Update: Craft it Forward

I've made a few more gifts for Craft It Forward, and I wanted to share them with you all. I have so enjoyed making goodies for people I love. I haven't stuck to one particular kind of craft. I'm trying to be inspired by things I already have on hand and something that I feel really speaks to the person I'm making something for. Check out my latest creations ...

The first piece was a necklace I made for one of my friends from college. She is a totally hot surfer chic ... and still is. The small dangling piece actually has some shell bits from the beach where we went to college.


The next piece was an adorable headband/hair piece. My friend always has very stylish do's, so I wanted to make something to accentuate her chicness. I found a plain brown headband and simply glued on some cute turquoise silk fabric flowers. Easy as pie, I tell you!


The final pieces were sent to friends in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington (*hopefully* they all arrived safely). These were some frames I had gotten a while ago at Target. I added some ribbon, vintage jewelry pieces, some rhinestones, and metallic tape to spice them up a bit. Then, I took some images from an Ann Traintor book I had, and KaBOOM! their gift was made.


So far, everyone has really enjoyed their gifts. I better get crackin' though ... the end of the year is quickly approaching and I still have a few more people to scratch off my list!

Happy creating to all ...

The Merry Makers

If you plan it, they will come ... and so they did. I sounded the horn for a monthly craft night, and several of my favorite ladies heeded the call. Here are a few pictures from our first gathering ...









I can't decide what I enjoyed more -- making time to do something I love, gathering with like-minded ladies, or the gabbing and gossiping. If any of you have been brewing on a similar craft night idea, brew no more -- JUST DO IT!

And to my Merry Makers, can't wait to see you ladies next month ...

Shout out to Cheap Chicks!

A dear friend started a blog called Cheap Chicks, which highlights a wide variety of thrifty finds. She posts great bargains from fashion to food to fabulous getaways! Most recently, she shared how to score a free SNUGGIE. Awesome! So go and check it out ... http://cheap-chicks.blogspot.com/

So this mushroom walks into a bar ...

I peruse design blogs on a daily basis, and I am constantly amazed by people's creativity and craftiness. But today I stumbled upon Paul Baxendale's blog, Finder Maker, and found something that made my toes curl with excitement!

Paul's latest entry is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make shelves out of mushrooms. He gives thorough instructions and provides detailed pictures to make this project something you can actually feel confident in tackling. Check it out!!

*Picture via Finder Maker.

Happy 4th of July

Parts of a whole

I will never ever ever again turn down a $5 bouquet of flowers at the grocery store. I will also never ever ever again put them all together in one vase. Talk about divide and conquer ...

Things to make and do

I've been on a "let's make stuff" kick recently. Here are the two latest creations ...

I made a wreath for the front door (at the "request" of my husband who said our current wreath was not "summery" enough -- who knew he was even paying attention). I wrapped a thrifted wreath in ribbon, added some "flower" buttons, and called it a day.

This next piece hangs in our kitchen. We purchased the large outer mirror at the flea market a few years ago. It was missing the center mirror, so we got it at a steal. Our original plan had been to make some kind of string art in the center, but that plan failed dismally. We later added the smaller center mirror (I think we found it at Target). This past week, we added on these vintage Christmas lights. The glow it makes is so lovely ... perfect for candle light dinners.


Well, I hope this was a great weekend for everyone -- mine was busy, but fantastic. I'll be posting some pictures soon of this weekend's adventures.

Happy creating to you all ...

"X" marks the spot

My darling husband showed me this earlier this evening -- no wonder I married this man! gslar.com is a website devoted entirely to locating garage/yard/estate sales in your area. Just type in a location, click on the markers to read a brief description of the sale, add the ones you want to your trip, and print out directions for your own thrifty excursion. Can it get any easier? Here's what I found in Raleigh for tomorrow. Holy shnikies, my Mom and I will be busy! Bring it on ...