I'm alive!!!!!!

I just looked at my blog and realized I haven't posted in over a month! What?!
Oh yeah, I was moving! My husband and I moved into our house and we are still in the midst of unpacking. Who knew we had so much stuff?

So needless to say, the blog has taken a back seat to making our home liveable.

I've got a few things going though and I'll post some sneak peak pictures. And my parents are coming over this weekend for our first company visit/real meal with other people.
I'll make a post about our meal and what not.

I'm itching to get our house unpacked and my new craft room done so I can get back to making things. I'm going nuts!!
Plus, my hubby and I have crazy schedules since I started leading a BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) children's class. I'm not alone in my class though. I have a wonderful co-teacher Judy. She's super super smart and I can tell she is going to be a great friend.

More to come!

Future projects (trust me, it'll all make sense when it's together):

New spin on the friendship bracelet

I found these wonderful bracelet tutorials on the blog Honestly WTF. If you've never been to that blog check it out. They are some talented ladies.

Here is my version of one of their friendship bracelets that they themselves say is a knock off of a bracelet they saw in a magazine. It's not my original design, but I did tweak it a bit.




I love the look of this one and the simplicity. Start to finish it takes less than ten minutes.

Supplies:
-leather cord
-embroidery thread in two colors (your choice!)
-diamante chain
-scissors




Here is the tutorial from the Honestly WTF website. It's pretty detailed and they have great pictures.

My only changes are that I chose embroidery thread doubled up instead of the hemp thread in the picture.


I love the fun tie-dyed-esque look. Plus, you can make one to go with every outfit.





I made these for a friend's birthday. Which she will receive at her birthday party tomorrow!! :)

Just a few pics of some key points.

How to start:



Wrap the thread around the chain. I do it twice to cover and make the color pop!



I tied a knot at the end to finish it.




I'll be linking to the parties on the right.

Have a great weekend!!

Random Thoughts

Random thoughts for the eleventh day of August.

-Don't you hate it when you take a dark colored nail polish off in a hurry and are left with nasty stained finger nails and pink yuckiness around your nail bed? My finger nails are tinted a lovely shade of pink that is reminiscent of a pink stained tongue after eating too many hot tamales. Yeah, that's a weird analogy.



-I think I may officially be going blind. I'm sitting with face about two feet (maybe one and a half) away from the computer monitor and these words are just barely legible. I'm typing this solely on my ability to type without looking. Which I learned my senior year of high school. Kinda late. I finally had to take typing my senior year because I finished all my science credits and they wouldn't let me take three history classes. So I signed up for typing. I actually really liked it. It didn't feel like a school course. Just felt like I was typing for a hour straight. Took me about half the school year before I could do it without looking and now six and a half years in a clerical position...it's paid off.


(possibly in my future)

So, yeah, I can't see clear detail past a two feet in front of my face. Go ahead and get in the car with me. I dare ya.


-Pinterest might be my downfall. It's the equivalent of buying craft supplies when an idea hits you. You collect things and then file them away in the craft room and when you go to clean one day, you're suddenly asking yourself, "Why do I have three rolls of magenta ribbon? I don't really like this color."
Pinterest is starting to look like that. Pinning left and right all these ideas that you may never have the time to complete. And one day down the road you'll look back and say, "Why do I have so many pictures of embroidery hoops?" **



**Side note: I've been on pinterest almost two months and have saved several pictures of fabric covered embroidery hoops in hopes of doing a display on a wall that I may or may not one day own. You'd think one pic would be enough to spark my memory of doing this one day.


-I'm hunting for a chocolate/espresso brown bridesmaid dress for an upcoming wedding for a friend. To lose weight or to not lose weight? That is the question.


-I'm turning 26 next week. That is all.


-Finished The Help. Excellent book if you have not read it. My book club is heading off to see it this weekend some time.
We're reading a Philippa Gregory book now. The White Queen


I'm having a harder time than usual reading this. I usually love Philippa Gregory and have read so many of her other books. It's probably that I just don't know this particular part of history so it's harder to get into. I've heard from the people on Goodreads that it's excellent actually, so I will sojourn on.


