for being 1 years old.)

The card reads:
Dear Caleb,
Congrats on your second B-day! I love you so much, that I decided to give you something that is very precious to me... money! Ah, I love it almost as much as my sweet old Mom. Now, here's two dollars for a two year old... I'd like to give you more, but I've got a business to run ya know! So, save up every penny you make starting with these two dollars and one day you might have your very own restaurant like your old pal Mr. Krabs, Argh Argh Argh Argh!! Happy Birthday!

My nephew went straight for the cash.

We all put in a lot of work for this party, but it was all worth it for this face! Happy 2nd birthday little one!

Birthday Bubbles

2009-07-24T15:58:00.005-04:00

Another handmade idea that I had for my nephew's 2nd birthday party was to make personalized Birthday Bubbles.

It was very simple.

1. Find a picture online of Spongebob and friends blowing bubbles, add some text, and print them from the computer.

I just used Microsoft PowerPoint for this.

2. Cut the labels out with scissors.

3. Use clear packing/mailing tape to secure the labels to the bubble bottles to protect the ink from the soapy liquid inside. That means there won't be any ink all over the little ones.

4. Watch the kids have a blast!

I think these are one of my favorite things that we put together for my nephew's party.

I will post more pictures after his birthday this weekend!

My good news!

2009-07-15T21:20:00.003-04:00

I almost forgot about my good news announcement. I was recently offered a full time job that isn't temporary! The job that I've been doing since May was only temporary and it was supposed to be finished at the end of July. Instead, the company decided to keep me on. I'm so excited to finally be finished with my job search. It's been so difficult finding work since I graduated from college last May. I'm so happy about this!

Just because, here's a photo of the gift wrap that I used on my nephew's present. Isn't it adorable? Don't worry, I'll post more Spongebob stuff before his big day!

I'm ready! I'm ready!

2009-07-12T17:22:00.006-04:00

Well... almost. My nephew is having his 2nd Birthday party this month and it's going to be Spongebob themed. My mom, sister-in-law, and I have been working on different details for the big day. I've been doing decorative items and games with my mom, and my sister-in-law is handling invites, food, and cake.
Little C is the first and only grandkid for my parents so far and since he's my only nephew I like to help out. I want his birthday to be so special.

As part of the decorations, I made a fry cook's hat that Spongebob wears for part of his uniform and a Krabby patty, both made of felt.

My nephew has a cute little spatula, so I stuck that in the crook of Spongebob's arm for extra cuteness.

Here's a close-up of the hat decoration.

I will probably sit the hat, krabby patty, and little spatula on a table to add to the decor.

I am also getting balloons per my sister-in-law's request, so I had a brilliant idea-- pineapple balloon weights! I threw a 25th Anniversary party for my parents several years ago and still had the silver balloon weights that I bought at the dollar store. I thought it would be cool to alter them for my nephew's 2nd birthday party.

It's very simple. Just take the balloon weights and trim off the fringe on top.

Wrap the weight in a square of orange or yellow tissue paper. Tie it to the weight, leaving a leafy top. Paint the top of the tissue paper green.

Next, decorate the pineapple. I made the design look like the pattern on Spongebob's pineapple house.

The balloon weights turned out so cute, and I'm so excited to see little C's reaction to his party!

Stay tuned for more Spongebob party stuff as the date gets closer and closer.

Lovely Ladies

2009-07-07T22:35:00.004-04:00

Sorry that I've been gone for a while again. I have some good news to announce soon! For now, I'll leave you with a photo of my Mom, Grandma, and Aunties. They are all so pretty!

Happiness

2009-06-07T11:51:00.003-04:00

I found two children's books at the store recently with wonderful illustrations. I really couldn't pass these up, so I bought them!
"Up" is a new movie from Disney/Pixar that Joe and I have been wanting to see, but this little book is even more darling than the movie trailers. It's a Little Golden Book, which brings back fond childhood memories for me anyway, but the illustrations inside are really fantastic.

I also found a book called "The Road to Oz." It's a different story than "The Wizard of Oz," but still follows Dorothy and Todo around. The illustrations in this book are great too.

Finally, one last photo to make you smile. I just picked up "Armageddon in Retrospect" by Kurt Vonnegut (published posthumously) and this is the quirky little photo that greets you on the back cover.

The photo was taken by Edie Vonnegut. I love everything from the purple flowers, to his crossed legs, to the gnome above his head. Mr. Vonnegut was a very funny man. A Gentleman from Indiana.

I'm back!

2009-06-06T11:54:00.003-04:00

Well, I didn't exactly go anywhere. I just took a much needed blogging break. Sometimes, I felt like I was on the internet all day, and I really missed doing other things. So what have I been doing since April? Reading books again, working at a new job, writing online articles, keeping a photo blog with my friend (so I didn't get to escape the internet altogether), and doing some crafting. I also spent a lot of time just hanging out with Joe and my family. It was nice.
My nephew is getting so big. He says some sentences now, like "There it is" and "Here it comes" and "Nana, where are you?" He's so cute! I can't believe that next month he will be two years old.
My mom graduated from college in May and Joe will be walking at his commencement in a few weeks. Joe did finish school last September, but had to wait a whole year for the one ceremony in June.
Also, my Grandfather who had a stroke last October and became paralyzed on his left side has started to move his left leg! It is amazing and we are thrilled.

Don't think I forgot about pictures. These are just photos of things that I am enjoying lately.

I love these LOVE stamps that the U.S. post office issued last month. They are based on the King and Queen of Hearts and created by NY artist Jeanne Greco. Remember when I was the Queen of Hearts for Halloween?

The designs of the King and Queen are connected, with her hand in his stamp, so it is sort of sad to disconnect them. I have to find a card that will cost be 88cents to send, so that I can use them together. :)

My mom is as crazy about illustration as I am, so she's been buying children's books lately.

When I was young, I loved the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff, and illustrated by Felicia Bond.

Now we own "If You Give a Cat a Cupcake" by the same author and illustrator. They apparently have a whole series now, but this little kitty is a look-a-like of Joe's cat Clarence. Yes, his cat is named Clarence. :)

The book that I loved most though is "Mommy in My Pocket" by Carol Hunt Senderak with illustrations by Hiroe Nakata. It is adorable from the rhyming story to the wonderful illustrations. It's about a little girl bunny who is afraid of going to school and wishes that she could take her Mommy along with her in her pocket.

