It can’t be possible. There’s no way it’s been this long since I’ve posted on here. But, sad but true, it has been. Life has been so hectic, there doesn’t seem to be any chill time these days. But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The good news in all of this is that I haven’t stopped creating. Even with all the other projects and general life items going on right now, I always seem to find time to create. Here are a couple of things that I’ve been working on:

1. Knitting. I recently read the Blossom Street series - super cute books - as well as the sequel to the Friday Night Knitting Club. Did you see my reviews? They’re on Moms in a Blog so be sure to check them out. I always get motivated to craft when I read books like that. So, I dusted off the knitting needles, joined Ravelry, and started making a scarf for a gift for my mother-in-law. Here’s the thing, though. I’ve only knitted one complete project in my entire life. It was a thin, bright scarf for my daughter (which she still wears today) and that was several years ago. When I get into (or back into as the case may be) a craft, I tend to go hog wild. I went from owning two sets of knitting needles to owning 20 sets. No, I’m not kidding. But I found two awesome yarn / quilting shops in the process. Score!

2. My daughter’s artwork. The last time I posted (which apparently was eons ago) I was writing out some ideas about how to organize / display my kids’ artwork instead of it being all over the house. I’ve been working on project that is part binder / part scrapbook for my daughter’s work from her preschool classes. So far, so good. But I have realized that I’m going to need a bigger binder.

3. Cross Stitch. I finished a super cute cross stitch (no pics yet; it’s a gift for someone who actually reads this blog so the pic will be posted after Christmas) that I’m extremely proud of. More to come on that later… Plus I started a new one that is a gift for my niece which I’m very excited about.

4. Sharing my love of crafting. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - my daughter is definitely her mother’s child. She is completely addicted to foam craft projects and she has been churning them out like nobody’s business. I’m really impressed with her ability to do so without help from us. She looks at the picture and then puts the craft together all on her own. I have noticed that the combination of school and her art are completely increasing her confidence. Exciting stuff!

5. Writing. When people call writing a craft, they’re not kidding. It’s a labor of love really. With all the writing I’ve been doing lately, I’m amazed at how my creativity is skyrocketing again. Gotta love The Artists’ Way.

So what’s coming up? I’m doing a series of interviews with crafters, craft store owners, and general artists who are all fantastic. So be sure to come back again (or subscribe and let me come to you - so much more convenient that way) so you don’t miss a single one. Until we meet again - I promise it won’t be so long this time - have a wonderful day.

Are your kids like mine? Irresistibly drawn to a fresh sheet of paper and a pack of crayons? I have (literally) piles of these “pictures” scattered all throughout my house. But, I have stumbled across (and come up with a few of my own) a couple of tips on how to either preserve or reuse these little masterpieces that you have collecting in drawers and on your refrigerator. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be playing with all of these ideas and showing you the results. But, here’s a sneak peak at what I’ll be checking out:

1. Use their artwork as background paper in your scrapbooking layouts.

2. Use their artwork as backgrounds for note cards and thank you cards.

3. Use them for educational projects like alphabet flashcards.

4. Preserve them digitally and make a mini book out of the results (then recycle the actual paper, of course).

5. Preserve them in an easel pad.

Have another idea you want me to try? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best!

Are you like me? Do you tend to get absorbed in a book that you are reading and all you want to do is whatever is in that book? I read Jimmy Stewart’s biography and went on an old movie kick. I read American Brutus by Michel Kauffman and decided to follow John Wilkes Booth’s escape route (Still yet to do this). And then I read the Elm Creek Quilts series and decided I wanted to create my first hand stitched quilt. Of course I do.

Now, I don’t consider myself an artistic quilter- the patterns I choose and the work I do is quite simple. But I love to sew. It is so therapeutic and soothing for me. So I chose 12 different sampler patterns and my fabrics that look adorable together. I’ve gotten some done and I’ll show you the first two here. They’re not great, but I’m definitely enjoying the process!

Fight or Flight Block

Ohio Star Quilt Block

It’s been a great couple of weeks to be sure. I’ve had so many opportunities swing my way that it is genuinely difficult to keep up. What have I been up to? Here’s a short list:

1.First of all, I had my first article published at MomSpark. The topic was crafting heritages and I loved writing it. Look for more crafting topics coming from me at MomSpark!

2. Secondly, I’m also helping out Megan at TwitterMoms.com - if you’re on Twitter and you’re a mom (or a dad, we have a couple of them too) stop by and say hi. We’d love to have you join us.

