{ the wood burning }

I got the idea of this from Etsy.....gotta love that Etsy....time-sucking vortex that it is! This is a piece of stained wood that I used a wood burner on create the outline of the picture that I then painted. LOVE IT! I plan to make several of these. There are so many possibilities with this technique!

{ the christmas decor }

My dad and I were playing around with the saw (probably not a very safe idea) and decided to cut some triangular pieces. I have a "thing" about symmetry, so I was trying to step outside my comfort box and create something that wasnt SO symmetrical.

I went shopping at my home-away-from-home (the Hob) and was fascinated by the yoyos. I bought a pack of pre-made yoyos and used them as ornaments. I am IN LOVE with the yoyos. One of my friends (who obviously pays more attention when I talk than I think she does) gave me a yoyo making kit for my birthday!!!! So fun!!!!

I would like to introduce you to Tommy. Tommy, the penguin. If you know me at all, you probably know that there is very little I love more than a penguin in winter attire. Since I was truly embracing the handmade Christmas, I made him into an ornament for an ornament party I attended. I had a hard time letting go of him. Hes just soooooooooo cute! He started as a wooden egg that I painted. Then I glued some felt on him for his arms and legs and beak. Then.........I added some ribbon for his scarf. I will tell you (just to set your mind at ease) that he now resides at the home of a good friend of mine. I know she will take good care of him.

{ the yarn wreath }

Another very dear friend of mine was going to do this craft with her daughter during the Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to try it out first. Im not so sure I will ever make one this size again, but I was happy with the final product. I have made a couple really small wreaths...no pics of those though. I think the colors are what makes this one so stinkin' cute.

{ the gift }

I had a birthday last month and one of my very best friends (yes, Jen...that would be you) gave me a super awesome present. Im an adventurous crafter and will try most crafts. I almost never get handmade items as gifts. I assume this is because I make a bunch of different types of crafts. But my friend Jen gave me a handmade gift....she knew I would try to make one! And boy, did I???? I decided this past Christmas would be a handmade Christmas. I would make every gift I gave. Thank goodness I am a spectacular procrastinator and had not started working on many gifts. I bet I made twenty of these things to give as gifts. Here are a "few."

{ the painted cross }

I have recently fallen IN LOVE with modeling paste. I'm talkin' true love! Another new love of mine......wood. I love painting on wood. My dad has a wood shop and has a ton of scrap pieces of wood. Guess who is taking advantage of that! I hope my house doesnt get infested with termites.....

These are a few of the crosses Ive made with the modeling paste. Just to spice them up, I sand the sides and edges and a little on the background color. Then I stain it a little bit.

{ the worded paints }

So, yes. I have not posted anything in an extremely long time. I know you are eagerly anticipating what I have for you today, huh? Yep, that's what I thought. But first, let me fill you in on what I have been doing for the past five months....

I've been painting....lots and lots of painting!

{ the bottlecaps }

So, for several months (like 10-14) I have been collecting bottlecaps...beer, soda, whatever I could find. Thank goodness the guys at D'Casa know this and save their bottlecaps for me! Well, after having them pile up hundreds upon hundreds, I decided to create something with them, which was my original intention. I gave this to a friend (who also donated caps) for his birthday. It only took a day and a half to complete. I think it is one of the coolest things I have made!!! Click on the picture to get a closer view.

{ the auction }

I made these for a silent auction for a family in need. The blue one is my favorite! What do you think?

{ the necklaces }

This is something new I am trying out. I have a gazillion bottlecaps that mis amigos from D'Casa save for me. I usually get a cup full of them when I go eat there. But since I work with 4 year olds and need G-Rated accessories, I decided to paint them! I am giving one as a gift to an 8 year old for her birthday. I am sporting the 'J' today! More pics of these to come soon. $7

{ the painting }

This was a present for my friend Stephanie's birthday.

{ the magnetic memo boards }

So fun to make; so colorful! Can be yours for $25....any colors or letter you want!

{ the crosses }

I stole this idea from a lady at the Canton Flea Market! Only because I thought she was overcharging....plus, mine are WAY cuter!!!!! $15

{ the baby gift }

When my friends have babies, I like to give them a different type of gift. My good friends, Katie and Jason, are expecting their first child at the end of July. A few friends of mine gave her a baby shower this afternoon. Below is a picture of Katie and Jason's present.