So there you have some things that are making me smile lately. I'm sure that more kid's books will be appearing here soon.

Taking a break

2009-04-24T16:48:00.003-04:00

I've got a lot going on lately, so I'm taking a blog break. I'll still be writing articles about arts & crafts in Louisville over here. The egg jockeys are there too, just in time for the KY Derby! I'm planning on posting many other Derby crafts there, so stay tuned.

Enjoy the Spring time!

Yay!

2009-04-22T20:07:00.001-04:00

The movie last night was pretty good. Joe and I both enjoyed it.

All I can think about right now though is the fact that I have a job and I start work on Monday! I had an interview today and they offered me the job. I'm so excited to be able to work again! It's been so hard being unemployed and mooching off of my parents. All I can think is YAY!

The Soloist

2009-04-21T16:45:00.002-04:00

Joe and I are going to see an advanced movie screening of "The Soloist" tonight. My neighbors gave us free tickets. It was very nice of them. Thanks D & A!
I am excited because I've been wanting to see the movie. I will let you know how it was later. :)

Feeling the excitement!

2009-04-19T14:38:00.002-04:00

Last night was Thunder Over Louisville, a huge fireworks and Air Show that serves as the kick-off event to the Kentucky Derby Festival. At this time of year the temperature is warming up, the flowers are blooming, and every Louisvillian knows that Derby week is coming.

My Aunt Dolly throws the best Kentucky Derby parties. She made clay pot jockies one year to give out as gifts. The little guy above was a present to our family. I love Dolly's parties because she has all sorts of things going on. She has a craft table for the kids (where I'm a regular), a horseshoe tournament, a mint julep bar, betting on the races, and lots of delicious food! I've always said that the real place to be for the Derby is at a house party. The Run for the Roses is so expensive and celebrity-studded that it's difficult for Louisvillians to get into Churchill Downs.

Last year I did try to throw my own Derby party, but this year I won't be missing Dolly's for anything!

Learn more about Louisville Arts and Crafts

2009-04-17T17:29:00.003-04:00

I am excited about my newest project, writing for Examiner.com as the Louisville Arts and Crafts Examiner. I will be writing all about where to go for supplies, projects to make, where to buy handmade in Louisville, and even featuring local craft businesses.

Come on over and check it out!

I love this tree

2009-04-15T16:27:00.002-04:00

Remember when I was wishing for the Dogwood tree to bloom?
Well it has, and the flowers are so beautiful!

I took these pictures yesterday.

I'm busy with some little projects that I've got going on, so my posting might be sparse for the rest of this week. Have a good one. I'm holding out for the warm weather again!

Free Art

2009-04-14T17:58:00.005-04:00

I love art and if I had tons of money I would buy lots of it. That's why I love the Free Art project run by Jen Wallace of Indie Fixx.
You can just go to the website and download free to print pieces by artists.

I love this new download from Sarah Golden.

So go download some free art for instant happiness!

My New Project

2009-04-13T22:13:00.002-04:00

I am so excited to tell you about a new project that I doing with my best friend Tara. She is currently living in Idaho, about 1,598 miles away from me in Kentucky. We decided to create a photo a day blog called 1598 Miles Apart. We will try to post photos each day from both of our lives as a way to connect.

We were inspired by the websites 3191 miles apart and 10:15am photos among others.

To see our photo blog, click here.

Cupcakes Part 2

2009-04-11T16:12:00.002-04:00

The cupcakes are completed! I love the pretty pastel colors of the icing and the bunny ears on top.
I just used plain white icing from a tub and dyed it with food coloring. I decided on pink, green, and yellow. I haven't tasted one yet, but they sure look yummy.

Cupcakes Part 1

2009-04-11T14:18:00.003-04:00

So... I had this idea to make bunny ears out of white chocolate to use as cupcake toppers for Easter. I was a little disappointed with the results because my hand was so unsteady as I tried to pipe the hot chocolate onto the tray. I tinted some white chocolate pink for the centers of the ears with drops of red food coloring.
To make the piping bags I just used plastic zip storage bags. I snipped a hole in the corner and had an instant piping bag.

I did this yesterday, so the ears are all dry now. I'm currently baking the cupcakes, so once they cool I will add colorful icing and shove the bunny ears in the middle. I will of course post pictures of those later.

I had a lot of melted white chocolate leftover so I decided to drizzle it on some Chex Mix (minus those weird chip things). I let this harden and then had trouble not devouring it with Joe. It was really good!

Hope you have a Happy Spring weekend! It's gorgeous today so I want to get outside!

Dying Eggs

2009-04-09T17:50:00.003-04:00

Joe and I dyed Easter eggs today. I haven't dyed eggs in years and we've never dyed eggs together. It was fun, but it took much longer than I remembered. We waited and waited for the eggs to take the color. Eventually we gave up on the yellow and orange, which is why they are so lightly colored.

I have plans to make fun cupcakes for Easter, so hopefully I'll post about that tomorrow or Saturday.

I Heart Art

2009-04-08T19:45:00.003-04:00

Last year I swapped some paper with an artist named Dawbis. Her stuff is mostly collage and it's really neat. I received the artwork she created for me yesterday and swiftly put it on my wall! It's very cool to be collecting art.

I also colored in the little mouse that I doodled the other day. I'm envisioning art prints of this little character one day. :)

Doodling

2009-04-07T15:56:00.001-04:00

I wish that I could go lie in a field of flowers like this little guy. I've just been drawing and doodling during my nephew's nap today. Maybe he was dreaming about something happy like this. :)

Cooking up some things

2009-04-06T12:14:00.006-04:00

I'm trying to decide what to make for the family get togethers for Easter. I thought colorful cupcakes with bunny ears poking out might be cute, but I also wanted to try my hand at carrot cake. We'll see, I guess.

Last week when my mom and I went thrifting, we found a wooden kid kitchen for only $25. It's in good shape, so we bought it right up for my nephew. I just tightened all of the knobs and handles and cleaned it with a warm washrag. I don't think it needs paint, but I'm not sure. What do you think? Also, we need accessories to go with it, like little fake foods and pots and pans. Can anyone tell me about a good place to get these things?

I have also been cooking up an idea for Spring/Easter cards. I thought it would be cute to take one of those knitted toys and tie it to a card. This froggy friend is for my nephew.

