some craft projects are whack..

in REAL life.

they look all good on the inspirational websites and they don't tell you how annoying the whole process is gonna be.

this is an example of one of those whack projects..

yesterday i mentioned that some craft projects suck.
yea.. it's that SAME one that i started like FIVE days ago..
when i'm workin' on sumthin for that long, i wanna see BIG results. and each day this thing looked the SAME way.

corny.

it's not a complicated craft at all.. it's just ANNOYING. i didn't think crafting could be annoying..

this one proved me sOoo wrong.. o_O

that lil' bowl in the center took about FIVE days to make..  o_O
ALL that paper was left & i was DONE.

all you do is cut strips of magazine and wrap them up in a lil' wheel shape..

you know how most times when you start a project you can't WAIT to see the finished result so you work on it day & night?

not this one.. it's boring. lol

BUT.. there is one good side.. it's an eco-friendly craft project.. i saved at least .999999 % of the environment.. o_O

whatever. 

i painted it.. cuz i didn't like the way it looked with all the magazine writing.. it looked junky.

but then it looked lonely to me.. like it needed some shtuff. ;)

i think i need to podge it!  but for the record.. it's definitely NOT gettin' anymore magazine strips!

DON'T try this at home.. it'll drive you nuts. ;)

Quirky lil clock toot..

i needed a new clock... turns out that one of my clocks that had been reading the SAME time forEVER was that way cuz it was BROKE.  haha!  :D

sOoo.. i decided to buy a new one.. but just a cheapie..  it looked *okay* online..

o_O

honestly, i could NOT in good conscience put this up.. reminds me of school..

sOo, i decided to go fancy.. cuz, well.. u know me.. lol

i broke out my stash of modpodge, magazine cut outs & a brush & went at it!

i used old Anthropologie & Free People catalogs..
they have awesome texture & prints..
:)

Step 1: remove the clock glass *face thingy* before you begin..

Step 2: paint your lil' magazine papers everywhere!

Step 3: put the face thingy back on before the podge dries completely.. (to make sure you don't jack up  ALL your hard work.. podge dries hard.. you want the paper to give a lil' as you put the face thingy back on)

Step 4: enjoy all your hard work!

okay.. sO, i know we're all different, but i appreciate a lil' bit of quirkiness..
sO, i let the numbers below the podge peek out a lil'
for dimension..
& quirk's sake..
;) 

i warn you before you do this one.. modpodge is a LOT like kindergarten glue projects..

i started havin' flashbacks of when i had to peel the *skin-like* layer of glue from my palms..

good times.. good times*...

<3

fuzzy leaves..

i discovered these sweet wreath concepts that are very pretty.. thinkin' of makin' one, but it's way more complicated than just choosing one.. turns out i'd like to make sumthin a lil' less perfect..

irregular makes a wreath look a lil' more realistic, no?

sOo.. i went thru the wreaths and grabbed my picks that i thought combined would make the *perfect* door adornment..

leaves! sweet lil' idea.. but they need to be more than one color.. in *my* opinion.. 

sOo.. add pops of color like this one has!

& these flowers in varying sizes would be awesome...

 i'm gonna give it a shot.. wish me well.. this should be fun!  :)

a need for the bug..

i'd REALLY like to get all crafty self right now..

instead, i'm all stuck with my ever-desiring need to look at other people's ingenious ideas..

sOooo..

what's a girl to do??

1st of all.. just writing what i've written so far inspires me to draw a lil' bug.. like this one:

now i just need more stirring for other stuff..  :)

like something patchy.. or pillowy.. or colorful..

hmm..

*stress*

yea.. i have two new stressful undertakings to add to my already sO busy life.

two NEW dresses for friends.. one is back for a second go-round! i'm happy about them, but realizing with my schedule that i'm craZy for saying yes.

i look forward to working on projects like these, though..

cutest lil' animillows! (i made that up..LOL)

a too cute floral purse!

a cute lil' giraffe friend who needs a new photo opp AND some added color.. (but still cute)

it definitely gives me sumthin to aim for. this year it's handmade Christmas gifts again..

i've done some VERY needful de-cluttering & still there's LOTS to be done, but i guess what i'm *trying* to say is that i hafta remember that STRESSED backwards is DESSERTS!!

yup. desserts.

sO, i'm *probably* gunna need a lot to make up for all of the stress goin' on in my life right now.

;-)

then i'll have to find out what FAT is backwards.. hee hee. eh heh.

photo credit here.

reduce, REUSE, recycle.. magazines!!

oh yea.. this is definitely one of those projects that is takin' up some of my brain space! i was talking with a friend today.. she challenged me to make a list of projects that i should create.. while possibly takin' a break from posting about finds.. and begin posting my own goodies..

think i can do it?? i hope so.. still a work in progress over here..

;-)

anyway.. this is a pic of the bowls from the inside.. you can get a bit more of a tutorial HERE.. i'm hoping to make a few.. i'd love to make them Pier1 sized like the one below..

inspiration!!

call me inspired! i can appreciate this article... it's pretty amaZing to hear a success story of someone who's still doin' it the "old fashioned" way! according to the article, she still does ALL of her crafting by hand.. unless of course, i missed something..

makes me wanna go "make" something..

=)

you can see more of her work HERE..