I have made several of these the past couple of years.....and I must admit, this is my favorite word album so far. I think it's the colors that makes me love it so much.

This is the card I made for the shower. Isn't it adorable?

Post a comment; let me know what you think!

{ the spanish art }

This week is what I like to call "The Spanish Teacher Has Lost Her Mind Because She Thinks Doing Projects With 300+ Students All Under The Age Of 10 Is A Good Idea Week!" That's right, it is Project Week in Spanish class at Joyner. Usually, I dread these weeks because the students all work at different speeds. I'm not only helping some students complete their project, but I also have to keep the others busy once they have finished. HOWEVER, this week has been different! I have never witnessed these students working so hard and staying so focused on their projects. The results have been spectacular!

We have been making Huichol Art (a type of Mexican Folk Art). The Huichol people are ones that live in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico. The art they make is pictures they decorate with yarn and beans. Sounded simple enough to me! I found a picture of a cerdo (pig) with cool designs on it, so I made copies on green construction paper. Why green? It is my favorite color, and white paper is BORING (I have an unusually high amount of green construction paper in my office)! I loved doing this project so much that I decided to make a few of my own. Here they are:


Tuesday's pig...I had left the yarn at my house, so Tuesday's classes used only beans!


Wednesday's pig...I remembered the yarn. I love, love, love this one! I worked on it during all four of the classes. Yes, it took me all day to do it!


Thursday's pig...it's not finished just yet! And yes, I have been working on it since 9:15 this morning. This one received the best ratings among my peers. I think it's because the flowers are a little more detailed!

{ the workshop in march }

This stamp set is Sip by Sip. I love it....it's probably my favorite! I am a coffee lover! And if you haven't heard, I gave up my Starbucks for Lent. Now, this may not be a big deal for most people, but I was having Starbucks everyday. It is like an addiction (I assume)! Well, I am proud to announce that I have been Starbucks sober for five whole weeks! Go me! But I digress...our monthly workshops are held in the loft above Beans 'n Cream in Columbus. Shout out! In the spirit of environment, I thought a coffee card would be appropriate. The quote on the card reads, "Enjoy life sip by sip, not gulp by gulp." I thought that was pretty profound. The colors are from the Earth Elements family (and one of the In Colors) - Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, and Whisper White.

{ the workshop in february }

I have a monthly workshop with a group of creative ladies in Columbus. Every month, we make two projects. This card was one of the projects. I like to call it "Sweet Flowerpots." Stupid...I know! The stamp set it Sweet Stems. I used Certainly Celery and Barely Banana cardstock. The pots are made using the round tab punch on Really Rust cardstock. This is a cute spring-like card. I think the ladies like it! The other project was the candy box. I posted those a while back!

{ the baby album }

A friend of mine had a beautiful baby girl back (named Sarah) in December. I made this word album for little Sarah. You can get these at your local Hobby Lobby; they have FAMILY, FRIENDS, BABY, and LOVE. They are fun to do....a little time consuming.....but fun! The paper is Stampin' Up!'s Rock-a-Bye Girl Simply Scrappin' Kit. It came with stickers and embellishments! So awesome! I put a layer of Mod Podge on all of the pages. And by the way, Mod Podge is my new favorite accessory. I have done a dozen of these word albums before. This was the first time I used the Mod Podge on one. Love it!!!!!! Jamie really liked and appreciated the album! I cant wait to see it once pictures are put in it.

{ the birthday }

Today is my very good friend's birthday! So, of course, I made her a card. This was her birthday card. I found this layout on a website I frequent. It is soooooooooooo simple to do! The only thing that is stamped is the bow at the top. I used one of my favorite stamp sets...Pick-a-Petal. Just to jazz the card up a bit, I added a little irredescent glitter glue. I just love glitter glue! It adds a POP to a card! I think I am joining Glitter Glue's Fan Club!

{ the wedding favors }

Victoria wanted wedding favors also! These are what I like to call "Sour Cream Pouches." These are fun because you can make them for any occasion. The ones for the wedding had chocolates with a "D" on them (Victoria made those.) and Jordan Almonds. All of the papers are Stampin' Up! I printed a script D on So Saffron cardstock, then punched them out and put them on scallop-punched cardstock...all tied together with Old Olive grosgrain ribbon!