I ::HEART:: Crochet

I know Dez has got her hand in many different craft projects. I have some ideas for some other crafts also, but I love crochet so much right now that I have no interest in starting anything else. I'm okay with that. I'm busy busy trying to fill orders, which is GREAT! If I work hard over the next few days, I should be caught up by next weekend. That is my goal anyway. I'd like a little wiggle room in my schedule to work on some really fun ideas I've got in mind. Plus, I'm toying with the idea of doing a craft fair sometime in the near future, so I need to stock-pile some things to make that happen.

I have not finished my craft room remodel yet. I promise I will post pictures as soon as it's finished. I'm having a hard time finding the kind of table I have in mind, and when I went to the dollar store to get baskets for all of my new little cubby spaces, they were out. I am finding it really difficult not to post the "most of the way done" photos, but I won't! I really want it to be complete. I'm hoping to go thrifting sometime this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find "THE table".

We had a busy weekend celebrating family birthdays. I love watching my kids have fun with family. Especially my oldest. She's at that age where it's not particularly "cool" to have fun with your ::gulp:: family... so it's always nice to see her drop her guard and enjoy the time together. We all finally seem to be well again, which is amazing. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have everyone in the house healthy!

Sidenote -- the title of this post was originally I <3 Crochet -- for some reason it would not publish it that way. Weird.

Home!

The fam and I went on a mini "vacation" to Oklahoma to do some work on my grandparents' house. It has been vacant since my grandpa passed four and a half years ago and needed a lot of work. My uncle is now living there, but is having some health issues so we went down to help out. It was nice to get away from the busy-ness of every day life. I got to have a nice and much needed visit with my (other) grandma, and got to hang out with some of my favorite cousins. I wish they would all move to Colorado so I could see them more. I'm not willing to move back to Oklahoma, haha, so they'd have to come to me.

With the trip came illness to both of my children. One got the flu (the little one) and one got a sore throat. Thankfully, they are both better now, but it made for a somewhat unproductive trip in the craft area. I took a bunch of yarn and unfinished projects with me and finished nothing. I started a project ::twice:: frogged it ::twice:: and put it out of sight for awhile. If today goes the way I plan, I will get back on the crochet wagon this afternoon. I have so many great ideas in my head. I just can't seem to find time to bring them into fruition. It's getting frustrating and bringing me down a little. I know I will get past it, and I think this spring/summer will be a busy and productive one. I just need to manage my time better. 

I do have some projects done that I need to take pictures of and post here. I will get that done this week, I hope. I will also get moving on finishing my craft closet remodel and get those pictures up as well! 

Slacking

It seems like I do a lot of slacking on here and spend more time explaining why than actually doing something to fix it.  LOL
Projects to come soon! I promise! I have like 10 drafts ready to go.

Hope your day is a great one!

Craft Room "Remodel"

Happy Monday! I actually had a pretty productive Sunday. I know I mentioned a few days ago that I was planning a "remodel" in our downstairs guest room. I had no plans really as to the "when" or the "how", but Sunday as I was on the phone with my StepMom, she mentioned they were trying to get rid of some of their stuff in storage. Lucky lucky me -- they happened to be getting rid of some closet organizer shelving ::SCORE!::. So, I swooped in, snagged it all up, and started making a bigger mess of the guest room.
I want to get the pictures posted, but there are a few more touches left. I still need a table and some organizational items for the wall, and baskets for all of my new little "cubbies". My goal was to create a work space for myself with lots of storage to keep my junk organized, while still keeping it a functional guest room. Done and done! I'm thrilled that it came together so nicely ::and FREE so far!:: even better!

I am amazed at the amount of useless junk we didn't even realize was in that closet! Thankfully, it was mostly stuff that we didn't want or need so I didn't have to try and find a new place for it in the house. It all went straight into the donation pile. It's not much. My husband actually said, "It looks the same?!", when I made him come look at it. It's exactly what I had in mind, though, and will not look so much the same when I get my work table in there. When I got my yarn out and organized, I found I have less than I thought. It's nice to have it all out where I can see that.

I've been working on filling some orders and have even taken a couple more! I'm so excited to be getting busier. I feel like I'm getting the hang of the blogging "thing" and have almost gotten to a place where I can focus on promoting our page. Thanks to all of our visitors from Facebook and Pinterest. Click on the follow button to find our page easier, and join our site by clicking the button in the members section. We'd like to eventually make some money on this thing (ha!) so any help we can get is very appreciated!

Here I am

I'm assuming you were all wondering where I've been... I'm here. I've been grumpy and anti-social this week. Lilly has been sick, it's been cold and snowing, and I have had a nagging headache that just won't seem to go away. Enough of that, though. I didn't log-in here to complain.

