You've been warned

Just a quick reminder that my massive sale ends tomorrow (or today, depending on when you're reading this...December 31st) so this is your last chance to snag the best deals I'll ever offer in my shop. Everything will go back to regular prices on Thursday.

I'll be back to work on Thursday, listing some new items in new styles. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you got a sneak peek of some of the new items today. If you don't subscribe, I guess you'll just have to suffer through two sleepless nights wondering what the new bags will look like.

Have a safe holiday and a happy and healthy new year.

Amazing

I got the most amazing Christmas gift from my talented artist friend, Lena. Since I'm not really an artsy person, I don't know the right way to describe her work but I'm sure she'll correct me if I'm wrong. I'm going to say she's a painter/altered artist/mixed media lady.

Anyway, I gave her a huge bag full of paper scraps from my scrap booking stash and she surprised me with this for Christmas...























How amazing is that? Doesn't it look just like that picture over there --------> ?
















I knew she was working on something for me because she kept telling me that she was excited about it and wanted to tell me but didn't want to tell me. Then asking me if I wanted her to just tell me. I was thoroughly surprised and absolutely love it. And all I gave her was an apron:(

Mission Accomplished

I think I posted a few months ago about the girls' Christmas gift from us being a brand new bedroom. Crafty Papa decided that we should really go for the wow factor and do the whole thing overnight on Christmas Eve while they were sleeping. In the last week, I've cycled between being totally stressed out about the makeover and then really excited.

Thankfully, the girls went to sleep immediately last night and we were able to complete the redo in only three hours. New princess dreams pink paint, new bedding, furniture rearranging, new desk and accessories, window treatment, spruced up garage sale shelves and decor. I used my Cricut to cut out vinyl decals including their names and a princess crown on their bedroom door and their first initial and a princess crown on their closet door.

The girls were really excited and reacted as nicely as we could have expected. They both said it was a princess room now and they've spent almost all day in there playing (while I ignore them and play with our new wii:) ).

Here are some before and after pics. Yellow is before and pink is after. We still need to put back the outlet covers and hang a few more things on the wall but want to give the paint a little more time to dry.

Merry Christmas from the Crafty Family

An even bigger sale!

A great sale made even better!

Take an additional 25% off sale prices through the end of the year!

I'm busy working on some new styles and features to add to my shop in the new year. In the meantime, be sure to check out my biggest sale ever in my shop. Just pay via Paypal and I'll promptly refund the 25% off to your Paypal account.


Have a happy holiday!

Am I too old for a ballerina cake?

Tonight is the girls' first ever dance recital and we're celebrating afterward with pizza and cake at our house. I made this sweet little cake this morning and couldn't be more proud of myself. I used my Cricut to cut out the ballerinas and a can of pink Better Crocker frosting that comes with different decorative tips.

The girls can totally screw up tonight and just stand around and stare at the audience and I'll still be beaming with pride for my cake.

A Happy Customer

Look at how much Allie loves her owl onesie that her thoughtful mama, Jen bought for her from Crafty Mama Creations. I won't mention that Allie is the happiest baby in the world who doesn't seem to ever stop smiling. I really think it's all about the onesie.

Do you have a cute pic of your kiddo wearing one of my creations? Email it to me so I can share your sweet baby with my blog readers.

We have a Winner!

The winner of the free bag is Marie! Please email your address to me at craftymamacreations@gmail.com and I'll get your bag out in the mail asap. Thank you to everyone who shared a story about giving.

Don't Forget

I'm drawing the winner of the free bag later this morning so you still have a few hours to post here for your chance at a nice freebie:)

Obsessions

Remember three months ago when I posted the video for The Zac Brown Band "Chicken Fried" song and confessed that I was watching it about 12,000 times per day? And a few of you emailed me making fun of it (and me)? Well, it's been number one for the past few weeks. So see, my taste isn't as bad as you thought. And Tatey looooooves the song. The other night in the car she said, "Papa, I want to hear da chicken fwied song" and even he laughed - fyi, it's really hard to make Crafty Papa laugh (Lena can confirm this). For whatever reason, we've been in the car the past few weeks at the time that the number one country song is announced and when they say "Chicken Fried", I always remind Steve about how I loved the song months ago. I think I feel personally responsible for discovering them or something. I might not feel as good about the whole thing when my two year old starts singing "cold beer on a Friday night" though.

