Gathering Supplies

The squirrels in my yard are busy gathering nuts and acorns. I read a book once in which the people watched the activity of squirrels in the fall as an indication of the type of winter to come - the busier the squirrels, the worse the winter. Yikes, looks like we are in for another brutal one.

So I have been busy gathering supplies as well. My children are at camp this week which has provided me with a few free hours at the end of each day - most of which I have spent either crafting or buying craft supplies in preparation for the cold months ahead.

But I have been good and know exactly what I am going to do with about 85% of all the supplies I have bought....which is perfectly acceptable as far as I am concerned.

Want to see what I have procured?

1. Scrapbook paper - for layouts and card making.

2. Fabric - for pillows. Now I just need to find some pillow forms on sale.

3. Yarn - so many projects on the docket. I managed a trip to the big annual yarn sale in a small town not far from where I live; I behaved myself and only bought yarn for specific projects.

As much as I am sorry to see the summer come to an end, part of me really looks forward to the cooler weather when it is perfectly acceptable to hibernate in ones' pajamas and work on crafts. And I am ready....supplies gathered, ideas bouncing around my head. The winter is coming anyways, might as well be prepared for it.

What crafting supplies have you gathered lately? Have you been busy like the squirrels?

Making Cards Again....

Back when I started this blog, I posted a 'Card of the Week'. Each and every week for almost a year and a half, I made a card - sometimes more than one - and shared it in this space. It was so much fun, and such a fun challenge for myself.

Then I needed a break. My work schedule changed and suddenly making a weekly card became a little stressful...and who needs that when it comes to a hobby? Plus, I felt like I was running out of fresh design ideas. So I stopped.

Over the last few months I have made some cards as part of my work for The Memory Nest Design Team (see here, here, here, and here) and I have really enjoyed myself. I realized how much I have missed card making, and how much I want to do more of it.

So one night last week I put on some classic Sheryl Crow and made these cards. Do you listen to music when you are scrapping?

I had so much fun.

And I am happy to announce that I am back in the card making saddle....maybe not every week, because you know, everyday life can be a tad demanding at times, but I am excited to keep up my momentum and make more cards using all the new ideas I have.

It has been so refreshing to come back to card making after my hiatus, I guess sometimes I just need a break. Have you ever taken a break from a hobby only to come back to it more excited than ever?

(P.S. I just have to mention that this blog post is somewhat of a milestone - my 300th post! I am a little proud of this and may just buy myself a cafe mocha today to celebrate.)

The Butterfly Conservatory

A few weeks ago we visited The Butterfly Conservatory.

The air was humid in the conservatory, quails waddled across the paths, turtles swam in the pond, and butterflies and moths fluttered through the air.

Butterflies landed on the girls' heads.

And stopped for a sweet snack.

And some dead specimens gave the girls the opportunity to feel the wings of a butterfly and hold one in their hands.

We had a great afternoon enjoying these beautiful insects.

The Show

It has been a couple months since I have created any scrapbook layouts and to be honest, when I sat down to work up a layout using the current sketch from The Memory Nest, I felt a little out of practice. Thank goodness I had this great sketch to inspire me:

Here is the layout that I created using pictures from Claire's ballet recital, or "The Show" as she so excitedly referred to it.

Ballet was a great experience for Claire. She went from frightened tears at the first class (in fact, I did the first class with her, sweating in my winter coat and boots) to the confident and happy smiles you see in these pictures. 

With this latest layout completed, I am back in the groove and already have a few other layouts that I am working on and hope to show you soon. Hooray for scrapbooking!!!

You can find the work of the other Design Team members here.  

Two Purses for Two Sisters

While searching for small, portable crochet projects I came across a pattern for these adorable purses.

And I knew exactly who would love them - my girls. They are all about carrying things around, dressing up and looking fancy and pretty.

Bridget – my sweet, thoughtful, kind, compassionate girl, who wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up and live in Paris, and who has always listened and followed the rules - picked purple and pink for her purse.

And Claire – who is sometimes a little shy and always a bit mischievous, who is so empathetic, who colors Cinderella’s dress green rather than blue just because she wants to, and who has the funniest facial expressions and a definite dramatic flair - picked red and yellow for her purse.

I find it interesting that these are the colors that they chose...colors that really seem to match their personalities....somewhat telling of what the future might hold, maybe?

The pattern for the purses can be found here.

Have you made anything small and cute lately? If you have, or can direct me to a great pattern, I would love to know, so please leave a link in the comments. Lessons are starting up soon which means a lot of time watching and waiting and I need to have some small crochet project in my purse, at the ready, at all times.

Lately...

I have been enjoying my flowers. We have had pretty steady rainfall this summer which has kept everything green and lush. I am very happy with my garden this year and am happy that it has not felt like such a stressful chore to keep it alive and well as has been the case in past years when it was so hot and dry.

Our family is slowly changing to a whole foods plant based diet and I am in love with this cookbook. Every recipe I have made so far has been so simple and utterly delicious. The wealth of plant based recipes out there is quite astounding and we are really excited as we go ahead on this food adventure.

I have started crocheting a small Christmas blanket for our home. 

You know, I remember exactly the day that I bought the ombre yarn that I am using for this blanket. Bridget and I visited a small town about an hour away from where we live that is home to an amazing yarn store. Claire was a wee baby and at home with Steve which means my sweet Bridget was around three years old. While I perused the store, Bridget followed me around the whole time holding onto this ball of Christmas yarn that she had picked up and would not put down. She was so excited telling me how pretty it was, and all the beautiful things that I could make with it, that I had to buy it. After we left the yarn store we went and had a sprinkle doughnut as a special treat. Such a precious memory.

I have also been spending some time cleaning out the corners of the house where all kinds of random things have gotten stacked up and forgotten about. Gosh it feels good to clean things up and get rid of all the clutter.

And that is what has been going on lately. Things have been a little slow in the crafty department around here (though I do have something to show you later this week) but I do believe that is the way of summer....

Oh Darling, Let's Be Adventurers

Happy Monday Everyone!

Today is a holiday here, but I wanted to pop in quickly and share with you the card that I made for this week's sketch challenge at The Memory Nest.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

The paper I used is from the Happy Camper line by Jillibean Soup. I bought this paper last year and have made many projects with it. 

The other members of the Design Team have done a great job with this sketch. Click here to see their work and possibly link up your own creation.

Three Things

Here are three things that have made me happy this week:

A cleaned up and organized craft space. I went through all my craft supplies and got rid of many things that were old and that I knew I would never use again. Getting rid of all the physical clutter has helped clear my mind and I have so many new ideas for craft projects.

Blue skies. After a week of endless rain, it was nice last night to look up and see blue.

New Houseplants. After a run of bad luck in the houseplant department, I purchased a new succulent – which looks adorable planted in this tea cup – and an Aloe Vera.

My Mom then gave me this ivy which I put in my new and very much loved bird cage.

What made you happy this week?