Crazy Mode

I have been MIA... and for that I apologize. Life is busy!

The first topic I will address is the weather. I had hoped that April would bring sunnier skies and warmer weather. Instead, it is bringing what the age-old adage tells us... "April showers." I can only pray that it will bring May flowers!

Secondly, I am beyond excited that Leaves 'n Beans will be going in just down the street from our studio. I love love loved the mocha ice cap drinks that I used to get at Sweet Treats 'n Coffee Too, but since their closure a couple of months ago, I hav been living off of more infrequent Starbucks and the occasional Eli's drink. Or, the instant coffee I make at home. All do the job, but I am thrilled to introduce a fun little downtown place that will offer salads, soups, sandwiches, desserts, and of course, coffee. :)

Third. I anticipate my life will only get busier from here on out, but I will try to update more often.

4. I am currently a bit attached to The Nanny, which is a 90's sitcom starring Fran Drescher. I am not sure why, but I find this show full of a lot of comic hilarity. As I have expressed in the past, I don't even really like TV all that much but in a moment of weakness about a week ago, I curled up on the couch late at night and watched "Nick @ Nite." A back-to-back episode of The Nanny was on, including the pilot show, so I was intrigued and started watching it from season 1.

Fifth. Easter is this weekend! I always love celebrating this holiday... and am looking forward to being with the family. The family units have been in and out of Florida over the past few weeks, so it's been awhile since the whole fam has been together.

Furthermore, my lovely friend Heather is home from CO this weekend. I am also looking forward to helping throw a baby shower for my cousin and her sweet little girl, Rosie. Also on the calendar is an order session, and engagement session, prison ministry on Sunday morning, and doing a part in the Easter saga for the Sunday School. Oh yes, I also have to make breakfast pizzas for Saturday and an egg casserole for Sunday.

If this stresses you out, don't worry. I was recently talking to Kristi... it was on a day when we were running from one thing to the other.

"I hate this," she told me. "I don't like feeling rushed. I feel very out of control. It's not good."

I am the opposite. i LOVE to rush from one thing to the other. I mean, maybe "love" is the wrong term. It's just that I feel at my best when I'm up and running... I start to procrastinate and waste time when I have too much of it on my hands :) I am the most productive while in crazy mode.

Well... off to the next thing. See-- point in case: I got around to writing a blog post on one of the BUSIEST nights I've had in awhile... it's just the way I roll.

Meanwhile, it's time for a snack soon! So I best run...

T

Craft Time

I have never considered myself a crafty person. At all.
Creative-- yes. But crafty? Unfortunately, I did not get the "sewing" gene from my mom. Anything that is hands-on and tactile presents itself a challenge to me. I can visually "see" things and I can put colors & styles together, but when it comes to "making," I struggle.

More than once, I am wearing a funky shirt or toting around a crazy bag and people will stop me and say, "Nice purse-- did you make that?"

No a chance.

Like I said, I can pick it out. I just can't make it.

Anyway, all that to say... I recently came across something I CAN make! And if I can handle it, chances are that most of you can, too. :)

A few weeks ago, Kristi and I needed a way to make the tree branches in our IA windows look more "Spring-y." We looked online for some easy ways to make flowers. Long story short, we achieved our goal with minimal heartache.

This inspired both of us to continue on the flower-making for our own personal use. You spend $15-$20 on a flower pin for your shirt or hair at a store, so why not make your own for much cheaper? This is the other thing: I'm usually not one to think that way. I'm the girl who usually says, "I'd much rather buy what I like and be done with it rather than going to all the trouble to make anything."

However! After seeing that flower-making isn't too terribly hard, I did a little bit of research and found a flower I really like. You can make each petal out of a different fabric, which appealed to me as I like to mix & match and be colorful.

A week ago today, I found myself in JoAnn's Fabric (Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays). I have been in there with my mom before, but I'll admit-- I was a little overwhelmed and lost. The goal was to purchase some fabric. I must have circled the store about 5 times before I finally found some fabric that appealed to me. I picked it up, but still felt confused. How much to get? And what if I didn't like it? What if I wanted more options??

After collecting a few more fabrics, I was about to give up. This wasn't panning out as I had hoped. It was then that I spotted them: fabric quarters. They were EXACTLY what I was looking for: several colors, styles, and patterns of fabric folded up onto a cardboard square. There were bountiful options, and the best part is that they were inexpensive, so rather than buying a half yard of only a few fabrics, I could purchase a bunch of fabrics for cheaper! After my discovery, I had a heyday picking out all my favorite colors and patterns.

SO, after coming home with my fabric and reading the instructions carefully, I picked up my needle & thread and made my very own flower. Not without pictures, of course.

In case you want visuals so that you can try this on your own, here it is...

Supplies
Needle & Thread

Fabric-- a variety of scraps

Scissors

Circular object

Fabric marker

Buttons, beads, gems, and embellishments

Hot glue gun

Hair clips/pins

{Step 1}

Choose 5 fabrics you want to use. (Or choose 2-3 if you want to keep every other petal the same).

{Step 2}

Using your circular object (I used a large lens cap), trace a circle on each piece of fabric and cut them out. *If your fabric isn't already flat, iron it to get out all the wrinkles.

{Step 3}

You should now have 5 circles of fabric. Choose one. Fold it in half, and then in half again.

{Step 4}

Thread your needle. With it, sew a gather stitch (stitch in and out, leaving a nice gab b/t stitches) along the circular (rounded) portion of your folded fabric.

{Step 5}

Gently pull your thread so your first petal forms. Fold your second piece of fabric twice, and continue a gather stitch along that fabric's rounded edge, attaching it to the first petal.

{Step 6}

Continue this process until you have all petals attach. Gently pull the thread so all petals are formed and tight. Finish it off by connecting your last petal with your first.

{Step 7}

You should now have a flower that looks like this:

{Step 8}

Time to embellish. With a hot glue gun, glue a button in the center and add any other buttons/sparkles/beads as you wish.

{Step 9}

Glue a hair clip or pin to the back.

{Step 10}

Voila! This is your finished product.

I like to wear mine in my hair. You can glue a hair clip AND pin on the back if you wish to use it for both hair & clothes.

Love you all!

T