My new obsession is Joshua Radin and especially the song he sang at Ellen's wedding. Perfect for doing my pilates work out or as I like to say, "workin' on my fitness". So, now I'm watching that 12,000 times a day instead of "Chicken Fried". I used to be embarrassed that Steve would notice my obsessive behavior with music and tv but after 8 1/2 years of marriage, I don't really care any more. It's just too much effort to hide it and now you know my secret too.

The Spirit of Giving

Yesterday, two of Crafty Papa's friends from an off road message board he frequents, drove 3 1/2 hours up to the coast to make a special delivery to another member of their forum whose family has fallen on rough times. The father of three suddenly lost his high paying job about 6 months ago due a serious, undiagnosed illness and the small off road message board had raised $250 to donate to the family.

While Crafty Papa was gone, I was thinking about the tight budget we live on. We have to budget very carefully and unfortunately, never have a penny left over at the end of the month. We pass up extras and are constantly talking about new sacrifices we can make so that I can continue to stay home with the girls. I was starting to question whether we really could afford to donate to this man and his family and then Crafty Papa came home and told me they had gone out and bought him a Christmas tree. The family didn't have one because they couldn't afford it. Three little kids who had to go without one of the biggest Christmas traditions because they didn't have the extra money. That quickly put things into perspective for me.

So, in the spirit of giving, I'm going to send a free bag to one of my blog readers. Just leave a comment on this post sharing a good deed that you/your family has done this holiday season and I'll randomly pick a winner. It doesn't have to be anything huge, maybe even just volunteering to watch a friend's kids so she can shop or bake or shoveling snow out of a neighbor's drive way (I hear you have to do that kind of thing when you don't live on the coast:) ). Winner will be chosen on Wednesday morning.

Christmas Cuties

I finally finished the girls' Christmas outfits yesterday and for once, everyone was pleased. Definitely not my first choice in fabric - I like something a little more funky and less traditional - but, it was on clearance, has a nice weight to it, and Bella liked it.

If it were up to Bella, she would have a huge, princess tulle and taffeta number but since we just do a small, tamale Christmas Eve, I really prefer something more casual that can be worn to school, etc. I used Jona's Edith skirt pattern but eliminated the second under layer. It ends up looking a little too heavy on Tatey because she's really petite so I went with something lighter but still twirly.

We went out to our neighbor's guitar performance at a local coffee shop last night and both girls confirmed that the outfits had adequate twirl.

As promised

Pics of the tunic I made for myself. My first zippered garment. Let me preface this by saying two things. 1. I don't know why I look so mad in the pics. In general, I'm not a big smiler, but I think maybe trying to coordinate getting myself in the frame is too much for me. 2. I don't think my upper arms are really that fat in real life. I mean, they're definitely chubby but I don't think they're that big in proportion to the rest of my arm in person. Maybe I'm just in denial. Wait, I thought of number 3. Yes, I realize my toilet paper roll is in the shot.

Ok, this is the Boutique Chic Juliet Tunic pattern that I bought from Jona's shop. One thing I've realized in reading craft blogs is that it's supposed to be all sunshine and rainbows but that's not really me so I'm just going to be honest. I didn't love the pattern. Keep in mind, I don't really know how to sew, but I think I've been totally spoiled by pdf patterns. There's no hand holding or helpful pics in the pattern so I felt really un-confident during the whole process. I think the back zipper is the stupidest idea ever invented and wish this had a side zipper. I think I'm going to strain a neck muscle reaching around to zip it up. If I knew how to sew better, I could probably figure out how to change it. Oh, and I think the back comes up too high. Again, probably something I could fix if I knew how to sew.























Also, I think it might give a faux pregnancy effect. What do you think? I've decided I'm just going to wear it out in public today and see if anyone asks me when I'm due. I'm thinking about trying to take it in a little more (I already took in the pit area) but figure I'll try to create some awkward social moments first.























So, not my favorite pattern but I did end up with what I think is a wearable-in-public garment. And I love the bright and fun Heather Bailey fabric. I may make it again if I can figure out how to move the zipper and make a better fit.

Oh, and to my Wisconsin ladies who I can hear saying, "Bitch is wearing a sleeveless shirt in December?!", it's actually only supposed to be 70 degrees here today so I'm wearing this little sweater over it:)

HUGE Sale

I'm having a HUGE year end sale in my shop beginning NOW!