Now I'm off to complete more resumes and cover letters. The job search continues...

Thursday

2009-04-02T15:24:00.002-04:00

These pictures have some of my favorite things: crafts, thrifted things, and nature. Mom and I went to our favorite thrift store (Unique on Preston) the other day. I picked up these adorable miniature baskets. They're perfect for Easter, but I'm trying to figure out just what to do with them. They'd be cute accessories for dolls too.
I used some fake grass to display my new knitted friend, a plucky little ducky. I used the same awesome pattern as before, only I made wings and left off the ears. The white flowered fabric was also a thrifted find.
The crabapple tree is completely covered in pink blossoms now, so I just want to share a photo of that too. Isn't Spring just awesome? They're saying that the high temperature next week will drop into the 40's with lows around 32 degrees F (freezing point)! I better enjoy the sun while I can.

It's a Beautiful Day!

2009-03-30T13:39:00.003-04:00

It's nice and sunny outside and warming up. We had a chilly weekend with rain and wind, but it's wonderful outside today!
I love the blossoming Spring flowers outside. Our crabapple tree is blooming it's pink flowers and there are little purple flowers (I guess they're weeds) in our front yard.

I made a knit froggy for my nephew. I used the bear from this pattern (the same as my bunny friend) and made the ears into eyes instead.

He is a pretty bright green color, almost neon. I used felt for his webbed feet, and dark green spots of felt for his back. I forgot to take a photo of this part.

Hope your Monday is as beautiful as mine!

Bunny in Boots

2009-03-28T16:48:00.005-04:00

When I was a freshman in college there was a girl in my art class who could knit. I asked her to teach me how to do it, so one day we met up in her dorm. Amidst strange looks from others in the common area, I learned how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off. That was 5 years ago, but I still haven't moved on from rectangular knitting projects (think scarves and ipod cases). So imagine my surprise when I dove into this knitting pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits and actually created a bunny! I'm so excited! I learned the i-cord technique with the help of the Internet and a trip to the craft store for double pointed knitting needles. It only set me back $4.00 and I have a cool bunny to show for it.

I just love the little guy (yes, amidst all the pink, I think he's a he). I'm so proud!

I couldn't quite get the ears right with the pattern, so I just cast on 3 and did the stocking stitch for several rows. I kind of pulled the end to get it pointy and stitched the ears to the bunny with the purl side showing. Does this make sense?

I decided to do the boots on my own, and created the pattern with the techniques that I learned from the bunny tutorial. I will share it with you, but keep in mind that this is my first pattern and results may vary. Sorry!

*Note: I used U.S. size 5 (3.75 mm?) for the bunny and boots. Although, the double pointed needles for the limbs and tips of the boots were U.S. size 4 (3.5mm?).

For each boot:
I cast on 6. It was kind of snug and I had to shimmy them onto the bunny's legs, so maybe casting on 7 would be roomier.
I knit the first row and purled the next, doing the stocking stitch for about 8 rows.
Here I cut the yarn leaving several inches and threaded the yarn through the stitches just like the bunny's body in the Teeny tinies pattern.
I sewed up the back of the "boot" with the extra yarn, leaving the other end open for the leg.
To create the toes of the boots I did an i-cord. (Cast on 4 stitches and do about 4 rows of length.) Cut the yarn leaving a few inches and tie it up. Use the ends of yarn to stitch the tip to the front of the boot. Tie a knot on the bottom and you're finished.
I hope that this wasn't confusing and can work for others. Good luck!

Bunny Wreath tutorial

2009-03-27T11:31:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite little quotes for this time of year is "Hoppy Easter, Hoppy Spring, Hoppy, Hoppy everything!" I'm sure it came from a greeting card, but I think it's cute. Of course you could always alter this wreath and make it just for Spring if you don't celebrate Easter.

I made this wreath at my grandmother's request. She saw a frog wreath on our door that Mom and I made using a foamy craft kit where the pieces were cut out.

She said she wanted one with rabbits and I told her that even without a kit, I could make one for her.

I did have a lot of craft foam left from other projects, so this is what I came up with. It would be a lot easier to do if you had a large sheet of foam and a large sheet of felt, but I was working with 8.5" x11" or standard computer paper size.

To create the large carrot shape out of foam I used 2 sheets of white foam. I stapled them together and cut out the carrot shape. To cut out the inside of the carrot I used an Xacto knife.
(Sorry for the crappy photo.)

Then I started to glue pieces of orange felt to the shape, cutting as I went. You could achieve a much cleaner line with a large piece of felt, but I was using what I had on hand.

Before you glue the top part of felt, staple on a carrot stem.

Take a piece of ribbon and knot the bottom. Then work the ribbon up underneath the carrot top.

Next, cover the top with felt.

Now it's time to cut out your bunnies! I looked up pictures of bunnies online to come up with their body shapes. I cut out the heads separately so that the bunnies would look more 3-Dimensional.

I used light pink felt to add fuzzy ears and bellies to the rabbits. Some even got fuzzy tales from cut up pom pom balls.

To draw the faces, I used an ultra fine point Sharpie marker. The pink noses came from a pink watercolor pencil that I dipped in a tiny bit of water before coloring on the bunny.

When I completed the bunnies and they were dry, I cut out little Easter eggs and decorated them with puffy paint. I also made a little "hoppy easter" sign to hang in the cutout part of the carrot. After everything dries, I lay it all out to see how I want it to look.

I used an Xacto knife to cut a slit into the "hoppy easter" sign, slid some ribbon through, and hand sewed the ribbon to secure it.

I glued the rabbits and eggs to the carrot before finishing up with the sign.

I glued the ribbon to the back of the wreath and added some horizontal support too.

Once everything dries, you're all finished and you have yourself a very cute door decoration.

I'd love to see what other people make, so post a comment if you try this out! :)

Sneak Peek

2009-03-26T13:57:00.001-04:00

I'm working on a tutorial for an Easter Bunny Door wreath. Here's a quick snapshot.

It's rainy outside today, so since I can't enjoy the Sun, this Spring craft is what's making me happy. My Grandma asked me to make it, and I will be sharing the tutorial soon!

love + bugs = lovebugs?

2009-03-24T12:48:00.003-04:00

Today is my brother and sister-in-law's 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Happy Anniversary you two!