-I want to get a dog. And this is the kind:


Schnauzer's are adorable and smart and great with kids (which will come one day).

Just a random brain dump. Birthday gifts for now two friends will be finished by the weekend. One will go in the mail and the other will be delivered in person to her fete on Saturday.
I'll show pictures of them when I know said long distance friend receives them so she'll be left in suspense. Mwahahaha!!

I need to pack!! (A.k.a. Brain dump)

Well, since our offer was accepted on the house a few weeks ago, we've gone through a round of shuffling paperwork here and there. We've met with inspectors, we've had our minds officially blown by the amount of work that has to go into it and we've avoided packing.

All in all it's pretty successful. :)

I have the desire the pack, but not the drive. Part of me doesn't want to start because I know it will be more shifting stuff from one room to another as opposed to packing it up.
I need to start a "Garage Sale" pile, "Throw out" pile, and "Pack" pile. We obviously can't pack everything because we still have to live here another month, but I can pack the non-essentials. Books, winter clothes (because Lord knows we aren't using them in this 1000 degree heat), movies. Yes, I'll pack up my movies. I haven't been watchimg them lately because of the book I'm reading.

Which brings me to reason #35 why I am not packing right now. The Help is such a good book!!!


I've had it for over a year and haven't cracked it open. Which is shameful. It's such a good, griping, funny story.
I love the characters and the story is heartfelt and powerful.
I highly recommend it. Before seeing the movie, of course.

I'm putting together a gift package for friend's birthday that is coming soon. :)
I'll show you what I put in it, after I've completed and mailed it, but then it might not be terribly surprising for the friend who receives it though because I know she reads this. Hmmmmm. Decisions.

I've got a new pen pal too!! She lives in Michigan. Found her via the blog Crafted Love. Allison decided to open up the possibility of pen pals to her readers and she got such a huge response that she divided us all up so we could correspond with each other and with her. Pretty clever.

Anyway, we just started corresponding and I can already tell I'm going to like her. She's into art journaling and looks pretty darn good at it. Which is a God send because I just started art journaling. Emphasis on the start. I've got a few pages all prettified but haven't added any writing to them. I'm so bad at that.....

I could write my prayers and what I talk to God about. That could be a great start. :)

TTFN everyone!! Thanks for reading, drop a note, I'm still here!

Praying for you all!

Phew!! We found a house!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."--Jeremiah 29:11

We found a house!!!!

Praise to God because it was all Him in our search for a home. I was close to giving up a few times. Especially after homes were taken out from under us twice while we were searching.
Another couple came in with a better offer on a house shortly after we expressed interest and on another house we liked, the owner's just decided to stay put.
All in all we looked at about 25-ish houses.
Some were nice, others were bleh.
But God blessed us with the one.

So, it's been a whirlwind of getting paperwork to a bunch of different places and now we have to clean, pack, buy furniture, decided on whether or not to use a moving company or just have all our friends throw out their backs.
I'm thinking a moving company now. We had friends and family help us move into the second story apartment, but now that I know the temp is probably going to be 150 degrees. I don't know if I want to lose friends as they try to maneuver our massive, heavy, solid wood dresser and chest of drawers down the stairs. Plus there is the corner to consider.

I totally see it turning into that friends episode where Rachel and Chandler help Ross move a couch into his apartment.
PIVOT!! PIVOT!! PIVOT!!


With all that considered I've been busy trying to arrange and organize my craft room so it'll be easier to pack up. I did make a few things and I'll show you soon!

See ya guys!!

P.S. I'm praying for all of you and whatever life may be throwing at you. :)

Guest post!

I'm guest blogging my book necklace over at Scene of the Grime today. (How cool is that name?)

Come on over and check out this cool lady!!!


Have a great day! :)

I'll leave you with this little gem.