I'm clearing out all inventory, and starting fresh in 2009. Prices are super low with small bags for just $20, big bags for $28-32 and hostess aprons for $18. All orders over $50 will receive a free zippered pouch and orders over $75 will get a free zippered pouch and free shipping!

I'll be taking the rest of the year off to finish custom orders, sew for my family and relax and enjoy the holiday season. I'm hoping to complete lots of personal sewing projects and already have one to share with you tomorrow (my first zippered garment!).

Have a great holiday and be sure to check out my store soon as Crafty Mama stalkers have already been shopping this morning:)

Friday Favorites

First, before the faves, if you haven't signed up for my newsletter, you really should do it today. I'm going to be starting a really big sale in the next few days and newsletter subscribers will be the first to hear about it. And by big, I mean that I'm going to try to clean out my entire shop by the end of the year and start fresh in January. So you can expect to see some really good prices and maybe even some new items that haven't been listed yet.

1. A Very Special Christmas circa 1989. This is hands down, the best Christmas cd ever. We used to listen to it all the time when we were kids and I was reminiscing to Crafty Papa about it a few days ago. I couldn't remember the name of the cd so I described the cover artwork to him (oh yeah, almost 20 years and I still remember) and told him Run DMC had a song on it. And then I said, "Make it happen" and drove away. He brought it home that night:) His coworker, who doesn't really strike me as the Christmas music type, had vol. 1 and vol. 2 but I'm not ready to stop listening to the first one and move on to the second one yet.

I've been nice enough to type lyrics from the songs to my friend, Shanna, while we're having our morning MSN chat. I saved this morning's for her so I could share it in this post. "Run so loud and proud you'll hear it, it's Christmas time and we've got the spirit."














2. My new apron. Seriously, how cute is it? And yes, I'm standing on my girls' tooth brushing stool in the bathroom to get the pic in a dirty mirror. I have no shame. I'm selling a few aprons this weekend and wanted to wear one myself to show how cute they are. I picked out this Amy Butler Daisy Chain fabric because the bright green reminded me of Grandpa's green socks.
























3. Bare Minerals Lip Dip trio. This is the coolest thing. It's a clear chapstick that you can dip in any minerals color and turn it into a tinted lip balm. I think it's $24, so a perfect reasonably priced gift for a girlfriend.

Crisis Averted

I know you probably couldn't sleep last night. The Barbie Swan Lake dvd has been located! In Crafty Papa's drawer of off road magazines, flash lights, and other man crap.

I'm not saying that he was secretly watching it. But I do find it interesting that I looked all over the house for it yesterday and then he mysteriously found it while I was out with some friends last night and he was home lonely.

I need a pyschic...

to help me find this freakin Barbie Swan Lake dvd we borrowed from the library two weeks ago. I already renewed it once because I couldn't find it. I've looked everywhere and now I'm just hoping someone with magical powers will tell me where it is.

I haven't seen it since my dad and step mom babysat overnight a week and a half ago. Is it possible that even though my step mother pretends to hate all things pink, princess, and Barbie, she took the dvd? If so, she'll be highly disappointed. It's the worst movie ever.

Bet you thought I was slackin'

Except for being out of town for four days for the holiday, I've been busy in my craft room lately getting ready for back to back events I'm doing this Saturday. I already have a good inventory of bags but wanted to make some aprons since I think a lot of people will be shopping for gifts. I think a fun and funky apron can be a great gift for someone who is hard to buy for or you don't really know that well (that's why Bella's preschool teachers are getting them from her!).

I've been having a lot of fun with pattern combos. I think that even people who prefer a more neutral bag, would love an apron with funky pattern combos. They're supposed to be bright ad fun and cheery. I've done a few full aprons and a few half aprons and will be listing any unsold items in my shop on Sunday.

Thankful

Four years ago, we had Grandpa's funeral the day before Thanksgiving. Didn't leave a lot of room for feeling grateful at the holiday. I told Steve then that I thought it was really important for us to share out loud every year what we were thankful for. I asked the family this morning and here's what they said they're grateful for:

Matea: All the unicorns in the world. ??????
Bella: Some turkeys and sometimes apples. ???????
Crafty Papa: My family (as he's quickly kissing me, rushing out the door for work and I think, a little annoyed that I picked then to ask my question).

