Last Minute Christmas Gifts . . .

If you know me at all you know that I am the Queen of Procrastination. Tomorrow is my last day of work until the new year and I had 4 more presents that needed to be made. Yep - made, not bought. I decided to make "sticky note" holders for the desks of some of my coworkers. I have been wanting to make some and this was the perfect excuse to try them out. For my first attempt(s) I think they turned out rather cute.

Still here. . .

Yes, I know . . . it has been a loooong time since the last post. Things have been crazy busy around here. Between finishing the semester and having graduate projects due, along with finals, and sewing and crafting and trying to decorate for Christmas between it all . . . it has been a whirlwind of activity. The semester is over, finals are finished, the house is decorated and only a day and a half left of work before a 2 week vacation. Ahhhhhh - I finally feel like I have time to sit down and breathe. Even in the midst of all of this, I have had time to get some crafting done. I have recently been making dresses for girls and have been swamped with custom orders. I am catching up with those but am enjoying making them. This was one of the first ones I made and is still one of my favorite fabrics.


I have also been making some little "purse pals". They are small personalized booklets that have a laminated front and back cover. They are filled with blank cards and are the perfect size to throw in your bag to jot down quick notes. These have also been pretty popular and I just finished up an order of 8 and another order of 6. I think they are cute and I use mine all the time!

I have gotten most things around here decorated (at least as much as they are going to be decorated!) I haven't taken a lot of photos but here are two of my favorites. I love my tree topper this year. Its fun and whimsical and my favorite mix of Christmas colors.


These are the jars that I made (see previous post for info) and the changes that I made for Christmas. These sit on the center of my coffee table and the live greenery smells divine.


Sure is a lot of rambling just to say I'm still here. . . If I don't post again before Christmas. . .

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!!

Creating. . .

It's hard to believe that all of this. . .


Can become all of this. . .




I saw this on another blog, Shanty2Chic, and fell in love with these jars. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought all the stuff I needed (except they were out of the actual jars that she used - I bought the mason jars that have smooth sides and are made for crafting instead) and whipped up these little beauties in just a few hours. I am also going to make me a set of white ones for Christmas. Won't they be just lovely filled with red and green peppermints?!?

Craziness . . .

Wow! It sure has been busy around here. I have had the hardest time getting back into the swing of school (both working at a school and working on my masters). I usually don't have too much of a problem adjusting but just can't seem to find enough time to do the things I like to do. Things seem to be settling down a bit so I look forward to some more sewing and creating. That's what's relaxing to me and I am ready to get back to having some time to relax. I must say though, even with the hectic schedule and the everyday hustle and bustle I wouldn't change a thing!
Life is good!

Happiness. . .

"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect...
it just means you decided to see beyond the imperfections."

A Few Updates. . .

So, I did get a few bags completed and am working on adding them to the shop. These are small bags and are perfect for little girls (or big girls who like little bags!)

1 Down, 1 To Go. . .

I am participating in this weeks Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch blog. I love looking at what other people "transform" and every Monday this blog has links to different bloggers and their transformations. Go and check them out!

I mentioned in a post or so before that I wanted new white rocking chairs on my front porch but didn't want to spend the money to buy new ones. Especially when I had two perfectly good, matching wooden rockers already. So instead, I decided to paint them. I have successfully painted one of them and have one more to do. I think they look great and they definitely brighten up the porch.

(Before)


(After)

These are the opposite rockers, as you can tell from the opposite side of the porch in the photos. I forgot to take a picture before I started painting this one.
I am very please with how this one turned out and can't wait to finish the other one.