I've also started a second blog -- you can go check it out by clicking HERE. It's not a lot to read at the moment, but it's pretty and will soon be ::at least kind of:: entertaining. I'm pretty excited about joining the blogging community. I wanted this one to stay dedicated to the crafting, so there you go. My newest blog is a mish-mash of a lot of different things, but mostly running. And now, enough of that -- if you are interested, check out the link above.

I've been working on filling some orders -- slowly but surely. I'll be posting some pictures of my newest stuff soon. I have some cute ideas in my head. Now I just need to transfer them from there to my hook & yarn.

And now I'm off to participate in the virtual run for Sherry Arnold that I mentioned the other day. Have a wonderful weekend!

I know I am behind

I am so behind on all of my pics, comments, posts and updating my projects. I am really only able to post at work. I am looking for a new laptop and will be able to get more stuff in.

I did get a pic of me up though! It is even recent (only 2 days old -as of today!).

Thank you too all of our new viewers, please follow us, there are great things to come! This is only the beginning!

Crafty D*

Lovin' the Share

I love the internet. I love the instant gratification. I love that I can shop from my couch. I love that I can check out a library book without leaving my house. I don't even REALLY have to go to the grocery store if I didn't want to or couldn't. Actually, I never want to go to the grocery store, but I'm too embarrassed about what the delivery person would think when they brought groceries to me and realized it was just because I am lazy. I love Pinterest. I may border obsession with it, but I'm okay with that and can openly admit it. I love Facebook (you can find and like our facebook page Crafty B*s HERE). Even when they change the layout and everyone else complains. I'm always that one on everyone's wall reminding them that it is a free service we should just be happy to have. I love that I can feel like I am still connected with the outside world when I am stuck inside because of cold or my sick kid or both. The internet kept me sane when I was on bed-rest the last few months of my last pregnancy. It provides me with inspiration all the time. Recipes, activities to do with my children, craft ideas, books to read. Whatever. It's there and easily accessible.

I'm new to the blog world, myself, but I have been following a few for awhile. One of my favorites is a running blog called "Shut Up + Run". I connected with that blog in particular because the writer is also in Colorado, is also a mom, and is also relatively new to the running scene. She is also hilarious, which kept me reading. Last month, however, her family had a devastating loss in their family. Her cousin Sherry was abducted and killed while on a run near her home in Montana. One of the men who did this has confessed, but they have yet to find Sherry's body. She was a wife, a mother, a teacher. Throughout the uncertainty of the search and all of her grief, Beth of SUAR has continued blogging. She has shared her heart and pain with all who will lend an ear and some time. It is a heartbreaking story. It is also one that hits close to home for anyone who has had no qualms about lacing up your shoes and hitting the pavement on a solo run in the neighborhood. Sends chills down the spine.

In honor of her cousin Sherry, Beth has coordinated a "virtual run" on Saturday, February 11, 2012. You can find more details on the SUAR blog here. While you are there check out the rest of her blog, because it is awesome. I will be dedicating my Saturday run to Sherry Arnold, and I think you should too. Even if you don't run.. Then walk, or even just send a little thought out for her.

As Promised

Well I've put the finishing touches on a few projects today and am feeling pretty accomplished. I have several new ideas I am pretty excited about, but I will keep up the suspense and not mention them all here. I finally got my Handiwork tab updated with new pictures (even since this morning!) and prices. That was one of the main things hanging over my head the past few days and I am very relieved to have it finished. I also completed one order, finished the second version of my test pattern, and finished a gift that had been promised as "almost done" since Christmas! Overall a pretty good day in the crafting side of my life today. I opted to play with my daughter and get in my run instead of cleaning my house, but I'm willing to make that kind of sacrifice!

One project that I have on the horizon that I am excited about is the "renovation" of our guest bedroom into my craft room. I surround with quotations because it's not going to be a true renovation in the sense that would generally pop into my mind. It's more of a mash-up of guest bedroom/craft space. I like having a bedroom for visitors, but I also want to get the overflowing Rubbermaid tub of yarn out of my bedroom lol. I decided that the transformation may be blog worthy, so I have already taken the "before" pictures and if it turns out well, I will write up a detailed post of the process, and any DIY tutorials I can come up with for space saving craft areas. If you have any suggestions, or would like to submit pictures of your own rockin' craft space, I would love to hear about/see them!

That's about it for me. My creativity is about used up for the day. Also, my fingers are frozen which makes it difficult to type. The high was in the 20's here today. Have I mentioned that I am a summer girl? I am good with winter until Christmas is over, and then I'm looking for summer. I hate to be cold and my youngest always catches whatever is going around -- how, I have no idea -- we don't really go anywhere when it's cold.. (?)

A Brief Update from Jen

I'm planning a much longer post later this afternoon, but for now -- I have updated my Handiwork tab with details and prices. Click on the "Jen's Handiwork" tab at the top to check it out! Email me if you see something you would like to order. Prices do not include shipping.