No one asked me but I'll tell you anyway. I'm thankful that we're all healthy this year (minus the ongoing hallucinations, of course). We missed our family Thanksgiving last year because Bella had pneumonia and a 106.5 degree fever. I'm thankful that Steve still has a steady job and we have food on the table for our family every night. I'm thankful that even though we're struggling, we're able to provide a Christmas for our kids this year unlike so many other families who have lost their income. I'm thankful that I have some really great customers who send me nice emails. I'm thankful for my friend Shanna, who chats online with me every morning. And thankful for Lena who has been a lifesaver, watching the girls when I've had appointments come up. My neighbor and friend, Sharon, who is still selfless and giving even after the worst year of her life. Thankful that my girls have grandparents they love. My dad just left yesterday and the first thing Matea said when she woke up this morning was, "I miss my Grandpa". Mostly, I'm thankful that I get to stay home with my girls (even though I've already told them this morning that they're driving me crazy) and thankful that I really do have the best husband a girl could ask for.

Coincedence?

So, about 15 hours after my Love for Nie post below, Crafty Papa surprised me by telling me that he was taking me on our first night away since having kids almost 5 years ago! I was so excited, but also a little nervous about not being there to put Tate to bed at night. She's my snuggle bunny and I knew I would miss her.

Anyway, I'm so happy we had the time away together. We spent a lot of time talking about the kids but really just enjoyed getting to spend time together without the kids distracting us. And holding hands which we never get to do since we're always wrangling children! Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Cindy for babysitting!

We stayed at the Avila La Fonda. The perfect place for a romantic beach get away. And of course, the bargain hunter in me can't go without mentioning that they offer a 30% discount to Costco members:)

And don't worry, I'm totally aware of my suddenly massive double chin. I mean, I've always had a kind of round, chubby-ish face but I swear that the chins have been taken to a new level since I turned 30. So I'm doing the Biggest Loser challenge on my scrapbooking board and plan to totally whoop their asses and get my scrapbooking gift card prize. Then when some of the girls come out for our beach retreat in January, I'll spend the whole weekend in a bikini. The fillet mignon and churro french toast during our night away didn't exactly help with this endeavor though.

Addicted to Love

Like so many others, I have become completely wrapped up in reading "Love for Nie" and her sister, Courtney's blog. I found the blogs just after Stephanie's crash and I check them everyday. I usually end up crying a little, and pitifully recounting the stories to Crafty Papa. Last week, when Courtney posted about Stephanie's first phone call with her children, I bawled like a baby. And a few weeks ago, when she woke up and sat up for the first time in months, I felt excitement as though it was my own sister. I can't imagine what that family has endured but it's been so amazing to be involved in the recovery, even if it's just to a remote degree, reading about it on the internet.

Christian and Stephanie's story is such a great reminder to focus on the happiness and love in your life instead of all of the negativity. Nie was able to do that even before the crash that almost took her life. Her blog was so full of appreciation for her children and husband and finding happiness in the day to day monotony of motherhood and marriage.

So, tonight, instead of being annoyed that Bella's bitching about popcorn, Matea's trying to physically fight with her, and Crafty Papa is making me watch an off road desert racing movie, I'll just be thankful to be in the same room as them.

I just magic erasered all the doors in my house

And I was hoping one of you could stop by and tell me how nice they look. Or maybe just leave a comment here that says, "Damn, your doors are so white and clean, I can see them from Arkansas."

In addition to magic-ing the doors, I've cleaned the master bedroom which had a huge pile up of laundry and miscellaneous crap from the girls' room to be put away, both bathrooms, the girls' room which included vacuuming up millions of little beads before they caught me, my car, and then actually put away all of the items that were in the bags I dragged into the house from the car.

Now I'm cracking the whip on Bella to finish up a Christmas gift for Grandparents coming into town tomorrow and I still have to clean my office/craft room. It's disgusting in here. I have a headache and am highly irritable today but the cleaning must be done. Maybe I'll post a before pic so you can see just how bad it is. I need a diet pepsi. And some kahlua cupcakes. And a good movie on tv.