They received a wedding album, two years late. :) They opened it on Saturday, so there's no ruining the surprise. I took photos from the Wedding and did some photo editing. Then I used a print your own book service to have their album published.

Well, that was the love part. Now about those bugs...

Joe had a little friend tagging along with him yesterday. I looked at his sweatshirt while we were out in the car and noticed that a ladybug had landed on him. We decided to wait until we got home to let her go.

She decided not to fly away...

...so we hoped that she'd be happy with the flowers.

Then we saw this little guy in the middle of the front step to the porch.

We thought he was dead, but when Joe tried to move him he started to buzz and flap his wings. He couldn't fly, so Joe put him in the grass. Good thing no one was stung!

Headed to a Baby Shower

2009-03-21T12:45:00.005-04:00

My cousin's wife is having her baby shower today. I made this little card to go with the booties and onesies we are giving to them as a gift.

I just took some yarn, miniature clothespins, and papercut shapes to make this clothesline for baby. I adhered the onesie, diaper, and teddy shapes to the card by using raised double stick tape squares, like for scrapbooking. I used my rounder punch on the corners of the card which I love!

I think the teddy bear is a cutie.

Plus there are some sweet little baby socks on the back of the card.

Dad's 50th Birthday

2009-03-20T16:50:00.004-04:00

Dad's birthday party was good. We had lasagna and salad for dinner and yellow cake with chocolate icing for dessert.
My nephew helped blow out the candles.

My Dad didn't get his present yet, which will be a book of "50 Reasons Why We Love You," because it's not finished. I was really surprised at how sweet my brothers and mom were in their entries for the book. Dad's going to love it!

Here are some of our reasons:

All I have to do now is bind each packet of 10 pages and put a cover on the book!

Busy Brain

2009-03-19T14:19:00.005-04:00

Today we are celebrating my Dad's 50th birthday. It's not until Sunday, but this is the night that all of us can get together. So, Happy early Birthday Dad!

I am excited about the NCAA Basketball tournament and Louisville's chances of winning this year. As a Louisvillian, I'm always excited when we get recognition, especially for something other than Slugger baseball bats, and the KY Derby. I even filled out a bracket with UofL going all the way! Two other Kentucky teams made it into the top 65 this year as well. Morehead State & Western Kentucky University.

My nephew has been giving out kisses lately, and it's so cute. He's growing up! He'll pose for me when I ask him if he wants to take a picture, he doesn't want help on stairs, he answers questions with "Yup" or "No," and he learns new words every day. He even tried to say leprechaun on St. Patty's Day, even though it came out as "kekakan."

I'm thinking a lot about my Grandpa, who has been in Rehabilitation since suffering a stroke in October of 2008. His insurance company and the place he has been staying have pretty much decided that his therapies should be stopped and that he won't regain the ability to move his left side. It is very disappointing for us, his family. After only 5 months, we aren't ready to give up hope that he could some day stand on his own, or even walk. What can we do?

Sorry for the no pictures post. I'll have to make up for it tomorrow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T10:49:00.005-04:00

I thought that it would be neat to take pictures of green things today. It was fun searching out the color in my house.

I asked my nephew, "Did you see any leprechauns today?"
He responded, "Yup."
It was so funny!

Wishing you the luck of the Irish... even though we're Scottish. Have a great day!

Monday Musings

2009-03-16T14:48:00.003-04:00

I had a nice, relaxing weekend. I had dinner Friday and Saturday with Joe's family. Lunch with Dad on Sunday, and dinner with Mom at work. I also slept in every single day, and finished a good book ("Water for Elephants"). I visited my Grandpa in Rehabilitation and saw my nephew a lot. It was fun.

We also got some nice mail. The April issue of Martha Stewart Living (a freebie I ordered online) came, and it features the city of Prague! I spent some time in Prague as a study abroad student, and as the capital of my temporary Czech home, it's always fun to revisit it from the U.S. in any medium I can find. I loved seeing pictures in a glossy magazine and saying, "I went there!"

Mom got her issue of Oprah magazine, and can I just say that I love the cover?! Michelle and Oprah look fabulous in yummy tropical colors! It really pops.

Sorry about the orbs. They come from the recessed lighting in the kitchen.

For now I have to get cracking on sending my résumé out and applying for more jobs. Joe and I did use Kinko's for those free copies and we love the results. They let us pick fancy papers. I chose "Milky Way" which is a slightly stone looking paper and Joe chose a creamy white color. So nice!

Come back tomorrow for all things GREEN! :)

Make a Clover Bookmark!

2009-03-15T14:52:00.002-04:00

One day in college I was walking with my best friend around campus. We walked past a patch of grass. I looked down once and just plucked up a four-leaf clover! How lucky was that? My friend, who had been mid-story just stared at me and said, "How did you see that?" It was too funny, and I knew that I had to save the special clover. I decided to make it into a bookmark. All I did was cut out a rectangle from thick, white paper and used clear mailing/packing tape to seal the clover to the bookmark. On the back, I wrote one of my favorite quotes. Confucius says: "Wherever you go, go with all your heart."

I think this would make a fun St. Patrick's Day gift. You could use shamrocks (3-leaf) on patterned paper, and it would be adorable! I wanted to make some to show you how, but we don't have any packing tape!

The Borrowers

2009-03-14T14:59:00.005-04:00

You know the saying, "Never a borrower, nor a lender be?" Yeah... that's not me. I have such a large collection of books and movies that I love, that I can't help but sing their praises and end up lending them to others. Sometimes it doesn't work out so well... but mostly, I get everything back. Sometimes I lend so many things out that I forget someone has something until they return it.
As a library fan since 1992, I love those personal library kits that they have now. However, I don't think stamping the pad in the book I lend will help me, although it may help the borrower remember to return it. I decided to create my own little library card list for what I have lent out.
I like the idea of using the small box for the name of the borrower and the long box for the item borrowed.

I just tacked the finished list onto my bulletin board, and will cross of the names as the items are returned. Apparently I have recently lent out 4 books and 3 films! (The list above is a fake.) In case you are wondering what the font of "some things borrowed" is, it's Albemarle Swash available as a free download at Fonts101. It's a fun font, and I love the swirls!

Feel free to save the blank cards to use for your own personal lists or use, but please don't erase my website and offer it up to others. Thank you!

