Craft update

Well, lately I haven't been blogging much.  Just have been working and neglecting my growing mess of a craft room.  So, I thought I would give an update post about the crafts I have been doing lately.  This is absolutely a post in an effort to procrastinate cleaning up.  My parents went on a trip to the East Coast a few weeks ago to go to an artist workshop for my mother.  After they were done they got to go down the coast, and visited many points between Myrtle Beach and St. Petersburg.  While in St. Petersburg, they visited my aunt who is a major crafter herself.  My parents surprised me with a HUGE gift from my wonderful aunt - about a billion different colored buttons, some thread, some ribbon, and the best gift.....a SERGER!!!! Holy moly my dreams came true.  I have been wanting a serger for so long, but they are just out of my price range for now.  But now, thanks to her, I have one of my very own! I can't wait to start learning how to use it, the possibilities are endless!  To thank her, I sent her this festive holiday card using some of the buttons that she gave me.  I hope she loves it!

Pinterest is my new addiction, as I am sure it is for all of you other crafters out there.  It is just such an amazing way for us to share different projects!! It is also a great way for me to get ideas!  So many tutorials out there.  If you don't have an account, please let me know and I will send you an invite!  One of the things I have gotten kind of addicted to making are these cute woven ribbon headbands.  I now have three.  Before I was just experimenting with one ribbon, but the headband below is two ribbons woven together.  I love making them, and they take about 10 minutes to make! Easy and cute!

I wanted to make a cute centerpiece that was very simple but christmas-y for our kitchen table.  Another idea that I found many people doing on pinterest are these beautiful candles.  Supplies: candles of your color choice, double sided tape, glitter, and a paint brush.  Carefully place the double sided tape all the way around the candle in whatever design you choose.  Then pour the glitter over the stickyness, making sure every part is covered.  After you have it all covered, brush off the excess glitter with the paint brush.  The glitter left will be very stuck on the tape and shouldn't shed much.  I placed my candles on a mirror and put on the table! 

The hospital that I work at was having a Christmas wreath auction with the proceeds benefiting the hospitals foundation.  Each department made a wreath, then they were hung in our atrium and people bid on them.  Since I am the crafty one of the respiratory therapist, I naturally did the wreath.  Unfortunately, the wreath sold for $20 less then what it cost me to make it.....but it was the joy of making it that counts.  I wish I could have kept it for myself!!

About a year ago after Christmas, I bought a Martha Stewart scoring board.  This thing is so wonderful.  I use it to make envelopes and gift boxes, and any other paper craft you can think of!  Here is a cute little gift box I made the other day.  Love the cute little Santas!!  

The joy of working at a small hospital is that you tend to make good friends with your coworkers.  One of the nurses in the ICU, Julie, I got pretty close with.  She is the one who introduced me to Shakeology, and got me working out again.  Her husband got a very large promotion and they had to move to Oklahoma.  I am very bummed about it.  A few of the nurses and I put on a little going away party for her on her last day of work.  I made this canvas for her and brought it to work.  

To give her something to remember us by, I had us all put our thumb print on the canvas and write our names by it.  

Here is the card I made with directions: "Give Julie a thumbs up for all her hard work at SMH!! Please leave your thumb print and name so Julie has something to remember you! We will miss you, Julie!!"

I really enjoy my job, and one thing I love doing is visiting my with my patients and their families.  I met a wonderful young couple who also had a love of crafting.  After sharing a few things that I love to do, she asked me if I would make her niece some Tom's.  I told her that I would love to!!  The school colors are black and orange, and their mascot is the lions.  Here are the finished Tom's!

And last, and probably least, is a ruffle shirt that I made.  I really need some work on my sewing skills, and am thinking about maybe taking some classes to learn some more techniques.  Especially with my new serger, I definitely want to learn the proper way to do things!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed it.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the crafting that I have been doing lately.  And now to go and organize my craft room!!  I may or may not have hit up Joann.com for their black friday sales, and  I may or may not have a new Cricut on its way to my house!!  Wahoo!!!! I can't wait.  

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  The thing I am most thankful for this year is my wonderful husband.  We have been married for eight months now, and could not be happier.