Remembering Grandpa

Four years ago today, my grandpa who I mention here often, died fairly suddenly. He had battled lung cancer off and on for 7 years but his attitude was so good, I don't think any of us really thought he was going to die. I think the whole family realizes how lucky we were to have him so long after he got sick, but that doesn't make living without him any easier. He was one of those strong, fighting spirit types who continued to live his life as a cotton farmer in between chemo treatments and xrays. I'm sure he suffered on a daily basis but rarely complained about it and most people wouldn't have known he had cancer.

I absolutely believe that next to my girls and husband, he is one of the most special people I'll have in my life. Four years later, I still think about him every single day and have the most wonderful memories of growing up with him. He was as hands on as a grandpa can be and really played a large role in helping to raise my sister and I after my parents divorced. He had such a great sense of humor and was one of those rare people who just seemed to really enjoy life.

Today, I'm thinking about how his blue eyes would sparkle when he smiled. The smell of his pipe tobacco. How soft his bald head was when I leaned down to his recliner and kissed him goodbye for the last time. The way he kept track of all my doctor appointments when I was pregnant with Bella and would call me after each one if I didn't call him first. I'm thinking about how excited he was to be a great grandpa. So excited that he bought Bella her first electronic, ride on John Deere tractor when I was only 5 months pregnant. The way he would shop for her at Kohl's and have a stack of pink and purple outfits for Bella when we visited. And I'm remembering when he told me in the hospital that my sister and I meant the world to him and that we had made him very proud and happy. And then when he came home from the hospital for a few days and we thought he might recover, he told my sister he took back all of the nice things he said. We adored him, and knew that he adored us.

He loved to celebrate and was the life of the party. So, tonight we're having tacos which is what my mom always made him on his birthday. We'll also have ice cream and Steve and I will take a shot of grandpa's favorite Irish whiskey. I'm really not a spiritual person but I'm hoping to feel him with me here today. I still miss him so much that I feel sick. Our family just seems so incomplete without him.

Here's a scrapbook page I did about him last year for my journal book...

MRI Results

Everything was clear! It was so nice, my doctor walked in and the first thing he said was "Your brain is fine". We talked a lot about all of the other withdrawal symptoms I'm having in addition to the hallucinations and it turns out I may just be at the beginning of this ordeal. Apparently even at the low dosage that I was taking, it's recommended that a patient step off their dosage over a 3 month period. I went cold turkey! Now I know why my pharmacist's jaw dropped when this all first started and I told him I was off it cold turkey. I guess the doctor I saw the first night this all happened (my regular doctor's partner), wasn't aware of how extreme the withdrawal process could be.

So, because I didn't gradually go off the medicine, it could actually take a few months for my body to readjust and for all of the withdrawal symptoms to go away. I'm so relieved that the MRI was clear but still upset to hear that this all will go on for a while longer. Thanks for all of your good thoughts.

Is it as cute as I built it up to be?

I think so! Ahhhh, I so want to keep this one but I so need to feed my family. Decisions, decisions. Have at it ladies.


































Oh, and I'll be back this evening with MRI results. Heading out to the doctor in a little over an hour.

If you loved yesterday's owl...

Be sure to check my shop later this afternoon. I'm working on a pink, orange, and brown owl to go with this fabric...


















No fighting, ladies.

ETA: Ok, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. I just found out I can get in for an MRI this afternoon. Wish me luck! For the actual MRI results and not totally freaking out in that tube. I have a little fear that I'll be working so hard on relaxing, I might start to drift off and then start hallucinating like I do at night. Hallucinations + Trapped in Tube = Disaster

Don't you just want to hug him?

Really, how cute is this little owl? I decided to try my hand at embroidery last night and couldn't be more happy with how he turned out. I drew my own original design, transferred it to my fabric, and grabbed my needle and new colorful embroidery floss. I think he gives the bag so much personality and a touch of a retro feel too.

Definitely hooked on embroidering and planning to work on a few more projects like this later this week. Any suggestions? A birdie? Snowman? Kitty? Swirls and flourishes? Or just more owls?

Memo To: You

I'm sewing right now. Like, actually making a bag to list in my shop. I know, it's been weeks. It's a new shape, neutral, beautiful Amy Butler prints. Make sure you check my shop for it later because I think I'll only list it briefly before deciding to keep it for myself. I'm also working on making aprons for some events I'm doing next month and I probably won't list those until after the events. But, if you're looking for a quick gift for a teacher, neighbor, holiday party hostess, email me and I can let send you pics of the aprons I have in stock.