Black lines

Blue lines

Enjoy!

Painting Baby

2009-03-13T12:29:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I spent a few hours babysitting my nephew without Papa and Nonna being around. He was sort of sad without them, so I asked, "Do you want to paint?"
He responded. "K. Peent." (Okay. Paint.)
It was adorable!

I put him in one of my t-shirts. It was funny because he liked walking around in the smock, carrying the paintbrushes.

He even smiled for a photo when I asked him to. It's so neat to be able to communicate with him now that he's almost 20 months old.

We were painting all sorts of things, but my goal was to create some decorations for St. Patrick's Day. We made a Leprechaun, Rainbow, Clover, and Pot O' Gold.

We used cotton balls, paint, glue, paper plates, cardboard, and construction paper for the pieces. I promise that the "gold" is sparkly! I used a metallic paint, but it just looks brown in the photo.

I love crafting with kids. Maybe I can persuade my little nephew to grow up artistic!

Wishing you a lucky Friday the 13th!

Yesterday

2009-03-11T12:27:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a very nice day. It was 81 degrees Fahrenheit outside! Today it's 40 degrees. :(
Anyway, we took advantage of the nice weather and played outside. My nephew had a blast.

We played with blocks...

he told me and Nonna some things...

and ran around.

We also did some much needed Spring cleaning. I was able to find the little dolly from Aunt Dolly from so many Christmases ago. Read about my Aunt Dolly's Christmas memory here.

My new little friend

2009-03-10T12:28:00.003-04:00

Look who came in the mail just for me? It's little Robertina Arroyo!

I just had to order her when I saw her here (with a much better photo than my own) on Elsita's blog.
I just love this little flower girl. She's atop my jewelry box, looking adorable.

Free Resumes printed tomorrow

2009-03-09T19:07:00.003-04:00

Since I am still on the job hunt, this article peaked my interest. Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10th), FedEx Kinkos will make 25 free copies of a résumé for any customer. They decided to offer this because of the record job losses in the U.S. in February. How nice for a corporate company to provide this service!

Ready for Spring!

2009-03-08T16:47:00.003-04:00

Yesterday it was a wonderful 74 degrees Fahrenheit! It was so warm, and there was a cool breeze. It was amazing. It was the first really warm day that we've had in so long. It made me so antsy for Spring, especially since the Daffodils started to come up.

Now, it's going to rain today, and it feels chillier than yesterday. I guess we might go back to winter weather, who knows? We had a blizzard in March last year. ;)

Let's pretend it's Spring already and admire these photos from several years ago. I can't wait until this Dogwood blooms again!

Easy Organization

2009-03-05T15:22:00.005-05:00

I've had this photo for a few weeks (the calendar was still on February) so I'm finally posting it. This little invention has been great to have. I'm always searching for a pen to write on my calendar by the door. While my dresser is close by, the pens always roll away behind it or onto the floor. I made this little fabric pen holder and tacked it onto the bulletin board. It's easy & quick to make, and the result is so cute!

I just love this IKEA fabric!

What's better in the afternoon...

2009-03-02T16:07:00.003-05:00

... than pancakes?! Especially heart-shaped ones.

I made these for Joe today while I enjoyed Mom's Christmas present---a television in the Kitchen!

What else, but Mama Mia!

Tuesday's Dinner

2009-02-26T15:20:00.002-05:00

We had Honey Mustard Kebabs again on Tuesday. They were delicious. This time I also made some cous cous with feta cheese and onions to go with it. Usually I also put cucumber and peppers in the cous cous but I forgot to buy the cucumber and the kebabs used all of the peppers.

I love this meal and luckily my parents and Joe love it too. Last time I served it to my brother and sister-in-law, Grandma, Dad, Mom, and Joe and we ran out of kebabs. This time we had enough for leftovers, and I love that! :)

Inspired Sewing

2009-02-23T12:52:00.004-05:00

I love when I find something that inspires me to craft. I always hope that my imitation is seen as flattery. I saw "The Kate Bags" on Craftster and fell in love. I just had to make one for myself because it is such a cute tote.

I even included a pocket on the inside for a pen and whatever else.

I love the combination of colors. I usually wouldn't pair bright colors with gray, but I think this bag turned out great.

I love my new bag! I aso love all the sewing that I've been doing lately. I made those booties, an apron for a friend, this bag, and an organizer for my bulletin board. I'll probably post about that later. Happy Monday!

Baby Booties

2009-02-21T15:32:00.004-05:00

I really love quick and easy sewing projects. It's so satisfying to sit down for a few hours and then have a project finished.

This fabric is probably one of my most favorite patterns ever. I used it for a quilt for my nephew, and now in these baby booties for my cousin. She's expecting a baby boy this year.
Check out the tractor on the right heel.

I found the pattern here: stardustshoes.blogspot.com/2006/10/cloth-shoe-pattern.html

I'm feeling better, although I still have a bit of a cough. Unfortunately, Joe's sick now!

I'm sick. :(

2009-02-17T16:46:00.003-05:00

I've been fighting a sore throat for a few days, but when I woke up this morning I felt like crap. I have drainage and sinus pressure in my head that is almost unbearable. I've been having soup to calm the throat, but what fixes the head pressure?

I just made tomato soup from a can and used milk instead of water. It was yum!

Working on my Networking

2009-02-16T15:04:00.002-05:00

Above is a screenshot of my job résumé. Since graduating last May, the job search has become increasingly frustrating. It's hard enough to find work right now, but what makes it even worse is that I don't really know what I want. It has almost been an embarrassment to me, that I can't find work and it's been almost a year.
I haven't wanted to talk about it to anyone, but everyone asks, so finally while talking to my family about it, I was able to get some help. A cousin of mine offered to review my applications and an Aunt has given me some work contacts that I may pursue.
I guess that I've been working against myself by trying to avoid discussing my job search. They say that when you're looking you should tell everyone because you never know what tips they might have to offer. I'm hopeful that something good will happen. We'll see.

Love is Love.

2009-02-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

A different kind of candy box

2009-02-12T14:15:00.005-05:00

Joe really doesn't like sweets, but I thought that it would be fun if I used a candy box to give him little gifts for Valentine's Day. I already had a box that I'd been saving for this purpose.

Most of the items were crafted. I was surprised at just how small things needed to be in order to fit into the box.

