I’m Here (sort of)

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to pop in and let you know what’s going on in my little world…pretty much the entire month of September has been spent battling pain.  Off and on, totally sudden attacks of pain.  Finally (I’m stubborn), I went to the doctor last Tuesday, on Thursday I was diagnosed (gall stones) and on Friday morning I was in surgery to remove my gall bladder.  It was all very quick, which I am thankful for!  Unfortunately, I developed an infection, and was unable to eat anything,  and went back at the doctor Tuesday.  Finally the infection is gone, the soreness in my throat is easing away, and slowly, I am beginning to eat again.  They told me this surgery was a simple one and that recovery would be quick and easy.  Poo on them!  I never want to have surgery again!  I can’t imagine the people that go in for plastic surgery over and over again…no way baby!  Anyway, I’m hoping that by next week, I’ll be feeling somewhat normal again, and I’ll be able to share the fun projects I had done.   This has been the first day I’ve even been to the computer since last Thursday!  I miss crafting, I miss blogging, and I miss you all!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and have a great weekend.  Thanks for being patient!!

love ya!

Kelli

Hi!

Hey everyone!!!  Just wanted to let you know that  I have lots of projects to share, but unfortunately, my husband took the camera for his fishing trip, so I am unable to download any pictures.  Sorry! I know it’s been boring around here, but in a few days, I’ll be able to share the fun with you.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you’re all having a great weekend.

~Kelli

Wood Candy Corn

I first saw these on Etsy, (cute ones here) and knew I had to make some for myself…they are so cute…and, while I don’t celebrate halloween, I do absolutely LOVE Autumn.  I know, I know, it’s only September 3rd, but I can’t wait for all the warm Autumn colors and the yummy foods.  The weather here is starting to cool and I’m definitely ready for some football…so here we are:

I figured it I was making one set, I might as well make four.   The itty bitty set is only 3 1/4” at it’s highest point.  I made that for my good friend (also my hair stylist), hoping it’d be small enough to fit at her hair (or nail) station, without taking up too much valuable space.  I really love the pop of color in my house!  And, I totally acknowledge that the shapes aren’t the same…I was having blade issues on the scroll saw, and finally gave up.  Enough fighting that darn thing already!  So, they are each ‘unique’…but that’s ok with me!  They make me smile.

Thanks for stopping by!  I love, love, love to get comments…please let me know you were here.

I’m linking up:

While He Was Napping

 

My Repurposed Life

PURSE GIFT CARD HOLDER

I saw these adorable gift card holders last night on SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS and fell in love!  I’ll admit right here and now, I am NOT a stamper.  What they create is beyond amazing!  It boggles my mind how they can do so much with stamps!  I, on the other hand, can barely get a stamp to work without leaving ink marks all over the place (as evidenced by one of my cards, I had to ‘embellish’ a bit to camouflage the unwanted ink marks!). So, I guess  I’m stamp-impared!  To make mine, I did the next best thing (for me anyway) and used printed paper.  The only thing I stamped was the “To/From” part, and honestly, if I had thought ahead, I would have printed that out on the computer before I cut the paper!  Anyway, mine are not in the same league as the ones at Splitcoast, but I am still really happy (really, really happy) with how they turned out.  I’m going to make a bunch more to sell at the craft show in December…I hope everyone else likes them as much as I do!  And, they were super easy to make (super easy my way, that is!).

I’m linking up to some fun parties, go on over and get inspired!

MY REPURPOSED LIFE

WHILE HE WAS NAPPING

HOUSE OF HEPWORTHS

Thanks for stopping by!  Please leave a comment and let me know you were here!

p.s.  There a about  million tutorials out there for making these, but some are complicated.  If you want my super easy directions, just contact me and I’ll put them on here!

I WON!!

I can’t believe I won!  Jamie, over at OWL REALLY had a giveaway recently…and I actually won!  I received my 250 stickers today.  They are so gorgeous!! I love them.  I am planning on using them to mark my crafts at the Christmas Bazaar this year.

