finished an OLD project...finally!

I used to LOVE cross-stitching...now I don't have much patience for it, as I like stuff to be done quickly and see results fast. Cross stitch takes awhile to do. I had started this, um...I don't know...maybe 7 or 8 YEARS ago...found it in my closet awhile back and decided to finish it.

Well...I ALMOST finished it. Then my sister, Erica, was visiting and was looking for a project to do...she loves to cross stitch. So, i "let" her work on it and next thing you know, it was done. I got it in the shadow box and it's ready to be hung somewhere. pretty cute, not necessarily my style, but it is something I made with my heart, by hand (with the help of my little sister!!)

notebooks, jotters & scrapbooks oh my!

I have been busy scouring Thrift Shops and Yard Sales in search of game pieces and flash cards to make my fun little notebooks. Also looking for used (no value) gift cards to make jotters...good for writing a quick note, for grocery lists, etc. I keep some in my purse so that while we're waiting to eat at a restaurant, my kids have something to doodle in. I have also been finishing up some mini albums & various other half-done projects. Everything you see here (and lots more) will be for sale at the St. Catherine's Vendor Craft-a-Faire this weekend. I have a lot more projects in mind for the future (next year and/or a possible etsy shop!!)









These are actually works in progress...the top two are now finished...added embellishments and made a "theme" for each one. Just need to add your own pictures!







These are my jotters made from stuff in the recycle bin and/or old games...









flash card jotters/mini notebooks:



gift card jotters...perfect for that shopping list...



journal/scrapbook:



mini album...add your own pics/journaling!





accordion album with pull out tags...





more to come soon!!!

27

Between now and the end of the year, I WILL post 27 blog entries on this site. Whether it be a work in progress, a finished project, or an older craft that I haven't yet posted here. Yup, I challenge myself. Ready, set, go!

Halloween Block Party

Went a little crazy with the "Mini Monsters" cricut cartridge and made these invites for our block party! There are two of each type, 22 in all for our street! My neighbor Kristin typed up all the info to go on the back and we set out to put them on our neighbors doors! The reaction has been great and we are looking forward to a fun block party...and will surely be making lots of decorations and fun things for the big date...so more to come soon!

some older paintings

Found some pictures of some older paintings I have done...Most of them are either SOLD, gifted or hanging here...Enjoy!

This "Whale Tale" hangs in my Aunt Monica's house:



A friend of mine bought this Tulip for a friend of hers:



This Sunflower (one of my favorites) went to my sister Rachel:



This Strawberry, went to my sister Erica for a birthday gift one year:



My mom somehow acquired this plumeria:



Another favorite went to my friend Vanessa:



This fishy hangs in Brandon's room, even though he no longer has a sea life room:



This Conch was purchased by my friend Amber, a fellow Key West Conch!



Another favorite, this Maryland Blue Crab was also a gift for my sister Erica:



This one was also for Erica, it was supposed to look like her dog, Luna, but I can not for the life of me make animals to look realistic, so let's just say it's a silly dog!



This owl was a reject (one that did not get sold) so Erica claimed this one too, she loves owls!



I think there's more out there somewhere, just need to find the pictures! If you own a "Robin Toole original" let me know & send me a pic!!

baby onesie quilt!

Here is by far one of my most favorite projects, one that I am most proud of. I took tons of Branson's baby clothes, mostly newborn, or size 0-3 and mostly onesies and cut them up into 5 inch squares and made this beautiful, soft, quilt. It's got so many great memories in it and I love to snuggle up in it and so do the kids. My mom says I should seal it up and preserve it for when they are older, but I really like enjoying it now. I have another one in the works with Colin's baby clothes (need to get on that project STAT!)





Side note: I have never quilted before...I taught myself how to quilt with a few quilt kits that were super simple like this one, that I made for a friend who had a baby girl...

going thru older pics...

I have been sorting thru some older pictures on my computer and thought that I need to add some of my older projects to my blog! So the next few posts will be dedicated to older projects...some of my favorites!

Enjoy!

My contribution...the letter T

My neighbor was inspired by THIS:



she is going to do something similar in her kid's playroom. She has been searching around for fun letters and I thought I would contribute a letter to their room! The letter "T". Got the letter and it was a cardboard, unfinished T. Painted it silver and decorated it with white and black vintage buttons! Not the best pictures, but it is in her hands now, so I don't have any better pictures yet...

baby shower gift

Erica's baby shower was last week and unfortunately I couldn't be there :( But I did send her a special gift!

This is a picture of the bedding set she picked out, Enchanted Forest:



Since she is a collector of Robin Toole original paintings, I made these to match the bedding set:









And here she is opening them!





Also, my mom made chocolates to give out as favors, so her and I together made these cute tags using the Cricut cartridge "Create a Critter", I think they matched the theme perfectly!!

teacher's gifts

I admit, not all of my crafts are my original idea. I like to check out other blogs, craft magazines and other places to get ideas that I can use for inspiration. I was stuck with a good teacher's gift so I found some ideas on my favorite website Pinterest...there was a link to this site with the idea I used.

And here is how mine turned out for Brandon's teacher Mrs. Oliff...



And here was the card I made for her:



Then came gifts for the three wonderful aides in his class...Pinterest also let me to this blog. What a cute idea! Here is my version:





I used the cricut to cut out the lemonade and the tags! I thought they turned out really cute!

I also needed gifts for the bus driver and the bus monitor...So for them, I got them each a fun water bottle and a gift card to Starbucks. I cut out a bus for each of them on the cricut and glued them to the gift card envelope with a saying of "The bus stops here!"