Top row, left to right: Love coupon, "wish anklet", peppermint
2nd row, l to r: Memory card for his digital camera, Resident Evil keychain, sculpey cheese
3rd row: "I am Loved" pin, felt cat, heart painted bottlecap magnet
Bottom row: Felt fortune cookie, "I love..." origami book, puka shell necklace

Here's a close-up of some of the little gifts. A love coupon, felt cat, wish anklet (the idea is that the wearer makes a wish and when it breaks off the wish comes true), bottlecap magnet, Origami love book, & felt fortune cookie.

I hope that he likes it. I think he will. :)

Valentine's Day Card for 59 cents!

2009-02-09T15:17:00.003-05:00

I was shopping at Michael's Craft Store the other day and couldn't help but pick up one of the pre-decorated wooden shapes for 59cents. My nephew loves to say bees, among other things right now, so I thought it would be a cute magnet for him to play with. Tape it to a beehive card and you've got a sweet valentine!

First gather some supplies:
sharpie or black marker
scissors
yellow construction paper
bee shape
tape
glue
magnet

Fold the paper and cut out a beehive shaped card.

Use the marker to add some detail to the card.

Glue a strong magnet onto the wooden bee. LET DRY!

To finish up, tape the back of the wooden bee and place it on beehive.

Of course you have to write "Bee Mine!" on the inside... or you can accidentally spell it right like I did. Ha!

The magnet goes on the fridge for a year round valentine! There you have it. Cheap, easy, and fast!

Time to myself

2009-02-09T12:57:00.004-05:00

I've been doing a lot of creating lately and it's been fun. I accidentally took a blog break in the process, but it was nice to to get a bit of a break.
Mostly I made Valentine's Day cards, but I've also been trying to learn how to crochet. Mom gave me a kid's crochet book that came with yarn and a hook for only $3 (on clearance). I know how to knit, but crochet has always seemed difficult for some reason.
I don't have any wonderful craft photos just yet so I decided to share my Target find: the most adorable slipper socks! I love the strawberries paired with the gray knit. They are supposedly "one size fits all," but my feet slip out of them. I may have to stitch the back a little tighter. They're cute anyway though!

Link list

2009-02-03T12:30:00.003-05:00

I'm getting ready for Valentine's Day with some of the great crafts below!
Handmade Cards
Handmade Cards 2
Decorations
Adorable Heart Trivet
Paper Baking Cup Flowers

I'm off to craft!

Back home!

2009-02-01T13:16:00.003-05:00

We stayed in a very nice hotel in downtown Louisville this past week since the electricity was cut off by a blizzard, but I'm so happy to be home!
We got word that our power came back on last night, but we had one more night in the hotel.

View from the hotel

My arms are tired from clearing off two cars and shoveling snow. The home is warm, and cozy as ever, and I'm so glad.

Cold as Ice

2009-01-30T14:03:00.004-05:00

I did get some photos uploaded to my Flickr account.

Winter Blizzard!

2009-01-30T12:40:00.004-05:00

At 1:00AM Tuesday, Joe and I looked outside to see everything covered in snow, and freezing rain falling on the already icy trees. We went outside and heard cracking and saw tree limbs fall from the weight of the ice.
We decided to move the cards so trees wouldn't fall on them, and then went inside to warm up. About one hour later, we lost electricity. We rushed to bed and hoped the power would return soon, but it's been off ever since. The winter cold has made our house unbearable, so my family is staying in a hotel with power. We are lucky to have even gotten a room at the hotel because the whole city has been affected. I am missing the internet, but we are at my brother's house right now. Their power was restored yesterday because they live outside of the city of Louisville.
Over 600,000 people have lost power across the state, and it could get worse since more snow, wind, and ice is predicted to come.
I've been taking lots of photos, but I don't know when I'll be able to post them.
Wish us luck getting our electricity back!
You can check out our local paper, The Courier-Journal to read more about our weather woes.

I asked for it, didn't I?

2009-01-27T15:57:00.004-05:00

We got a lot of snow over night. Actually, it's snow frozen over with ice, so it's the dangerous kind of snow instead of the happy, powdery kind.
Now we're just getting freezing rain.

I have pictures of course!

Backyard snow.

C'mon Aunt Liz! Let's go!

Babies in snowsuits are so cute.

My nephew loved the snow! He giggled the whole time we were walking around the front yard.

The Weather

2009-01-26T15:36:00.003-05:00

This poor little snowman is hanging on our door with no snow in sight. I hate when it's cold and there is no snow. At least snow makes it fun. The little bit we got last week melted quickly. I'm not saying that I want a blizzard, but if it's going to be bitter cold, some sparkly flurries might as well fall!

Handmade for the Home

2009-01-22T16:07:00.006-05:00

My brother's girlfriend got her own apartment recently, so I've been making some housewarming gifts for her. I made a fabric slipcover for a tin can, so she can use it for pens & pencils, or cooking utensils. (Spoons not included!)

She's really into fashion, and everyone needs art on their walls, so I framed this cute illustration that I cut from a magazine.

I also made some fabric coasters. It's just a layer of clear vinyl, cotton fabric, and thick cotton backing.

I hope that she likes everything. I think that she will!

Lastly, I made an ice cream cozie for me. I love the little pints of ice cream, but they make my hands so cold. I knitted a rectangle shape, folded it over longways, and sewed the ends and bottom.

Americone Dream = YUM!

Now I have a knitted cozie!

I just couldn't help myself.

2009-01-20T14:20:00.002-05:00

Obamicon yourself.

Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T12:44:00.003-05:00

Look what came in the mail today. Mom got this collector's book for me and it came today, on the day that Barack Obama was inaugurated. What a day!

For my 10:15am photo at 12:15pm, I am "hopeful for the future. Proud of this day."

Paper for Art

2009-01-19T13:48:00.003-05:00

I am so excited today because I just learned that I will have something on its way to me in the mail. It's not just any something, but beautiful artwork!
Over the summer I had answered Dawn's call for new papers in return for some artwork. I love her style, so I thought, why not? I hoard paper anyway! I send her a packet of goodies, including some tram tickets from Czech Republic.
When I woke up this morning there was a picture of my art in my inbox! Her pen name is Dawbis, and she lives in Texas. Her stuff is just awesome.
I really wish I had a better picture of the paper I sent, but I don't, so here you go. My paper for art.