(sorry for the poopy picture, but this was as close as I could get with my poopy camera…someday how I wish for a  great big camera with a great big lens…someday…)

UPRINTING.com was so easy to work with and they printed and shipped my stickers really quickly.  It was awesome.  Thank you Jamie!  If you haven’t visited her blog, hop on over.  She is so sweet and genuine, and is a very happy newlywed.  The wedding pictures are amazing…they took me to another time and place.  It was all so romantic and sweet.  Anyway, she is amazing!  Go check out her blog!

On another note, I’m sorry for the lack of posts.  August has been full of dentist visits and it wiped me out (not to mention the heat).  I’ve been working on some things, but haven’t had a chance to put it all together yet.  But, I’m working on it ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Dresser Makeover

So, my house is 1800 square feet.  And, we have seven people and two dogs.  We outgrew this house about 7 years ago, but because of the market and some not so wise decisions, we will be staying here, for better or worse.  Space is always an issue now.  I am constantly rearranging, trying to find a ‘better way’ to store things.  My kitchen is probably the most difficult room, because we have growing kids and seem to be buying more and more food.  I have been wanting a hutch for.ev.er. (and a day).  But, sadly the budget doesn’t allow for it right now (and honestly, space is an issue…I had 50” to work with, and found a BEAUTIFUL hutch right around the corner at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago, but when I measured it…heart break…it was 54”, and even worse, it was only $50…that is just not right!  I find exactly what I want, in my budget, but  it doesn’t fit?  Not right I tell you!).  Anyway, I found this dresser on Craigslist for $30, and thought it might work.  They measured it for me and it was perfect!  So I ran right over, and even ended up getting it for $25 (yay!). 

The door looks crooked because it is just propped up there, I had already removed the door and drawers and started sanding, when I realized I forgot to take a ‘before’ picture… oops!  So, I put it back together for the picture

I sanded it, primed it white, then painted it Heirloom White.  I didn’t understand everyone’s infatuation with this particular color.  UNTIL I painted my dresser.  Oh my goodness.  It was love at first sight.  The primer was white, and it looked nice, but the Heirloom was so warm and lovely.  I love it!  I decided to paint the top black (or, Oil Rubbed Bronze), because I had bought new black knobs, and I hoped it would look pretty together (plus, a white surface with 5 kids is not a good match around here!).  This was my first attempt at adding a stain wash type of finish, and while it’s not exactly what I had in mind, I actually am learning to love it.  Next year, I am going to repaint my kitchen (including cabinets), and this is what I had in mind.  I didn’t put a poly finish on it, because I figured if the kitchen cabinets don’t match this finish, I can always change this (much easier than trying to change all my cabinets).

I cannot believe how much room we have for storing food and goodies!  The middle drawer is still empty, and the top drawer is pretty much empty.  And the cabinet?  Well, the 16 quarts of spicy green beans and an extra half rack of Diet Coke are stored there!  Yay for storage! And yay for hidden storage!  This (I think I’ll call her ‘Lovely’ from now on) replaced a baker’s rack that I got about 7 years ago.  It worked well, but didn’t have enough storage and everything was out in the open…I hated seeing it all! I still have lots of other plans…like painting the monstrosity of a freezer that lives next to the beautiful new sideboard (can I call it that now, instead of a ‘dresser’?  I hope so, it sounds much more sophisticated!). I’ve been begging the hubby for years to get rid of that freezer, but it is a necessity…unfortunately…it’s just so U.G.L.Y.  Really ugly. Especially now, sitting next to “Lovely”.  Oh how I wish we had a garage!!!

Well, that is one project down, about a million more to go!  Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave a comment and let me know you were here!

Birthdays!

Nikolai’s birthday was Monday, and he turned 13. Wow.  I can’t believe I have two teenage boys in the house (yes, we go through a lot of food!).  Nikolai is the jokester…he’s always teasing and laughing and making funny sounds and using funny voices and making funny faces, to try and get a laugh.  He is very sweet and kind with ‘the littles’ (which is what I call the youngest 3 kids).  For his birthday all he wanted an airsoft gun, so when he got to hold it, he was beside himself.  The pictures tell the story!

(ohhhhhhhhhhh!)

(wicked laugh)

ummm???

Chocolate Chip Mint Mud Pie for his birthday cake!