3. My other blog got a complete face lift. It looks fantastic and Sarah is the reason behind that.

4. Oh yeah, I started another blog. Go figure, right? As if life wasn’t crazy enough. But I love it, so I can’t (and won’t) complain. Besides I’m only doing it to myself so there’d be no point in whining.

That, in addition to family, paycheck-work, keeping up on my sports, and other endeavours has kept me hopping. That and my crafting.

So, what have I been working on? A lot, actually, but wouldn’t you know it some of the things I’m making are gifts for people who actually read this blog. So I can’t really post about them. Because they’ll see it. And ruin the surprise. And the surprise, sometimes, is my favorite part. So I have to keep my little crafting secrets for now (which I’m not good at in general, so I’m shocked I’ve gone this long without blowing it) but I’m sure you will see the results soon enough.

It never fails. Every year right around this time, I start thinking about it. I can’t help it. You’re heading into fall, you’re thinking cooler weather, warm soups, football, and then your brain just dives right for it.

Christmas Gifts.

Crafters know what I’m talking about. I see you sitting there. You have your list already started. It’s right next to your computer. That list of all the gifts you *swear* you are going to make this year. Does it ever REALLY happen that way? If it does, leave a note with your secret because I never accomplish my list. Truth be told there is one project I started for my husband last November that I haven’t touched since January.

Whether you want to admit it or not, the crafting frenzy will begin before you know it. And I love this time of year. There’s just something “crafty” and “homemade” about fall that I can’t fully explain. But others who share this phenomenon with me understand. I get in the mood to cook, to sew, to be so delightfully domestic it can get a bit scary.

And this year, I *swear* I will get at least half of the gifts made on my list.

I love shoeboxes. What? That’s not an accessory? Sure it is, especially when you jazz it up a bit. Let me explain. I see infinite possibilities with shoeboxes, especially when it comes to organizing your craft supplies. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes (especially when you have children who need back to school shoes) and you can get two boxes in one if they’re the type that have lids the same size as the box.

There are so many options with these. I love that the cardboard tends to be thinner so you can cut it up if you need to and fit it to your needs. Cut holes in the side and feed your ribbon through to have easy access to the stuff you use most. Store samples of card fronts and other smaller items in them. Use cardboard dividers to create compartments for all those tiny items that can get lost easily. You can also decorate them to make them “prettier” if you will have them out where people can see them. My favorite thing to decorate them with?

Wrapping paper!

I buy the non-holiday specific paper without the “happy birthday” and “merry Christmas” messages and use those to make my shoeboxes look a bit more festive or match the decor of my craft room. You can, of course, also use plain brown paper and scrap it up with different embellishments if you want to go crazy. Once you start thinking outside the box with these (forgive the pun) you’ll be amazed at how much you can get accomplished in terms of your organizational projects.

This is definitely the biggest cross stitch project I’ve ever done, and it has definitely taken some time to get moving on it. From starting it to finally seeing some progress, my Harley Davidson cross stitch is actually looking like a motorcycle.

I recently went through a lot of my old projects that I made a while ago and found some awesome cards that I had completely forgotten I made. Mostly, I found some handmade cards that I made when I worked with Stampin’ Up! and I was really excited about them. Now it’s time to use them. Here’s a few that I found:

Well, at least I finished this project and can cross it off my list. I was able to sew on a very small border. All in all I’m pretty happy with it. I just have to iron it and get it looking extra purdy.

I’ve been having a couple of rough weeks. I’m not going to get into why it’s been rough, but I will say that crafts tend to be my saving grace. They allow me to create something beautiful while I’m in the midst of turmoil, pain, or just the chaos of daily life. There is something amazingly rewarding in looking at a project take shape right in your hands.

As many of you know who have been following along, I have been working on my biggest cross stitch project to date. I’ve decided to work on a couple smaller items so that I can have a sense of accomplishment (many crafters relate to this - it gets you motivated to tackle the bigger ones).

Having said that, let me tell you another project I picked up to take my mind off of things. I belong to a quilting guild in North Royalton called Keep Us In Stitches. One of the Challenges that you are given when you join is to make your own name tag. I’ve decided to combine cross stitch and quilting into mine. I finished the cross stitch piece this week and I will be quilting on a border very soon. I designed this myself (a major first for me). It’s small, but I love it. It speaks to my heritage and personality.