A few more . . .

I have really enjoyed making dresses. It sure has been a nice break from purses. These are a few more dresses that I have made lately.

These two Christmas dresses were custom orders. (They are actually a bright pink cordorouy fabric with a bright green liner - my photo skills are not very good!)


This dress with ballet slippers was also a custom order.

The snowflake dress was one that I made to list on Etsy.
I am definitely enjoying my time off from school. It's hard to believe Christmas is in 2 days!!

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.

Will You Be a "Johnny". . .

With a paintbrush in hand. . .

After a busy day today that included pressure washing the front porch and steps and then painting all of the railings on the porch (thanks for the help mom!) I decided the rocking chairs on the front porch needed some "doing".
This is what I currently have (2 that look just alike):


However, this is what I would like to have:


But because I am too cheap frugal to pay about $160 for 2 brand new white rockers, I now have a paintbrush in hand.

A few of my finds redone. . .

I am working on redoing my spare bedroom. Actually, working on making it a bedroom again instead of a junk craft room. I have put the bed back in and am slowly adding to it.

Find #1
I found this white metal lamp at a local thrift store for $5.00. It is very heavy and I loved the curvy base. I spray painted it "Ivy Leaf" by Krylon and this is what I ended up with. I love it and it matches the bedding in the room perfectly.




Find #2 and #3
Find #2 was actually a find in my own yard. I have lots of these plastic terra cotta colored pots. Some have things planted in them and some, well some are home to some very lucky spiders. I bought an asparagus fern (one of my favorite types of ferns) and needed a pot to put it in. I decided to try spray painting the pot with "Ocean Breeze" by Krylon. I love it and it turned out great. The bright green fern looks so good in the blue pot. Find #3 is a black wrought iron plant stand that I bought for $5.00 at the flea market. It was pretty rusty and needed a good coating of paint. Again, I used Krylon spray paint in a black gloss. It turned out really pretty. It got dark before I could get a really good after picture.




Here's a picture of the plant stand before:





I am having the best time finding things and redoing them. And I am falling in love with spray paint!

M.I.A. . . .

First I would like to emphasize the "in action" part of the title. I'm telling you, it has started off as a busy summer! I am taking two classes during first term and they are packed in there! Just this week alone I have had an exam every day!! One on Monday (oh but wait - that was a make up exam because all of last week I was required so graciously willing to be on jury duty - picked for the very first case of the week that lasted nothing short of all week!), 1/2 of one on Tuesday, the other half of that one on Wednesday and then one today. Not to mention I am having to do clinical hours. I am so looking forward to being done with these and having the rest of my summer with nothing planned. I hope to get some crafty things done and completed (don't I say that every time?) Hope you are enjoying your time. . .


(just wanted to add a picture - this is one of our kitties. She is actually the momma to our other kitties)

Hectic. . .

Where has the time gone?!

Let's see - it's the end of the semester at Converse and it's been hectic! It's getting close to the end of the year at school and it's been hectic! The consignment sale I work every year is just getting started and it's hectic! I've been trying to buy plants to plant in the yard and trying to pull weeds and it's hectic! I hope to be doing a home show at a friend's house at the end of the month and it's hectic!

So, I am still here. And you know, sometimes when I actually have time to slow down I don't know what to do with myself. Sometimes, although I don't always like to admit it, I just do better when it's hectic!

Advice. . .

Just a bit of advice. . . when you run out of your bare minerals makeup that you love don't go back to using the old makeup that you used to use - it might make your eyes swell almost shut by the time you get out of bed the next morning - then your face might get really red and become really itchy - and by the time you get to work it might be really swollen - and the school nurse just might give you a dose of Benadryl and then tell you to call the doctor - you just might have to make an appointment in the middle of the day because you feel like you are going to claw the skin off of your face - the doctor just might give you a medication that keeps you up all night - ok so you might get to sleep at 4:30 and then awake to the alarm at 5:30. Remember, these are just some of the "mights" - how do I know this? Let's just say, take my advice. . .

My creations in action. . .

Emily got to wear her Minnie shirt and her matching headband I made her to see the Disney show on Saturday. Isn't she just adorable?!