Yes, there is a piece missing in this picture. He actually had a piece on his birthday, but because the freezer had been unplugged (I didn’t know), the cake never set up, so we couldn’t put the candles in…but I let him have a piece, melted ice cream and all.  So Tuesday we sang and had the cake.  Nikolai adds a lot of fun and laughter to our family.  He is such a blessing!  Happy 13th Nik!!!

Sasha turned 7 on Tuesday the 26th.  He wanted about a million different toys for his birthday, and back in March Walmart had a HUGE clearance, so I picked up quite a few toys then.  Of course, I had to get a few of the ones he actually asked for as well…He also asked for chocoloate cake (a boy after my own heart!).  Sasha is quiet and shy and loves to play with Legos and Video Games.  He is a total momma’s boy, and I love it!  However, he is now starting to be aware of what others think of this, and he will only love on me when no one is around (he doesn’t want to be teased).  But, he still whispers “I love you” in my ear!

His ‘new’ Game Boy (from Dima)

Checking out the cake Dima made him.

so cute!

Sasha has such a special place in my heart.  I cannot explain it, not even to myself.  I love all of my kids like a crazy woman, but this one is different somehow, like I am more protective and aware of him than anyone else.  It sounds strange, I know.  But, there’s just something about him…I tell myself it’s because he’s the only one of the 5 who has my genes (the rest have a very strong ‘Russian’ look)…Sasha actually looks a lot like my dad did when he was young, and he has the sweetest sprinkle of freckles across his nose!  Just for the record, his formal name is “Aleksandr”, but since before he was born, he was “Sasha” to me.  He only hears his formal name when he’s in trouble, and then he knows it’s bad! 

Well, this is two of the crazy days from this past week.  Crazy.  Fun. Wonderful.

Thanks for stopping by!

ONE CRAZY WEEK!!!

HI Everyone!  Well, it truly has been ‘one crazy week’ around here!  In the past week we have: had 3 orthodontist visits, canned 36 quarts of pickled green beans, given a dresser a makeover, had two birthdays in the family, one doctor’s appointment, 2 Vision therapy appointments, went bowling, and (barely) survived my 3 year old cutting her own hair (again).  Wow.  It’s been hectic and crazy.   I feel bad that I didn’t post my boys’ birthdays, but with them 2 days in a row, I was too busy enjoying the days to worry about posting (that will come tomorrow).  I was also so excited about my dresser makeover, but didn’t have time to post that either (tomorrow I will though).

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to come back tomorrow…there will be pictures at some point, I promise!

Have a good night.

A New Addition (and a sign to go with!)

About a month ago, we added a new girl to our family.  Meet Ali:

This was about an hour after we got her home…she made herself comfy on the couch.  She is so sweet, we are all absolutely in love with her, and best of all, she loves Lucy!  It is hilarious to watch them play together.  She immediately attached herself to my son:

Seriously attached.  She follows him around everywhere.  She cries when he leaves.  For like hours (no exaggerating!).  So now she is his new fishing/camping buddy.  She loves the boat and gets to go every time they go fishing.  Thankfully (for me and my sanity) she loves the boat! One big adjustment with a  Beagle (that we didn’t have to worry about with Lucy) is her bark…she’s loud…and there’s more than one bark…there’s her cry (mostly for Dima) and her howl, and her bark.  She is LOUD.  And, did I mention my husband works graveyard…and that she’s LOUD…so we’ve had to adjust a bit to keep an eye on her and what she’s keeping an eye on (her favorite spot is the couch by the window, so she can watch everything). This brings  me to the necessity of my next project:

We had been having A LOT of ‘visitors’ lately, and Ali, doing her job, barks each and every time one of them knocks on the door.  For a couple of days, we were frantically trying to shush her while the ‘visitor’s came to the door, but it got pretty stressful pretty quickly, so, I  grabbed some wood from the stash and repurposed it into this sign.  To make it, I base coated it Oil Rubbed Bronze, then added the vinyl (just the ‘soliciting’ and ‘religious’),  then painted it red.  Once dry, I added the two “NO” words and the ‘queries’  in vinyl , and then painted the whole thing white. Once it was almost dry, I removed all the vinyl.  Once completely dry, I sanded it and added some stain to make it look old (it faces the afternoon sun outside and will get all the rain, wind, etc., so I figured if it started out looking beat up, I wouldn’t be sad when it ended up looking that way).  The next day I added a layer of clear top coat, and added the wires to hang it, and here we are.  And, to my relief, we have not had a single visitor since I put it up (and no struggles with Ali barking!).  Yay!