On the homefront

My hubby and I are getting closer to landing our new home. Very exciting times ahead!

The one we are very interested in is in a beautiful neighborhood and has big trees, a neighborhood park, tennis courts and is easy access to the highways and good shopping areas without being noisy.

With that being said, the budget is tighter so I couldn't buy the latest book for my book club because it was still in hardback and was pretty pricey. But I did read the free sample on Amazon and it sounds really good. When it becomes available at the library**, I'll be picking it up.


**Our local library system had only four copies (FOUR!!!!) of this book and all were checked out or reserved pretty quickly, so I didn't get the chance to read it in our allotted two week period for each book. Sad day.

And with the possibility of buying a house and moving, there could be a limited amount of blog posts in the coming months, just giving a fair warning.

I do love posting tutorials and stories for you guys so I'm not abandoning it.

I'll keep praying for my house and for you guys. I hope you're all doing well!

TTFN! :)

Lacy cuff bracelet

I originally made this cuff bracelet months and months ago, but I'm just now getting around to make a tutorial for it. Mostly because a friend requested one and I'll show you how to make one using hers.

I don't know where the idea came from. I think I was just experimenting.


It's girly, has bling, yet is still sophisticated.

Here's what you need:

-one sheet of felt (any color you choose)
-your favorite lace trim (enough to wrap your wrist once)
-needle and thread that matches your felt
-variety of beads, small charms, old jewelry pieces, costume jewelry rings
-a button
-elastic (it would look best if it matched your felt, but I've only seen elastic in black, white and ivory)
-E6000 glue
-fabric glue





First, lay your lace trim long ways across the felt piece. I pinned it in place and then trimmed the felt with just a smidge of excess on the edges.


Take the long piece of felt and lace and wrap it around your wrist. I like to leave about an inch space between the two ends when I wrap it around. This way I can have room for the elastic and any give it may need. Trim off the excess.
Save this excess, you will use it later!




With your threaded needle, start at the back and stitch the lace onto the felt. It helps if your thread matches the felt and the lace has big holes like the one I choose. That way, your stitches will nearly be invisible.


I followed the pattern of the felt all the way across. The pin definitely helps with sliding.

Just do the same on the other edges of the lace trim.



(nearly invisible stitches)

Next arrange your bling and beads and charms how you would like them.

The big jeweled piece is from a costume jewelry store nearby and it was $1.50. I love these rings because the back comes off so easily and you can use it for tons of other projects.


One light twist with my pliers and it was off!



Since the jeweled piece has no backing now, I glued it on with E6000. This is amazing glue.



[SIDE BAR] If there is one thing I advocate in your craft stash, it's a wide variety of glues and adhesives. You can just do so much with them!
[END SIDE BAR]


I stitched on the rest of the pearls, bead and charm. Try keeping it in the center of the bracelet because that is the part that shows the most. Just a little collage of beautiful things.


You could decorate this with a cameo or a pendant or do small collage with colorful beads. The choice is yours! My friend loves art deco and the curves of the jeweled piece and the black, gold, and bronze colors really evoke that sophisticated style.

Next, pick a side and stitch on your button. Don't let too much hang over the head edge or you run the risk of snapping the button at some point in your usage. I would suggest putting the button and elastic on so it coincides with whatever hand you use to put your bracelets on. It can be kinda difficult for a lefty to fasten something that's built for a righty (is that what you call right-handed people?).

Trim some elastic to about three inches long. Fold it in half and place the two ends on the back side of the felt on the end opposite the button. I'd leave about inch long loop. You may have to play around with this to get it right for your wrist.



Glue (with your fabric glue) a big blob and take a the remaining piece of felt from the length you cut and place a piece, wide enough to cover the elastic, over the glue. Now the fabric glue will bleed through the felt, but it dries clear and unnoticeable.




I have also found that it's not the sturdiest with the felt, so I like to go back with my E6000 glue and fill in the spots where the felt sticks up. I could probably just start with the E6000 glue, but I like to use both. I'm weird.