Have a great day! I'll be back to post this afternoon :)

Busy Pajama Day

It's been snowing like crazy here since last night. Snow day for my oldest = pajama day for me and my girls. However, even though I stayed in my PJ's all day, I did shower (I feel the need to make sure everyone knows this), and I crocheted my little heart out. I finished a project in one of my orders, made a headband (not one of my orders, but an idea that popped into my head), and I'm working on a pattern to post and testing it since I've never written down a pattern before. I really should have titled this post "writing patterns is HARD".. because it is. It's not so much that I don't know how to say what I am doing, it's more that you don't realize what minute detail you need to go into to make sure your directions are clear. I'm pretty sure it takes me less time to actually crochet this item than it has to write (then type) it, and I'm still not quite finished!

I also played with my kids, cleaned a little, cooked meals for my family, did some laundry, and now I am writing this blog post while my husband is watching Conan (it's a little on the unnecessarily gory side for me, but  he seems to like it -- it's the newest version, not Ah-nold from back in the day). It's Friday night. I've spent it writing crochet patterns and crocheting, and I'm about ready for bed. It seems I entered my 80's at some point when I wasn't paying attention!

On that note, I will sign off. I didn't want to skip posting today. I know how our many MANY readers (ha! maybe someday?) hang in suspense waiting for my witty commentary on my incredibly exciting lifestyle... ::zzzz::

Pinterest Inspiration

Scrolling through pinterest before I go to bed has become a nightly ritual. I saw this picture of someone who had pierced their finger (you can find this in my pinterest profile but since it is not family friendly, out of respect to Crafty Jen, I will not post the picture).

I thought about it for a full 12 hours before I ran out and got the piercing myself. This wasn't enough for me and ran out less than a week later and got a dermal on my other hand.

Pinterest does more than just inspire the crafty side of me!

6 more weeks of winter

I was thinking about this whole "Groundhog Day" thing today (makes sense..). I've always kind of put a lot into what that groundhog's opinion was, but it finally occurred to me today that whether he sees his shadow or not, there is ALWAYS 6 more weeks of winter... Spring is March 21st-ish -- about 6 weeks from February 2nd. 

Now.. It may be sad, because I am 30 years old and this just occurred to me TODAY.. But I feel like I've been lied to all these years. Therefore, I vow (yes.. VOW -- it's that serious) to never trust a groundhog ever again. I'm pretty miffed. I've always seen groundhogs as kind of lovable weather predictors. No more. Those days are over. I've been forever swayed in my opinion of groundhogs and I don't think there is any going back (so much for that groundhog earflap hat idea lol). Groundhogs ::rolls eyes:: whatever.

Other than that, I'm happy to say that business is really picking up for me, and as it stands, I have enough orders to keep me busy for the next few weeks. I really love what I'm doing and am so so excited to maybe earn enough to help support our family financially (or at least buy all the yarn I want without bankrupting us). 

Seriously though, who gets to say they love what they do? Me! I love that I get to stay home and take care of my kids myself. I don't always love everything EVERY DAY (especially laundry..) but for the most part, I love my job. The only thing missing was the getting paid, so I'm trying to fix that part :)

The other day, I posted pictures of my work. I will be posting prices soon. If you see something you like before then, please feel free to email me. I'm still figuring out how to balance my time so I am not neglecting my family, but also not neglecting my projects or this blog. It's a work in progress and until I figure out that happy medium, I'm going to tend to neglect the latter (as the former is more important to me!). 

That's all for today -- I have orders to be completing :) The next few days here are supposed to be pretty snowy, so I'll have a lot of "indoor time". I'm ready for summer.. Or at least spring.. Dang groundhog!

Craftyish Project: Shining My Headlights, Part I.

I debated for awhile if I should post about shining my headlights or not, however, I decided that part of my contribution to this blog included things that as a single woman most of us would not do and that is why shining my headlights is one of my first project contributions. Enjoy!

Back in the day, I had a husband and his duties included taking care of the car, he always told me how dull my headlights were and how he was going to get the stuff to shine them, think that ever happened? (I wouldn't be writing about it if I did, actually I would have like 10% of the projects I will if he actually did anything he said he was going to. I do have lots of demo done though!) I digress... I went to a car parts store (after looking around a big box store and they did not have any kits that I saw), any will do, I don't remember the name of the place and this project is not sponsored by anyone so the name is not really important.  I think the whole point of this post was to say the reason I decided to shine the headlights myself, I figured I had four options:
1.) Leave them foggy and do nothing (a usual choice for me, this one almost won out!)
2.) pay someone else to do it (yeah right)
3.) replace the housing for the lights (why?)
4.) just do it myself. (our winner!)

I purchased the kit that the guy at the parts store said his customers liked the most and it has been sitting on my passenger's seat for three days now. This was going to be completed with pics and all this weekend but since they are expecting the worst blizzard of the season we will have to all wait til part II to see how the project actually turns out.

My question for you, are you even interested in getting a part II or is shining your headlights not of interest?

THANKS!
Crafty D