And thanks for all of the well wishes on my hallucinations and general mental instability right now. Here's a little laugh for you...last Friday, during one of the hallucinations, the shadow of my ceiling fan turned into a man waving at me. Obviously, I knew it wasn't real but it was still weird. After hallucinating a person in my closet when I woke up that morning (crazy stuff huh?), I declared that we would be leaving the scene of the crime for a while. So we've been sleeping on our aero bed in the living room for the past week and I finally thought we should move back to the bedroom last night. I'm not freakin kidding you, that stupid ceiling fan man was back and not only was he waving, he started doing this dance move where he was moving his arms up and down, side to side, while rolling his hands around each other. Like John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" or whatever that movie is called. Crazy huh? I told Crafty Papa and he burst out laughing. I'm starting to think ceiling fan man is my secret admirer or something. Not really, that would alarm my doctor but I do think it was thoughtful of him to provide some humor during my regularly schedule 2am hallucination.

ETA: Hey, I actually finished it. I surprised myself with my sudden productivity and I may even try to make a smaller version of this bag later today. Oh yeah, I'm back to taking pics on the bench. I really like the bench. it was an old porch swing seat we bought at a yard sale for $5 and then Crafty Papa mounted it on some stumps in our backyard. I think it was feeling lonely and unappreciated. And I'm attempting to learn to link the Etsy listing in the pic so click on it and see where it takes you.

Crafty Mama or Crazy Mama?

Some of my friends who read the blog already know this, but I'm having some really weird medical issues right now that would definitely be classified in the crazy category. A few months ago, I started taking medicine to treat fibromyalgia. After not taking it last Thursday night, I woke up in the middle of the night with visual hallucinations and voices/buzzing/music in my head. I went to the doctor immediately the next day and have stopped taking the medicine altogether. 8 days later and I'm still having the hallucinations every night and sometimes during the day if I try to rest or nap. I've been to the doctor again this week and agreed to have an MRI on Monday if the hallucinations aren't gone by then. After pressing him, he finally told me that the only thing they'd be looking for on the MRI as a cause for the hallucinations (besides the medication) is a brain tumor. He's confident that it's the medicine and not a brain tumor but even the small chance that it's not the med is making me totally freak out. Like all day and night.

It's been a really hard week for me and I'm feeling more upset and anxious than I've ever felt about anything. I'm just so exhausted and overly emotional and don't care at all right now about sewing or doing anything creative. I know I'm having a big pity party and hopefully it will turn out just to be a reaction to the medicine and I can just look back on this as a time where I totally freaked out unnecessarily. But please keep me in your thoughts. I don't feel at all like myself and am having a really difficult time. Sorry for the downer post. I think I'll go back and watch that Dennis Quaid Starbucks clip again.

Friday Favorites

It's been forever since I've done my Friday Favorites but I'm finally back with some tv related items...

1. Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs". Does this really need any explanation? Good looking, smart, and really great sense of humor. Also, almost 20 years older than me. But since the chances of a relationship between us are slim - mostly because I'm already married - I'm not worried too much about the age difference.























2. "Top Gear". I would be shocked if anyone other than maybe my dad, is familiar with this. It's a car show on BBC America but I'm going to say it's only about 25% actual car talk and 75% entertainment and humor. Crafty Papa and I watch it together every week and laugh our asses off. And it's educational. I've learned terms like boot, bonnet, and caravaning. I've also learned that in Europe, they pronounce "coupe" and "coo-pay". That's some very important international travel knowledge right there.

3. "The Starter Wife" on USA. I netflixed all of season one and got really into it. Season two doesn't seem to be quite as good so far but I really like Debra Messing so I'm going to stick with it a while longer.

4. These two video clips from Ellen's website. Both bring tears to my eyes for very different reasons. First, this Dennis Quaid clip is so hilarious, I've watched it ten times now and laughed so hard I cried every time.

Then this clip from Keith Olbermann is so moving and I hope, though provoking for some people. Crafty Papa is very against me saying anything political on my blog but I don't think I'd be true to myself if I didn't say that the passage of Prop 8 makes me physically ill.

Happy Veterans' Day

Hope some of you will enjoy this Veterans' Day special good through midnight tonight.