Another option would be to stitch the elastic and extra piece of felt. If you can do it and hide your stitches, then stitch away!! This is just a bit of a faster way that I chose.

Let the glue completely dry. (And I mean, completely!) and there you have it.



A swanky, girly bracelet fit for a boutique. :)


The bracelet in the middle isn't dirty, the lace is ivory

Again, feel free to experiment with colors and beads and charms. It doesn't have to be the black and white like I chose. Felt and lace come in so many colors!



I'll be linking to the parties on the right.

Movies on their way!

I've compiled a list (with trailers) of some interesting movies coming out soon. Mostly ones that I think look good :)

Cowboys & Aliens
By now, you've probably seen trailers for this so it's not new. I think this is such an interesting concept and it's blending two of my favorite genres, sci-fi and westerns!
Plus, I think Harrison Ford needs to foray back into sci-fi. It made him a household name!


Release date: July 29, 2011

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The next in the Sherlock adventures with Robert Downey Jr. I think these are fun movies. Yes, I know that that they don't follow Doyle's creation exactly, but he's got a lot of the elements right.


Release date: December 16, 2011

Contagion
Contagion first intrigued me because of the cast list: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. What an all star (and expensive) cast! It involves an airborne virus and how rapidly it spreads. The story line sounds a bit like a rehashed version of Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo. But after watching the trailer it looks so much better.
Warning, not for the faint of heart (or small kids). It's not scary, but does look intense.


Release date: September 9, 2011

Drive
I have a bit of a love for Ryan Gosling. He can just disappear into a role and I forget that I'm watching a movie and feel like I'm watching real life unfold. Give the man an Oscar! Drive is about a stunt car driver who moonlights as the getaway driver for criminals. Ooooh!
This isn't really a trailer, more of a small clip from the movie. I can feel the intensity!


Release date: Sept 16, 2011

The Vow
I'm not normally one for mushy romantics. I tend to laugh at them. I like classic romance movies: Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind, etc. But I love Rachel McAdams and she is the only reason I kept watching the snooze-fest of The Time Traveler's Wife. I really like the trailer for this movie though. I can look past Channing Tatum. He's still hard for me to take seriously, but it could change with this movie.


Release date: February 14, 2012

Attack the Block
Ahhh, the Brits and their movies. I love them. The wit, the humor, the stories, the accents. :) Even if it's a movie about street kids fighting aliens, I'm all over it.
This movie has already been released but it was such a small release that most don't know about it. I'm still trying to find it in a local theater. I may have to wait til DVD.


Released: May 13, 2011

Adventures of Tintin
Who didn't love this show when they were a kid? So interested to see it in a movie and I'm really excited that Simon Pegg is doing one of the voices. (Look for him in the upcoming Mission Impossible movie, too!)


Release date: December 23, 2011

Netflix recommendations coming next week. (To watch before they ruin everyone's wallets)

Around the interwebs

Just a few cool things I've noticed lately. Thought I'd share.

Etsy finds:


How cool is this necklace? Made out of typewriter keys. Now that is something to which you can aspire. Found here on Etsy.

Pictures:
My favorite place to get background pics for the computer: National Geographic.

They always have the best pics. Some amateur, some are professional, all beautiful.
Here's a few samples:


Beautiful forest in Germany


The dunes of Namibia. Isn't that gorgeous!? That bright orange is the sandy dunes. At first I thought it was the tinted sky, but read it was the dunes.


The tundra of Iceland. Simply breathtaking.

I love the landscape pictures. It screams God's glory and magnificence!

Google Finds:
I may be late to the party on this one, but did you know you can customize the background on your Google home page? I think it's pretty nifty.
Just a few faves:







Books:
I'm heading out to meet with my book club this evening. I'll be sporting my Book Lover's necklace and chowing down on yummy Chinese food.

