it is amazing what i can get done when i don't have to go to work!  my summer break officially started friday, and after a great camping trip, i'm ready to get back to my crafting, blogging, and relaxing.  things had been hectic with classes, work and a move, but now i'm feeling a bit more settled and my new house is in need of some craftiness. 


after searching high and low for my glue gun, i found it, next to the bottle of honey i'd also been searching for.  in the closet in our workout room....  then i set off to work on this wreath i had been wanting to make for months.  the original tutorial is here at living with lindsey.

and today i feel like sewing...   hmmm....

i've been busy at work this week getting ready to move into a new house, but i did manage to fit in some crafting!  my friend just adopted two little boys, a 14 month old and a 14 day old,  and she needs the hook up with some cute things.  she agreed to be my guinea pig, so i made her a baby wrap carrier and this mobile.  it  was hard to get a clear picture of the mobile because those birds wouldn't hold still....  hopefully i'll get a pic of my friend in that wrap with her baby soon!

so i love these quizzes, but know they're a little dorky.  i saw this one on smile and wave and i was in the mood for one!  if you do it on your blog, be sure to link back or comment so i can check yours! 

1. When do you feel happiest?

when i get off work and go home and or be outside

2. How do you take care of yourself?

drink tea, do yoga, make sure i have lots of free time to do what i want

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?

internally only- i think that's my stubborn streak of "if i don't want to do it, good luck trying to make me"  yes, i'm like a 5 year old with that.

4. What do you do for fun?

make things, read books, hang out with my friends, husband, and dog, and travel

5. What intimidates you?

big parties where i only know the host and eating things that swim

6. What is something you're proud of?

my happy little life in general... and that my dog is the best behaved dog in the hood.

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________.

want to grow up.

8. Favorite vacation spot.

italy

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).

10!  most days are...

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know _____________.

that i involuntarily make funny faces when i eat lemons and i act like i eat healthy, but i eat a lot of candy

long long ago, i started my granny square blanket.  no, i'm not done... not even close.  and now that the weather is warming up, i'm not too inspired to sit around crocheting.  but for now i have this cute little stack of completed granny squares to look at until i'm done turning this:

into this:

okay, so i usually get excited about buying chips, but today i was excited for a different reason.  i was at my favorite little market and i see that sun chips have new packaging for their chips that is 100% compostable!  how could this be?! 

it looks like a metalish bag, but it sounds like crazy crackly thick cellophane.  apparently it is made from plants and will biodegrade in your compost pile in 14 weeks or so.  sun chips are sold by frito lay, so i'm curious if it will soon follow suit and why sun chips are flying solo. 

whatever the reasoning, i'll be voting with my wallet and am crossing my fingers that this thing actually biodegrades and that it will catch on soon!  i'll also be annoying my husband with that crackly sound as i munch on my new sun chips.

i have been so pumped that the things in my garden have grown so well this year.  i have finally figured out what grows well in that area and when and i possess a new found love for swiss chard!  and they all grew from tiny little seeds...
i've got:

sunflowers just for general prettiness,

delicious swiss chard:

marigolds to keep pests away:

and herbs, herbs, herbs- dill, mint, and cilantro:

yum!

Make Your Own Business Stamp Tutorial

so i was inspired by a craft done in my classroom a few weeks ago where the kids made prints using styrofoam.  i thought i would try making a stamp for my little business the same way, and while i haven't perfected it, it's something you can mess around with until you have just what you want.  it's also a great way to find a new use for that pesky styrofoam that can't be recycled!  i cleaned up a takeout box to make my styrofoam stamp.

you need:
styrofoam scraps
a pen
your business logo
ink



first, i took my business card because i wanted my stamp to have a logo that matched as much as possible.  i made a copy of it on paper because you need to be able to trace it to make an indentation on the styrofoam.

if you want your stamp to have writing, you have to make it in reverse, so i flipped my paper over, print side down, laid it on top of the styrofoam and traced the writing with medium pressure with a pen.

then i lifted the paper off the styrofoam and used my pen to trace over the indentation with a little more pressure on the styrofoam.  you don't want your lines too deep, but deep enough that the lines won't pick up ink.  again, it's not easy to trace perfectly on styrofoam, so your stamp will have some character!

now you are ready to stamp- dip it in ink or paint it lightly and stamp away....

 not bad for a first try!

lately i've sold enough of these red necklaces that i decided to experiment with another color and i like it!  i like the vintage feel and i think the blue lends itself well.  any other color recommendations?  they are for sale at my etsy shop!

my sister-in-law showed me a picture of a cute necklace awhile back and i finally got around to getting the supplies and trying something similar...  i made the pendants, now i've just got to decide on a chain...

so my very talented friend, carly cavalier, was kind enough to design me some paper products for my jewelry.  i am loving them, don't you?  i feel like i have a serious business now... thank you, carly!
and don't worry, local friends, you'll soon be given a stack of my business cards to pass out to all of your friends.