Buy one item, get another item half off in my Etsy shop today only!

*Not valid on custom orders or personalized items. Discount applied to item of equal or lesser value.

And sign up for my new mailing list over there ------>.
You'll get the latest Crafty Mama news regarding new products, fabrics, and sales. And as an added bonus the first 10 people to sign up will get a $10 Crafty Mama Creations gift certificate!

Quit yer Crying

Some of you were sad/mad that Kristi swooped in and bought all of the personalized fabric planner covers that I listed last week. Damn her for thinking of her friends and family and buying them as gifts! Anyway, I just added a whole mama load of them to the shop so no more whining.

Stuff for Me

I know what you're thinking and the answer is no. No, I do not have any idea why I thought I would applique an owl on the widest part of my body and then take a picture without any hair or makeup or gut-sucking-in-ing. I'm going to blame it on a lack of sleep. I was awake until about 1:00 this morning battling shoulder and collar bone pain from my fibromyalgia. Who knew your collarbone could ache so badly?

While I like the idea of the owl, close up, the applique looks really crappy. I think maybe I used too wide of a stitch and too big of a needle or something. I'll probably just go over it again with the proper settings because I'm way too cheap to just throw the shirt away and start over.

And speaking of cheap, lets talk about the crazy hair above. I've had short hair off and on for about 10 years now. Crafty Papa loves my short hair and I really do think I look better with it short. But being part of a one income family is apparently not compatible with the every 5 weeks hair cuts that short hair requires. I've already had to start coloring my hair at home and I just had to call my hair lady this morning to cancel my appointment for tomorrow because I can't justify spending half of my weekly grocery budget on my hair. So I've decided that if my hair is going to look bad during the growing out stage, I might as well wear a big sparkly headband and make it look really, really bad. This morning Crafty Papa said, "Sooooo, you're wearing a headband now?" and I said, "Shutty".

Ok, I'm much more excited about this next project for myself. It's a personalized, fabric covered planner/calendar. Seriously, how cute is it? I'm in love with it so much that as soon as I finished it, I had to sit down and transfer all of my birth dates from my 2008 planner to my 2009 one. Definitely going to be listing these in my shop and making a few for an event I'm doing next month. And I'll be giving some for Christmas gifts too.

Table Runner or Big Ass Place Mat?

You may have heard that the economy is in the crapper. I'm sure that info. comes as a shock to all of you. It's a great time to already have been poor like we are because we had nothing to lose. Not such a great time to depend on income from Etsy. It seems that people are more worried about buying food for their family right now instead of a fabulous handmade, one of a kind bag. The bastards!

Anyway, like most other Etsyers, my sales are way down right now and instead of wallowing in self pity like I usually do, I'm trying to finally make some things for myself and our house. And thus, the table runner/big ass place mat.
















Crafty Papa is fairly against the idea of holiday decorating or really anything fun around the holidays (he would probably disagree but he's really just too practical...maybe one of you can send him a memo about how holidays and practicality don't go together). Now that we've been married for 8 years, I find pleasure in occasionally doing things just to irritate him. Like buying a bunch of new decorations at a yard sale after he made me throw away things last year. Or making my own new, completely useless decorations.
















I'm really bad about starting a project without planning anything at all and then being disappointed with the results. So of course, I didn't measure anything for this project and it just happened to be the exact width of our dining table. So, I don't really know what it is but I do like it even though it totally clashes with my pink hydrangeas.

Anyway, I do have one more custom order to finish this week but I'm thinking about taking on a few other projects for myself. Maybe an owl appliqued tshirt for me that I can rub in Shanna's and Andrea's faces. And a personalized fabric planner cover. I feel a trip to Walmart coming on. I've already been there on Monday and Tuesday this week and they might start to worry if they don't see me there today. Although, when I walked out yesterday, I distinctly remember telling the children that I would never ever bring them there again.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween Sale in my Etsy shop through Sunday. Enter code "BOO" at checkout to receive 25% off your entire order (excluding custom orders and personalized items). Please pay through Paypal and I will refund you the 25%. Happy Shopping!

So Much Excitement

I'll start off with the more mild excitement. My craft room got a mini makeover this weekend! I think I've mentioned here several times that my sewing/scrapbooking room is a total pig sty. Like all the time. I cleaned up this weekend and found one of Crafty Papa's dirty socks and some of Matea's (clean) My Little Pony Undies.

