Crochet Crafty Goodness

Well,  I have to admit it.  I  love to craft!  I really love all kinds of making. Cooking, sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting and all kinds of paper crafting.  I like them all but I seem to do them one at a time, except for cooking of course!  But even  with cooking, I only tend be creative and adventurous with my dishes during the holiday season.  So this year, after a two year hiatus from scrapbooking, I jumped in again in January and have continued to do so up to now.  From there I got into some mixed media art as well as art journaling. I have been doing it all!

When I think about it, I have always liked making, ever since I was a little girl.  I wanted a holly hobby  oven and got a holly hobby sewing machine.  I picked weeds from the back yard and pretended to make soup out of them.  I took old jeans and cut them then sewed them up into a very primitive purse.  I just love making!

So now that the weather is turning cooler, even in Sunny SoCal,  my attention is suddenly returning to crochet and knitting. Here is what I made this week!

Santa Hat ( extra Large, for my big head!)



Santa Hat for my Boy ( He is 4 )



Just starting the one for my DH.

Slouch Hat and scarf for me:









So,  thats whats up for now!  I am currently casting on  this for my son:

http://www.patternfish.com/patterns/8570

And  here is the Santa Hat Pattern:

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/santa-hat

My Scrapbook Pages So Far 2013

This year seems to be the year of Papercrafting for me! I have been scrapbooking like crazy since the beginning of the year after nearly two years of neglect.  It started with a charity project in January and I have been going ever since.  I have been enjoying catching up my son's 0-2 book and I have begun his 3-4 book. .

I have also made cards, art journaled and done some mixed media canvases.  I am enjoying being creative this year.  I take time every week to create something if I can and I really feel like the creative juices are flowing. I am looking forward to seeing what this will all lead too!

Gotta say though, I am starting to feel like I want to sew, knit and crochet as well....who knows what my crafty future has in store.

In the meantime, enjoy!

Art Journaling! A new interest.

I have been having a fabulous time on youtube learning different artistic techniques.  This year for me started out with a charity project on MLK day where I, along with a bunch of friends from church served the community in many different ways.  The group I was with made handmade cards and home made cookies and delivered them to two nursing homes and the families living at the local Ronald McDonald House.  We had such a wonderful time creating together and then delivering all the handmade goodness.  For me, all of my papercrafting Mojo was revived. Since the beginning of the year I have been scrapbooking, card making and creating mixed media canvas art.  My latest endeavor has been art journaling.  Its really fun to create colorful, meaningful pages this way.  I basically am using a little booklet that I got at a training and repurposing it into an art journal.  Check out my journal pages and some of my mixed media projects! Click on the image to  see the entire story,

Latest Hobby/Obsession: Scrapbooking and altered Canvases!

So,  scrapbooking is not a new hobby, but its one that I am currently getting back into. But the newest thing in Mixed Media Art.  This is my first attempt! I was inspired to make these art pieces as a way of encouraging my husband and myself as we are going through some challenges right now. Not insurmountable but definitely requiring us to remember to depend on God!  Check it out~





I also completed my December 2012 Christmas Album.  I explain my process in the video.
The second half of the video is a small shopping haul, so you can cut it off at that point.





Thanks for stopping by!

More quilting to come soon!

Happy Productive New Year Goal Getters!

I am so happy to begin 2013.  I am excited because I am determined to make this year a very productive one.  As I look back over my life I realize that I have made changes over the years. But  I also realize that a lot of stuff just happened and very few things were purposefully pursued.  Especially lately.  Being the mother of a young child sort of takes over.  And for me personally, just trying to become a mother took every bit of my focus for several years leading up the the birth/adoption of my son.  Now that he is almost 4,  I  am beginning to think about pursuing other lifelong dreams.  I have a  lot of them!  What I know for sure is that without accountability, I will not progress toward achieving any of them.  So,  I am starting an accountability group so that I can keep  moving in the right direction and to help other like-minded folks to do the same.  I am also planning to blog about it regularly.

So, to kick things off, I want to share my guiding phrase for 2013:

"Expressing my love for my family and the community through serving and giving."




So for me, this means prioritizing service to my family and my community. I do both of these things already, but sometimes I do it because I see it as a duty, something I have to do. Now, I am doing it because I want to do it! .  And I can tell you that it is already having an impact in my home and its only been 11 days so far!

I am so excited to see what me and my group of Goal Getters will accomplish in 2013!  Pray for us and wish us luck.

Do you have a guiding phrase or word for 2013?  If so, please share in the comments!

In the meantime, live out loud!