Easter Wreath. . .

Wow - 2 posts in 2 days and another completed craft project. If only Spring Break lasted a few more days! I had seen this cute Easter wreath on another blog and decided that I wanted to try it. It was very inexpensive to make and really easy! I think it looks super cute hanging on the front door.

Finally, some progress. . .

I've been on Spring Break all week (gotta love working in the school system) and had grand plans to get lots of crafting done. Well, if you know me you know that I have the best of intentions that just don't always happen how I want them to. My bestest friend (yes, I know bestest is not a word but I like the way it sounds!) Michelle always laughs that I work best when only a little time is left. Unlike me, she plans way ahead for everything and it stresses her out that I wait until the last minute. It's Friday, the Friday of the END of my Spring Break, and I got some things done. I have made lots of little bows for some cute little girls, several woven headbands and today I made 2 appliqued shirts. I have been wanting to try applique on shirts for a while and Michelle wanted a cute Minnie shirt for Emily to wear so I decided to try it! I am hooked! It was so much fun and I loved seeing how they turned out. The goldfish turned out to be my favorite but I liked them both! I can't wait to make some more!

A bit of insight. . .

"God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you need to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be."


Ok - maybe this isn't really insight but I must admit it made me think. I am sure that I have seen this little quote / saying before and I'm not really sure why today, of all days, it really hit home. It's not that any one person comes to mind; it's not that anyone has helped me , hurt me. left me or loved me any more today than any other day. But today, it hit home. I am a firm believer that everyone you meet impacts you somehow. Yep, everyone. I think about the grouchy lady on the phone who I talked to yesterday who reminded me that how I speak to someone can make them feel better or worse. I think about the friendly cashier at the grocery store who smiled and laughed with me while I was standing in line and spending way too much money who reminded me that a smile is contagious. I think about that sweet little guy this morning at school (who only comes up to my waist because he's only 5) put his arms around me and said "Mrs. Brown, this hug sure does make me happy!" who reminded me that even the smallest of acts can mean the most. I think about lots of people. And as I think about each one I think about how wonderful my God is and how He himself picked out long ago who I would encounter each day. God doesn't waste his time or mine. If He puts them in my path then I know they are placed there for a reason. So on this very rainy Friday night,
I am simply reminded . . .

A Snowy SC . . .

We don't get snow here in the Upstate of SC very often so when we do it's a BIG deal. Even a little snow here will shut down schools and empty the grocery store shelves of bread and milk. I am not a cold weather, snow kinda gal. As mentioned before I prefer the beach and the sunshine any day of the week. However, as it snowed here last night I couldn't help but to watch and notice the beauty of it all. It's so white and clean and so pretty this morning as the sun shines on it. As I measured (for my own curiosity - with the ruler from my rotary cutter no less) I must admit I was a little shocked at the total - 7 inches! I know, for some that is nothing but for us here down south that's a good bit of snow. I am enjoying my day off today since schools were cancelled and plan on spending a lot of time indoors. Enjoy your day, wherever you may be and revel in the fact that its a beautiful Monday!

Cheering for the "other" team. . .

I received this in an email on Friday at work. I watched it and I cried. I watched it again today and I cried. I think that I could watch it everyday and cry. But as the tears were streaming down my face, my heart was smiling. This is what compassion is and this is what we are put on this earth to do. As I wake up each morning, it's this selfless compassion that I hope to remember and portray. Every child, every person, deserves a chance to prove themselves. Sometimes, as christians, its up to us to cheer for the other team.

Here's to hoping we all remember to cheer for the "other" team!

A Shopping Trip. . .

Guess what I did today after work today? I went School Shopping! Yep, that's right. I have finally taken the plunge and am heading back to school. If all goes as planned I will be starting classes tomorrow to begin work on my Masters. I am getting my masters in Special Education with emphasis in MD (mental disabilities) and ED (emotional disabilities). I am excited and nervous all at the same time! Why in the world is a 31 year old nervous about starting school?! After all, of the 31 years I have been on this earth 16 have been spent in school (so what's another year and a half!) If you have a minute, say a little prayer that all goes well!