We finished reading the book Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. It's a great story of sisters sold into marriage by their father in order to settle debts. It may sound archaic, but the story begins with the Japanese invasion of China at the start of World War II. It's a fantastic look at prejudice, rivalry, honor, family, and love. I recommend it. 4 out of 5 stars!


Tutorial for another bracelet coming soon this week. This time it's one of my own creation! :)

Necklace for a book lover

If you're anything like I was (and still am) I'm a book nerd! Loved reading and being transported to other worlds and go on amazing adventures. My favorite genre as a kid, and now, is historical fiction. Whether it's our past or the past of some other world, I'm all over it!
It's why I majored in History in school and why one of my favorite books as a kid was this:

(couldn't find a bigger picture)

Amazing animation of the daily life in a castle. It's thrilling for a visual learner and a reader. (FYI parents!!)

So when I saw the Library Stack necklace on the Anthropologie website I knew I had to try it:

via Anthropologie

Now, there is no way on God's green earth am I spending $168 on a necklace. I understand that the teeny tiny books are made out of real leather, but c'mon people! We're in a recession!

Here's my version:


This was a fairly simple one to duplicate so it should be no problem for a jewelry novice.
What you'll need:
-small paper books in the dollhouse section of your craft store
-headpin
-chain
-clasp
-three jump rings
-hypo cement or super glue
-an awl
-hammer
-pliers
-jewelry wire cutters
-a movie
I'm a big believer in having a movie playing in the background while I make stuff. Netflix on my iPhone has been a blessing. :)

When I first saw the necklace, my immediate thought was that "those look like dollhouse books". I never made my own dollhouse when I was younger, but I love looking at all the miniature things when I'm at the craft store.

These were $2.99 at Hobby Lobby and I only used four.




(sideways picture because I decided to stop fighting with blogger and just let it be)

I took my awl (very cool tool, btw), placed it in the middle of the bottom book and gave it two or three good whacks with the hammer. Cardboard in place, just in case I went all the way through--definitely make sure you protect whatever surface on which you are working. The awl will pierce right on through with enough force behind it. It's super sharp and not a tool I would recommend for kids.

You don't want to go all the way threw the book because the diameter of the awl is much bigger than the diameter of the head pin. So, tap it to get a hole started and then turn it over and tap a hole on the other side of the book so the two holes line up.
I know this won't be exact, but I used a pin to work a complete hole through all the pages.

Just be patient. If you push too quickly you'll end up bending your pin. It helps to open up the book, a few pages at a time and work the pin through.

I then put the bottom book (red one) on the head pin and fastened it with a drop of hypo cement. Small plug for the stuff: excellent glue for really small jobs and areas. Bonus: it doesn't stick to your skin!





I then followed suit with the rest of the books. The ones I chose are skinnier than the books on the Anthro necklace so I did four instead of three. I quite like the way mine looks.


I slightly offset the hole on the third book so the wouldn't stack up evenly. It gives it a slightly disheveled look that reminds of a big stack of classics at the library.

I put a small drop of hypo cement between each book, pressed them together and let them dry for about 15 minutes. (I actually tried to finish the necklace before that and the books slid all around the head pin because the glue wasn't dry. So be sure to wait!)
I snipped the top length of the head pin off and gave myself enough to form a loop at the top for the jump ring and chain. I discovered that I'm AWFUL at trying to form a circular loop.

I chose an antique colored chain and a clasp that looks like a lock and key. I think it adds a bit of whimsy to the necklace!




Measure the chain around your neck and decide where you'd like it to fall on your chest. I chose right around the top of my shirt.
Connect the middle of the chain links to the jump ring on the books and connect a jump ring to the two ends of the chain. On those jump rings add one half of whatever clasp you chose.

And voila!! Finished Library Stack Anthropolgie Knock-off necklace.
Or you could simply call a book necklace. :)



I feel a bit like Superman in this picture.



Hope this was helpful. Feel free to ask any questions if some of it wasn't clear!

I'll be linking to the parties on the right. Have a good week!