One more cute picture of Ali (with her new toy Alligator):

Thanks for stopping by. 

Water Balloon Flip Flops

HI!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  We relaxed, ate, watched fireworks, comforted the dogs, and had fun! 

While visiting Someday Crafts a few days ago, I saw this project by guest blogger Kelly from Running with Glitter  and knew I had to try it.  It looked so easy, and so very cute.  So, today while I was at Target I picked up 2 packages of water balloons, knowing that if I gave the kids a whole package,  I’d probably have enough quiet time to finish this off.  So here is my version:

 

and here is how it started:

Water balloons, flip flops, string, (Diet Coke and Hot Tamale flavored Cotton Candy weren’t needed for this project, but made me oh-so-happy!).

  I tied 4 water balloons together with string, then used the ‘tails’ of the string to tie them onto the flip flops.  I then tied one water balloon around the bundle, to cover the string.  I tried it Kelly’s way, but kept breaking the balloons, so I had to improvise! I think I ended up using 4 bundles on each side of each flip flop.  Because my little choo-cha has Fred Flintstone feet, I didn’t go all the way down the straps.  As it is, they are now a bit snug for her to get on (I bought her 2 pairs, and the other pair goes on fine, so I’m glad I quit when I did!).  They are so cute, she calls them her “party shoes”.  And, like Kelly did, I wanted to make a coordinating hair accessory, but since I didn’t have a barrette, I used a rubber band (ok, not a rubber band like you have around your newspaper,but I’m having a brain fart and cannot remember the name of it!  It’s a little covered one…can anyone help here???) and tied 8 water balloons around one side.  That way, I can still put it in her hair easily.

 

I think I might just make myself a pair of those flip flops! And, what I really love is that all the fun colors make them match just about anything in her wardrobe!

Thanks for stopping by!

I’m linking up to some fun parties, go check it out:

  House of Hepworth’s

 

My Repurposed Life

A Little Randomness…

First, for my ramblings, I submit to you a blog that has had me in tears so many times over the past month:  CAKE WRECKS.  It’s always a great pick-me-up, if I’m in a grouchy mood (who me?).  You HAVE to check it out, well, you have to, only if you have a sense of humor, because that is definitely required.  I must admit, I’m a total spaz (but I’ve already owned up to that one), because the first time I visited Cake Wrecks, I thought they were home made cakes…and I was a bit, ummm, confused as to why they were making fun of some of them, because they were better than what I could do.  (While, admittedly, some of them were truly awful).  Then, I noticed the little line under the blog name, where it tells you they were professionally made cakes (and also, in all honesty, seeing price tags on the cakes was a bit of a clue…blonde?  sometimes!).  So, please, do yourself a favor, and go check it out…but I warn you, you can spend hours there, asking yourself “why?”.  Really, like “why would a professional cake decorator try to sell that?”.  Yeah, there are some serious wrecks…but it’s fun!

ok, for another, totally off (craft) topic random tidbit…do you watch Deadliest Catch?  Yeah, you know you love it!  Well, I’ve been addicted since day one (and have the tiniest little,itty,bitty crush on Edgar)…anyway, now I’m smiling and sighing…he can totally distract me, and don’t worry, the hubs knows about it, he too, just smiles and sighs (although not for the same reason, I’m sure).  OK, off track again (you see why this is titled ‘Randomness’?), anyway…..Last Saturday Captain Keith (from the Wizard) was actually here.  Not here, in my house, (although I thought it’d be nice to have him over for dinner),  but here in my town!  I live in a somewhat small and out of the way area, and not very many celebs come here (yes, he IS a celeb, at least to Deadliest Catch Fans), and my son and I went to meet him.  Sadly, we waited in line over two hours, and by the end of hour 1, he had to leave to catch his flight.  We didn’t get individual pictures taken with him, but we got in a ‘group’ one, right before he left, and he even came up to Dima and I and apologized (yes, it was really meant just for us, even though there was about 100 other people there, it was personal, he really was sorry that Dima and I didn’t get to sit and chat with him…he said so!).