Christmas Crackers!!

OH MY GOODNESS!! do we really have ONLY 8 days left 'til Christmas!?

i am sO in deep doo-doo..

umm.. anyway.. i thought you might have time for a few more crafts.. i'm considering making some of these babies for my kiddos' stockings..

you can find the tutorial here.. enjoy! =)

embroidery!!

it's one of those things that i've ALWAYS wanted to learn how to do... and i'm pretty sure that one day i'll give it a try! ... hopefully one day soon. what with all of this Christmas present making! check out these cute lil' embroidered patches.. i'd LOVE to do stuff like this! i'd probably embroider everything.. =)

my one downfall is that i count the "costs" a bit too much before crafting.. a lot of times i end up discouraging myself before i even begin.. gotta get past that lil' monster called "discouragement"..

i find that we often make "him" a LOT bigger than "he" really is.. as one of my pastors said once.. many years ago, and i paraphrase.. in toshanese.. "just as in using a magnifying glass.. so it is with the things of God.. you put it on the problem.. and it seems a LOT bigger than it really is.."

i have to seek to MAgNiFy Jesus! He's in me.. ready to get my creative "juices" flowing! LOL

(boy am i a lil' long-winded.. heh heh)

btw.. you can see more here..

something cute to make!

i LOVE finding new ideas for crafting projects... esPeCiaLLy when i'm in a slump myself..

i found this awesome idea on this website..

you simply use butcher paper which i haven't seen since i was a kid.. i tOtaLLy forgot that the stuff existed..

turns out it's PERFECT for stenciling! WHO knew that stuff doubled as an iron-on!?

i'm sure it'd be pretty interesting to see this HUGE dude in the back, with blood on his apron from cutting cuts of beef all day, saying to his colleague, "hey, Joe.. hand me that iron! this is gonna make such a cute design for our aprons!"

ha!

can't wait to try this one!... ONE day. ;-)

happy BELATED thanksgiving!!

wow.. i'm late in wishing you a happy thanksgiving! didn't mean to be.. but, i DID spend the entire day cooking, cleaning, hosting, and.. well... cleaning! =)

anyway.. if you recall... a couple weeks ago, i found a neat craft with paper cups used to make turkeys.. i thought i'd try the craft with my kids.. and i'm glad to say that our turkeys were amaZingly adorable!! ^_^

my kids insisted on making non-conventional turkeys.. i think they're wonderful!! .. oh yea, the turkeys are, too! ;-)

i hope your Thanksgiving was awesome! =)

crafts for kids!

another fun one to do with the special little people in your lives.. my daughter LOVES "sewing".. at least what she knows of the craft.. she's seven. she made a cube once.. and i'm proud of her..

and she's proud of her cube! =)

anyway.. maybe you'll wanna try this one with your kids.. sO many crafts so little time..

*sigh*

check it out HERE..

records?

you mean... the basically obsolete pieces of plastic that can fill a landfill and destroy the environment all at the same time??

i have TONS of those.. and you probably do, too...

sO.. now you have something funky to do with them..

weird. but definitely funky..

think more.. conversation piece. think.. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!

and have fun doin' it with your Boy George album from ninth grade..

=)

put yO snacks in THIS!

crafting with kids!

i LOVE to craft with my kids! it's fun to see how excited they get about their own creations!

sO.. that being said, i think it ONLY necessary to try these paper cup turkeys.. i think that they're just adorable!

you and i can get "instructions" HERE..

new websites!

i found some great links the last couple of days.. for handmade stuff.. "green" stuff...

creative stuff.. antique stuff..

lots of stuff! lots of fun!

check 'em out! handmade news

trendy indie

indie public

and.. craft bits!

some fun ideas for inspiration and how-tos! enjoy! =)

fun craft stuff!

i found a VERY cool site today..

i LOVE crafting.. i'm not as faithful as i'd like to be.. but i LOVE it!!

i guess the bottom line is making time for stuff you like to do..

sO, maybe i should say "i like crafting".. that sounds sOoo boring..

i REALLY DO love it.. i'll hafta prove it.. someday!

until then, i'll fascinate you with yet another fun find..

(one of the many cute things.. from the site.. don'tcha think these birdies are adorable?)

check this site out.. spotted canary ... they have LOTs of neat ideas, contributed by some creative & artistic crafters.. enjoy! =)

**knitting!!**

sO. i've ALWAYS wanted to learn to knit.. but so far i haven't found enough patience in me to go about such a tedious venture.. i've learned that u pearl one.. knit one.. i MIGHT know the difference between the two.. but the truth is, i think i enjoy seeing other people's projects!

i have a MILLION hobbies in my head.. i'm what one might call a "jack(y) of all crafts" but master of NONE. sucks. believe me, i know.. ugh.

anyway.. i'd still like to learn ONE day.. in the meantime, i'll enjoy other people's handiwork..

;-)

here are some tOtaLLY FUN knitting projects!

check 'em out!

or should i say, "graknitti"? haha!

don't you wanna go knit somebody's gas station..

imagine if this happened completely in

the middle of the night..

WAY better than toilet papering it!! LOL

and YES.. it's ALL knitted..

grandmas might knit sweaters, but cool people knit TREES!! =)
wanna see MORE..? click HERE..