Love is all you need

February... The month of love! and apparently Love is all you need! This project has quickly become one of my favorites! I smile every time I look at the mantel and see these cute letters sitting there. and my favorite part about them are the little pink hearts holding the banner string. Those 2 little hearts are dear to me since they came from the craft closet of my grandma! Since we lost her, I have been trying to put a little of my grandma in every project. I LOVED making them for her. Every project I came across, the first thought was how much she would love it. And she did. I remember every smile she gave me, seeing one of my projects come to life. And everyone of them included one for her as well. As I sit here and type out this blog I can't help but think of her. And the tears are rolling down my face! Oh how I miss her!! She would have loved to see these projects! And so she gets to become a part of them. Thank you to my grandpa for thinking that I would love these little buttons! because I more than love them!!! I look at these letters everyday and know that part of my grandma's spirit lives on with them! She was a grand lady and truly loved all and taught us that Love is truly all you need!!!

Drop of a hat

Some weeks I plan out the most amazing project I can find and when I'm done they look less than awesome. Then there are days like today, when, after an impromptu sleepover with my nephews, I found myself trying to entertain on the fly. So knowing how my nephews love making crafts we sat down with my Cricut and I decided on a simple craft for them to complete. It seems that with all the planning in the world I never come up with anything as cute as these. I just gave them all my left over project materials and let them have at it!!! And that they did! These are my very favorite valentines!! And I couldn't wait to get them up!

Valentine essential

February already. My how time flies! And we enter the month of love... Or so they say. Valentines is one of my least favorite holidays. Perhaps it has to do with all that lovey dovey crap going around.... Perhaps crap is too strong of a word but I'll go with it. But as much as I am not in love with Valentines I am having so much fun making decorations to go along with this holiday. And so the first craft to hit my blog is as much as a neccesity for Valentines as Santa is for Christmas! Conversation Hearts!!!! I can't think about Valentines with out thinking of conversations hearts. And honestly they aren't even the best tasting candy but there has not been a valentines that has gone by without recieveing a box of them. And so why not include them in your valentine decoration. I did just that! I created this cute candle holder and filled it with LOTS of conversation hearts! And the great thing is it can double as a treat bowl!!! My nephews love that! And even told me the candies are the very best. Pehaps when we were younger we all thought the smae thing but as we get older our palete changes... Or not!!! I for one prefer the softer kind! Enjoy this little nic-nack!!!!

So many Blogs, so little time!!!

So that title might not be so true! I seem to have enough time to do the crafting but yet when it comes down to the sitting down and blogging it... I lack the motivation to actually do it. But I must press on. Even without the motivation I still want to continue and even tell myself at the end of each craft that I WILL blog it just later. The next thing I know several projects have come and gone!! So this will be know as the catch up blog. Included will be several of the crafts that can fit into this pretty little box. Then I can move on with the next set!!!! WHOO HOO!!!! What a weight to be lifted!!!

Craft 1: Paris in a Box! My first attempt at vinyl. I think it went pretty well. For Christmas I got my sister this very cute shadow box so she could scrapbook some more of her trip to Europe. So we put together this cute arrangment of some of her favorite parts of Paris, or more specific their time at the Eifel Tower. To help complete the look, I added a vinyl of the name Paris. For the most part it was easy to use but placing it on the glass was a challenge. Next time I will remember the transfer tape :)

Craft 2:The Lovable Snowman. I think the last blog posted was my other adorable fish bowl snowman. I loved her so much that I just knew she needed a friend. This here is her short and stout BFF!! I just love her! She has quite the heart, don't you think?! <3

Craft 3: and the last of this set of catch me up blogs is this baby card I made! I am SOOOOO loving having my Cricut machine. The things you can make in a very short amount of time... this baby took me 20 min to put together. Once the idea is there you let the Cricut do ALL the hard work and you get to assemble!! and thats the fun part! I am just having too much fun with them all!! The downfall is that it is a very expensive hobby to have. and you really do want ALLLLLLLLL the cartridges. you will not be satisfied with out them! but thats okay. Its really fun to make things... pretty soon I will have LOADS of cards on hand... so if you want one just let me know!!! it might cost ya, but I will keep it cheep!! Hey! I did say these were expensive right??!!! :)
MAny Baubles and Nic-Nacks to you all!

No Business like Snow Business!

As January continues to drag on and the house continues to return to normal the christmas depression continues as well. The thing I look forward to are the continued cold days! I am enjoying the fact that I am not sweating at every turn. I can get away with jeans all day and pajama pants at night and even occasionally my hair staying down a whole day! Those days are my favorites! So to continue my indoor winter wonderland I have made my newest snow friend! this one was so easy I plan on making some friends to go with it. The down side, the snow that goes inside it is considered a christmas decoration and not available in stores. Good thing I thought to stock up! Or more like I found some on clearance!

No gloves required!

10 days into January and we have almost put away the Christmas decorations. It is the most depressing time of the year! Plus all the new resolutions going on... De.press.ing! So I decided thus house needed a little lift and I'm not quite to the valentines stage yet. That will come in a week ;) but still. This house needed some cheering up! And nothing says cheer up quite like a snowman. So I set out to make one. but wait.... As cold as it has been we have no snow on the ground, thank goodness!! After going through this last summer with major hot flashes and menopausal misery I told myself I would NEVER complain about the cold again! Unless you know whats real live hot flashes feel like you can not understand! They are misserable! But yet today I found myself complaining that I was too cold!!! And believe me, I take it back!!! Please don't bring the heat until... Um.... Never :)  anyways back to my snowman story. It feels cold enough that it could snow so I made myself a very cute snowman, or perhaps snowwoman. Perfect for January decorating!! And no gloves were required!!! (except for that one time I burned my finger on the hot glue. Gloves would have been nice) she is perfect. Round, check! Stick arms, check! Hat, check! And carrot nose, um. Sorta, check!  So here she is! She will brighten each winter day! How long is winter?? And how many diffrent.snowmen can I come up with until then?? Perhaps a nic-nack filled snowman next ;)

Be a little better... Simple enough!

So I love to be given projects! Especially when the person giving it to me gives me full reign over said project. So lucky for me my sister handed me a project and said I want it to say "be a little better" and you do that however you want! Um. Thank you! It's even better when they are paying for the project as well. "this super expensive piece of craft material is very much a necessity" :)  no. I would never ;)  but still given this kind of project you want it to be perfect. Especially if other people are gonna see it too! this project turned into my worse nightmare. nothing went the way I wanted. At every turn something else went wrong. I learned that picture frame projects are not my forte. When you have it in your head a certain way there never is any other way to go. But I pressed on! And in the end we made it work the way I saw it in my head. And going along with the phrase she wanted... I will try to "be a little better!"  no matter if it's a new bauble, nic-nack or picture frame art! just be a little better!