(that’s him in the middle with the khaki shorts and hat, me to the left a mile).

But, his brother Monty (or Mouse, if you watch the show), stayed behind to sign autographs, for another hour and a half.  And, of course, they ran out of signed pictures, THREE people ahead of us, and of course, my camera battery died as I handed it to the agent to take our picture…seriously? I couldn’t believe it. We were there for all that time and the camera dies?  UGGHHH.  Well, at least it wasn’t Edgar I was waiting to see (because if it was, I would’ve been in line for three days, and made sure I had charged the battery and brought something for him to sign, and worn makeup, and dressed nicer, and , and , and…).  Yeah, small crush.  Thankfully my son had his IPOD Touch, and we got a picture with that.

They were both super nice and friendly and down to earth…both apologizing profusely for the lack of time and that they just hadn’t expected the large turnout.  It was fun, and Dima and I are both looking forward to the next visit by a captain and his brother (Sig, Edgar…please!).  We’ll see, but for now, it was great fun!

Thanks for stopping by!  Do you have any Deadliest Catch crushes stories to share?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  Oh yeah, and when you’ve visited CAKE WRECKS and you’ve stopped crying and can form coherent words, leave me a comment and let me know your favorite WRECK!

2 x 2 FLAG AND MORE FIREWORKS!

I finally finished my 2 x 2 flag, and wanted to make it a little bit different from everyone else’s, so I added the phrase at the bottom, to match a phrase on my (new) wood fireworks.  If you remember, my first wood firework set left me wanting something more…I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew they needed something…well, this is what I came up with, and I  LOVE it!!

I was really just playing around when I tried the phrase on the firework. First, I painted them all white, then I added scrapbook stickers to say “because of the Brave”, then I painted it blue.  Once it was a bit dry I removed the stickers, and my phrase was there!  I was shocked, to be honest, because I really had no idea what I was doing.  To finish them, I distressed and stained them.  I love how old and rustic they turned out.  Then, when I thought about my flag, I really wanted the first part to the sentiment “land of the free”, but again, wasn’t sure how to go about it.  This time, I wanted it to be a bit more obscure, and barely noticeable.  Well, it didn’t turn out quite as obscure as I wanted, but I still like it.  I simply added the stickers before I painted it white, then removed the stickers, distressed and stained, just like before.  Even though my dad never served during a war (thank you Lord), he was a Marine, and I have always been proud of that.  I am so thankful for all the men and women who serve our country, and for their families who shoulder the sacrifice daily.    This set keeps their commitment and sacrifice close to my heart every time I see it.

I love your comments, and look forward to each one.  Please let me know you were here, and if you want, leave a link to your blog, so I can visit you in return!

I’m linking up:

 Someday Crafts

 My Repurposed Life

I’VE BEEN FEATURED!

 

Another big “WOO-HOO” today!!@!!!@!!

Allison, over at the amazing HOUSE OF HEPWORTH’S has featured my Knife Block Update, from last week’s  (HOH) party!  She is so crafty, and creative and talented…it’s very flattering to be featured on her blog!  Go check it out here!!! (I’m all smiles today!!)

Thanks Allison!!

Completed “HOME” Set (Finally!)

WOO-HOO!  I finally completed the order for 2 “Home” sets!  I really like how they turned out, and, being as this was my first official ‘order’, I learned a lot.  I’ll warn you there are a lot of pictures…

Cutie Snowman

Valentine’s Heart

Shamrock

Easter Egg

Flower

Sun

4th of July Star (other side is Christmas)

Pumpkin

Christmas Star (other side is 4th of July)

This is one complete set.  There are 8 “o” variations (with countless other possibilities, but I had to stop the madness).    I’m really pleased with how they turned out.  Eventually I’ll even make a set for myself…but right now I’ve got other orders to work on, plus the Christmas Bazaar is fast approaching, and with the uncooperative weather we’ve been having, I have to work double time (before the heat hits!). 

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment and let me know you were here!

I’m joining the party:

SOMEWHAT SIMPLE

HOUSE OF HEPWORTH’S

 @ My Repurposed Life

Go check them out!!