Her art for paper.

See more of her work at Lovely Paper or Flickr.

Yay!

Our First Snow

2009-01-18T23:00:00.004-05:00

Joe and I just had a little bit of fun outside. It is snowing here for the first time since March of 2008. It was sad not to have a white Christmas, but I'm glad to see the glittery snow has finally shown up.

The Tastiest Chicken Ever

2009-01-16T14:22:00.005-05:00

I wish that I could have taken a photo of the yummy dinner we had last night. It was "Magee Night" a.k.a. the night when my brothers and their loves come over and we all have dinner with Mom and Dad. Joe wanted shish kebabs, so I cut up some onions, red & green peppers, and raw chicken. I mixed up a honey mustard marinade that I wanted to try and rolled the chicken around in it. Mom helped me skewer each kebab and then we baked them until the chicken was cooked. It probably would have been easier on the grill, but it's way too cold for that.
They were so delicious, that they were gobbled up by my family. I had to draw a picture since I didn't get one with my camera.

We just served them with white rice. We also had some cottage cheese and peaches, but that's probably not for everyone. :)

I just used the sauce part of the recipe below on the chicken pieces for the kebab, but I'll post the whole recipe in case anyone is interested.

The Honey-Mustard chicken recipe came from my local newspaper The Courier Journal.
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard* (*I used yellow mustard and it was fine.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 chicken thights
2 chicken wings
Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a baking sheet with oil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, mustard, oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Brush the chicken pieces with the honey-mustard mixture, place on the baking sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Serves 2.

It's really good, and I can't wait to have it again. :)

Is it too early?

2009-01-15T15:27:00.006-05:00

I love Valentine's Day things. The reds, pinks, whites, and frills. Lacy doilies and stuff.
I've already started making cards. I wanted to make a simple print in acrylic paint so I used a stamp carved from an eraser.

They will make for nice February note cards.

I know that there are many people who hate Valentine's Day and how commercial it is. I think that handmade is much more fun myself, but I do like the idea of a holiday to celebrate love. Love should be present every day in your life, but it's nice to have a special day designated to recognize loved ones.

Date nights are fun, but it can be hard to do when you don't have any money to go out. Joe is close to nabbing a job, but I'm still unemployed unfortunately. I decided to browse the internet for free date ideas. They're somewhat hard to come by unless you have a specific city in mind. I wanted to have a list to share with you. Hope it helps someone!

Things to do with your loved ones for FREE!

1. Have a picnic. This is great indoors or out. Pack a basket with sandwiches, cheese, grapes, and wine. Spread a blanket on the floor or the ground and spend time focusing on each other.

2. Make s'mores. Roast marshmallows over the burner on a stove or by candlelight. Put the toasted mallows on some chocolate and graham cracker and enjoy the gooey goodness with your partner.

3. Gather some pencils and paper and sketch each other--at the same time. The artwork can be silly or serious, but it should be fun!

4. Play any number of card games or board games. We like Uno, but it's even more fun with more people, so we like to include my mom. Charades is a good one too. The possibilities are endless.

5. Do a craft together. We painted mugs in Florida which did cost money, but if you go to a website like Craftster you can find numbers of crafts to make with household items. As a crafter myself, I always have supplies on hand. Polymer clay (like Sculpey) is something we have worked with together.

6. Do a puzzle. Better yet, blow up a picture of you and your partner, glue it to cardboard, cut into puzzle pieces, and then do the puzzle together.

7. Take pictures together. Go to a park, play in the snow, take a walk, or whatever. Just take some photos together! Younger people probably aren't too camera shy. I used to take my camera everywhere. It's fun to make memories, but it's even better to have a picture together to back it up. If you're really into it, have a photoshoot!

8. Read to each other. Joe thinks it's cheesy, but we have read spooky stories to each other which was fun.

9. Fold origami. Cut paper into squares, google or youtube search for some directions, and have at it. I like the paper crane myself.

10. Volunteer your time together. It isn't what you'd think of for a typical date, but it's a good bonding experience. I have volunteered at soup kitchens, the hospital, city events, cancer & AIDS walks, family centers, and more. Each experience was different, but I always felt uplifted afterward.

11. Fold a piece of paper in half and mark two lines in the center. You draw a person from torso up and don't show your partner. They draw a person from torso down and don't show you. Open up the piece of paper and observe. It's funny to see the results!

12. Bake together. Make brownies, or make cookies and decorate them. Or rig up a double boiler to have fondue. It can be a chocolate fondue with strawberries for dipping or a cheese fondue with bread for dipping.

13. Make a collage together. It's a good oppurtunity to have downtime together and relx. It's also a way to find out what reminds your partner of you, and what they think of the relationship. By seeing what they clip out to put in the collage (pictures or words) you can see what's in their thoughts. If it turns out good you can frame it or put it into a scrapbook.

14. Find a free museum. Or a free movie showing. Many university campuses have film showings that are free to the public. Some museums have art exhibits for free. Getting some culture together is a great way to bond, and another oppurtunity to see how your partner views things.

15. Snuggle under a blanket and watch a movie. Pop some popcorn and make a night of it. Make sure you alternate who picks the movie. I've seen "The Departed" thanks to Joe and liked it. He's seen "Love Actually" thanks to me and liked it. It's good to trade off.

If you think creatively, you can come up with other activities. Just focus on each other and have fun.

Crafty Family

2009-01-14T13:42:00.006-05:00

I like to hear the following story because it makes me think that creativity runs in my family. My Great Aunt Dolly wrote up this memory of me as a little girl for a family website. Dolly and her sister, my Grandma, are two of the craftiness people that I know, and I'm so glad to carry on the tradition. One note to the story is that I wasn't born until Dec. 1985, so the story had to be later than Dolly thought.