My brother in law was in town yesterday and called us from the Geoffrey Beene store at the outlets and said they were closing up shop and selling all of their fixtures. He sent us some pics of these cool tables he was buying but I told Steve we really didn't need them. Thankfully, he stopped by here and once I saw the tables in person, Crafty Papa and I agreed I had to have them. Even better, they were only $15 each and his brother was here to help carry them into the house.















































So, I spent all night last night completely emptying out the craft room, setting up the tables, and then reloading everything. The shelves are so nice and practical. The only bummer is that now everything is within the girls' reach so I'm going to have to do some serious extra parenting when they're in there. If I would have known the room was going to be emptied out, I totally would have painted. Oh well, another day.

While reorganizing my fabric, I came across this fun retro flowers print that I hadn't used in a long time. Kind of a neutral, go with anything bag that still has a little bit of funkiness.

















Ok, now the BIG excitement. I'm hosting a scrapbooking retreat at an ocean front beach house here in January and my favorite scrapbooking friends are flying out to California to attend! I hadn't even mentioned the whole event to them because they're in Arkansas and Wisconsin. Not really practical for travel to the retreat. Anyway, I sent Shanna a link to one of the houses I was looking at and mentioned the retreat. Next thing you know, she, Keeley, and Shana are all flying out here. This will absolutely make my year...and keep me up at night with excitement for the next three months. Keels, Shanna and I used to talk on IM almost everyday and Shanna and I still try to IM at least a few times a week. I am beyond excited about finally getting to meet them in person after chatting online for 2 1/2 years. I hear Dr. Shana cried with excitement and I have to admit that when I start to daydream about it, I get a little misty eyed thinking about finally seeing my girls but then Crafty Papa gives me a weird "what the hell is wrong with you?" look and I snap out of it.

I'm also totally excited to finally spend some time with my friend Jenni without having to take care of our kids. We only get to see each other every few months and we always end up having to stay home with the kiddos while our hubbies go out to the beach and have fun. She is absolutely the nicest, easiest to get along with person I've ever met and I know all of my friends and the retreat will love her.

And Crafty Mama's #1 customer, Heather, will be there too. I met her briefly last spring when she took her Crafty Mama Creations stalking to a new level and hunted me down at an event I did. She went to grad school with Shana so it's a whole 6 degrees of separation thing. I think I might have to whip up a bunch of special bags to tempt her with that weekend.

I got to meet Andrea and Jen at the retreat I went to in August and it was so weird how we just clicked and chatted like we had been friends forever. I know it sounds weird, but it really is amazing how a friendship can develop so well without ever meeting in person. I'm totally doing eHarmony.com if Crafty Papa ever gets tired of putting up with me. Seriously though, those eHarmony commercials really do get to me.

An Oldie

It's been a long time since I've listed a bag with this funky frogs Michael Miller fabric. There were a few of you who loved this fabric the first time I bought it and spent a lot of time whining at me about how you kept missing out on the bags.

So, now's your chance. The bag is roomy, definitely a good size for a diaper bag or all purpose tote. And, the listing also includes the cute zippered pouch.

Now I'm officially out of this fabric again and don't plan to order more.

Excuse Me

But how is this bag I listed yesterday afternoon still available? It's all the things you guys like, neutral, floral, pink and brown, sweet, not funky, matching zippered pouch.

Seriously though, I really like this bag and am surprised it didn't sell right away. It's a nice smaller size without being teeny tiny and I absolutely love the buttons of the flap.

So you tell me, why is it still in my shop?

Take Two

I'm sure you haven't noticed, but owls are everywhere these days. Clothing, home decor, scrapbooking...as Matea would say, "Eva-whey!". So, I've been working on my own owl pattern for a few days.

Here's take one. Don't tell her I said this, but she's too short and fat. She's now enjoying a loving home with Matea.

















Take two is much better. If this blog was cheesier, I'd say, "She's Fowlbulous". I'm not kidding, there are a ton of craft related blogs out there that say cute crap that. But I won't. I'll just say, not only is she adorable in a funky way, she's only $15 with FREE SHIPPING.
































I definitely plan to make a few more this weekend. I've reserved an Etsy showcase spot for this Sunday and I'm hoping to have a few fun new things in my shop.