Elizabeth gets her Doll.
by Dolly 12/07/2005 02:12:03 PM
So many Christmases have come and gone. I wanted to share this special Christmas story with you. This had to 1984 or 85, It was the year that we decided to start a family tradition of making all the presents for the family. Spending our time with crafts instead of shopping in the Malls. It was meant to make the Christmas special for all. I think it was the one that captured the spirit for me.
We started in October, meeting weekly to plan and create a special gift for all members of the family. It took some thinking to come up with 84 presents from scratch.
We had made barbecue aprons for the men and hot gloves for the women. As I remember we made wood mannequin heads for some of the teenage girls to hang their jewelry on. Wagons and airplanes for the little boys. Beer steins with favorite team logos on the glass filled with peppermint candies for the men. Pillows and wall plaques, trains and trucks. Wow, how does Santa get all this done in time? We worked and painted and cut wood, and glued pieces together.
Well Christmas Eve arrived on time, as usual. It was one of the coldest nights I remember, dragging all those presents up the steps to mom's house. After we got them all in there under the tree, Santa stopped by on his way around the world to call each person by name to receive their special present. The little children were sitting down in front, Santa took his seat by the fireplace, and started with the litany of names. John, Joe, Sara, Etc. Too many to list. Little Elizabeth was sitting in front, in her little red dress, waiting to hear her name, bag after bag emptied, still nothing for Elizabeth. Then in the last bag, Santa reaches deep into the bag and reaches for the last present, Elizabeth sitting there with her eyes fixed on this man in his red suit, out of breath calling all those names and he pulls out this little doll, cabbage patch like, and gives it to Liz, as she says, "Oh Santa, this is exactly what I wanted." In the commotion, I had to quickly leave the room, I was so touched by what I saw and heard. She had gotten the present of her desire, and I was awash with tears. The scene is one I will never forget. Merry Christmas to all.

Hi, it's Liz again. I still have this doll! She's packed in the basement with my childhood toys. I'm hoping to get her out for a photo if I can find her.

3/11/09- I found the dolly!

European Rewind

2009-01-12T20:38:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that it's been a year since I left Brno. So much has happened since then, good things like watching my nephew grow and meeting Joe, but I still miss Europe a lot. It really helped me to learn about myself, and it was just plain fun!
Here are some photos from my Fall 2007 stint as a student abroad.

Brno, Czech Republic

I thought that it was funny to see the variations of pedestrian signs as I traveled.

Krakow, Poland

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, Hungary

Stockholm, Sweden

Apparently I forgot to take one in Brno! So here's a cropped photo where you can sort of make out the sign.

New obsession

2009-01-11T15:12:00.003-05:00

I discovered Tiltshift Maker this weekend, and I love it. I have yet to create a really great photo because I'm still figuring out the technique, but it's really neat software. It's so easy to use, and it's so much fun to look through people's creations in the Tiltsift group photo pool on Flickr.

You take photos...

... and make them miniature!

Craftiness

2009-01-07T20:20:00.008-05:00

I forgot to post a few of the handmade gifts that I gave at Christmas, so I thought I would share them now.
After admiring the lovely Fir-Girl ornaments from Inside a Black Apple, and not being able to buy any, I decided to make some with my nephew's head instead.

I also made an address book for my mom. The felt is embroidered with ribbon, and sewn onto cereal box cardboard for stability. I cut blank pages from an old journal to fit the cover and glued the pages inside. For the letter tabs, I used cardstock pieces cut into half circles and glued them to the pages.

Now I've been working on some new things, including this "Bored Book." I was inspired by the Leisure Book from Oh Happy Day. This will be a great way for Joe and I to do something that we actually want to do when we have the money or free time instead of camping in front of the T.V. flipping channels. Since I didn't want to spend money on a tabbed notebook, I used the method from the address book above. I took a blank journal, cut "tabs" from index cards, and stuck them on (with tape this time) to the pages.

The tabs are:
t.v./movies (what to rent or watch)
shopping (wishlist type stuff we want to buy with extra money)
restaurants (cheap)
restaurants (not cheap)
excursions (museums, parks, etc.)
travel (big trips in the U.S. and abroad that we want to take)
books to read (check out from library)
other (for the stuff we haven't thought of yet)

I will leave you with a project that I'm still working on. It will be a Dala Horse (Dalahäst) ornament for my Swedophile friend Tara. I loved those horses when I visited her in Stockholm, but they were always too expensive for me as a college student.

It's never to early to start on Handmade Holidays 2009! (Especially since it means I can follow along with others via Geek+Nerd.)

Back to "work"

2009-01-05T15:16:00.004-05:00

I'm back on the job hunt since the Holiday season is over. It was great to have some temporary work before Thanksgiving, but I'd love to get something permanent now. Wish me luck!

I also want to get back to "work" by being crafty. I made so many handmade things for Christmas that it sort of wore me out, but I've been inspired by Alicia Paulson and Amy Karol since I got their books for Christmas. Here are some new fabrics to get me even more inspired.

My goal is to make something every week. Anything. I'd like to make some cloth napkins and handkerchiefs to be a little more environmentally friendly for starters.

It is good to relax, and this weekend with Joe was fun. We played basketball yesterday (he beat me by 7 points), and saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" on Friday.

I honestly think that this was the best film that I've ever seen. Everything about it was good.
I love Cate Blanchett first of all, but each actor was a perfect casting choice. Taraji P. Henson was especially delightful as Queenie, the young woman who adopts baby Benjamin. Tilda Swanson is in the film as well, and I like her too. I know that Brad Pitt's performance is causing all of the big "to-do" surrounding the film, but Cate held her own. She was so believable at every stage in her life as Daisy.
The cinematography for this film was fabulous too. The lighting and the colors were spectacular. At every moment, I felt that it was picturesque (moments like the scenes on the lake and Daisy's character in Russia).
Even though the premise of the movie is very sad, and I shed quite a few tears at the end, the movie is just too beautiful not to see it.
Joe really liked it too, so it's not just me, in case you're doubtful of my recommendation. :)

Happy Monday!

Holiday Wrap-Up

2009-01-01T14:50:00.005-05:00

This Holiday season was very good to me. It brought a lot of family and a lot of love.

For mom's birthday we had a nice dinner at Chile's Restaurant and enjoyed their molten cake dessert!
Here I am with Momma Magee on Christmas Eve.

It was my nephew's 2nd Christmas, and he seemed to enjoy the attention, if not the presents.

I got a lot of books for Christmas, which I loved!

My favorite Christmas present by far though, was a poem from Joe. He's promised not to be embarrassed by me posting it here. :)

New Year's Eve was good, because I was able to just relax with Joe at home. We shared some Margaritas, piggies in a blanket, crackers and dip, and a New Year's kiss. The end of January will be one year of our relationship, and I'm looking forward to years to come.

Hello 2009!