The Bead Goes On...

Work in progress (and will be for a while)...

2010-02-15T17:29:00.002-05:00

During the cooler months I love to sit on the couch and crochet (there's something strange about crocheting when it's a 100 degrees outside). This is my newest project- a sweater! If I complete it, it will be my largest crochet project finished to date.

Right now I have about a foot of the back panel completed.

♥XOXO♥

2010-02-14T13:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was shopping at Michaels and saw these in the dollar bin...

Then I remembered this post and thought these frames would be perfect! So, right on time, here is my version. I liked the black damask background that came in the frames so I left it. I used the cricut to cut the letters out of a shimmery pink and added jewels to the frames.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Snow in Middle Georgia!

2010-02-12T17:58:00.003-05:00

Something we don't see often... It's still coming down, but it won't stay for long.

Gift Exchange

2009-12-27T15:18:00.003-05:00

Earlier this month I participated in the Gift Exchange over at Craftaholics Anonymous. I lucked out and had Heather over at Small Fry & Co. as my partner. She sent me two huge handmade bags (a teacher can never have enough bags!), a cute chalkboard frame, and a paper bag scrapbook (I've never seen them open like this- I ♥ it!).

The inside of the scrapbook...

Thanks Heather! I appreciate your kindness! And thanks Linda for hosting!

Christmas Crafting A LOT...

2009-12-25T22:54:00.003-05:00

Somehow I was able to complete all of my projects in time for Christmas, I just wasn't able to blog about them until now...

So here are a few pictures of completed projects.

A stuffed giraffe I crochet using the pattern found here...

A personalized plate using these instructions...

And finally, I broke free of my fear and tackled some sewing. I was never really afraid of sewing, more so afraid of the inability to "get it right" the first time. This is one of the FOUR scarves I made, in addition to a couple sets of coasters (that I did not get pictures of).

Vintage Style Star Ornament Tutorial

2009-12-25T22:30:00.005-05:00

First, cut your star shape and a circle slightly smaller.

Accordian fold crepe paper (I used streamers) about half an inch thick. Place a good bit of glue in the center of the circle (and some more around the edges).

Stretch the crepe paper around the circle and glue two end pieces together.

Glue your embellished star on top. Dry and add a ribbon to the back for hanging.

Now you have very pretty glittery ornaments to adorn your tree with or give away on goody bags!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T21:49:00.003-05:00

Some of the things I am thankful for (although this list is certainly not exclusive, rather a small tribute)...

My family...

Including my Fur Family...

Friends...

Education...

An opportunity to travel and surround myself with the wonders of such a grand world...

In these uncertain times I certainly have a lot to be thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Winner!

2009-11-08T15:31:00.004-05:00

If you haven't found this blog already you need to go check it out! I love her felt food and she has some really neat repurposing ideas! I am so excited to have won cupkateer's giveaway for this felt pizza. I really want to play around with making some felt food of my own- maybe this is just the inspiration I needed!

A day late...

2009-11-01T12:30:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I've been meaning to post this for quite some time but it just never made it here until now...

I have been in total banner mode. Here is my latest...

Sammye Jo has a great tutorial for these paper flowers here.

Hope you all had a Spooktacular Halloween!

Halloween Swap

2009-10-31T12:36:00.006-04:00

Today was the last day of the 13 days of Halloween Swap that I participated in. Harley from Koala Fuzz was my partner (and what a wonderful partner she was!). I really enjoyed opening a new surprise each day and the gifts I received were amazing! I hope she liked hers as much as I love mine! Here are a few pictures of my Halloween goodies...

Can you believe she made this?!

And these. I ♥ these! Love, Love, Love the colors!

All of my goodies!

Thanks Harley for making my first swap so wonderful! I'll definitely have to do another swap soon!

Catching up...

2009-10-31T12:24:00.004-04:00

I made it though my surgery ok. Actually the doctor found that I didn't even need the other half of the procedure and I was able to be discharged later that night. The worst part about it was that I had to lay flat for several hours (see picture).

My mom made me a special quilt for the occasion. This is her first completed quilt (made from cute vintage inspired prints from Moda: pampered pooch).

Updates/ Halloween Swap Preview

2009-10-03T14:16:00.003-04:00

Please excuse my lack of posting lately (I promise to be better). I have been extremely busy lately- I can't believe it is already October! In addition to my normal business (work, grad school, writing/grading papers, and very little craft time) I have recently been faced with a new set of challenges, but first a little Halloween Swap preview...

Tiger is quite the model isn't he? :)

On a more serious note...

A little over 3 weeks ago I became dizzy, lost consciousness, and blacked out. I visited my doctor and had a range of tests ordered, one of them being to wear a 24 hour holter (heart) monitor. I fully expected everything to come back normal since I don't experience any sudden change in heartbeats- this wasn't the case. The report showed that I had an episode of 17 beats of Ventricular Tachycardia (a rhythm that can result in sudden death). I was referred to an EP Cardiologist who confirmed the rhythm. Because of my fainting and the potential of sudden death, this is an issue that must be addressed; so in 2 weeks I will go into the hospital for a surgical procedure called VT Ablation. During this procedure the doctor will insert a catheter into a vein in my leg and up to my heart. Once there he will attempt to irritate my heart to recreate and find the problem area. Once the problem is located it will be burned. If all goes well I should go home the next day.

Homemade Applesauce

2009-09-26T20:14:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Johnny Appleseed day, so to celebrate my students and I did all things apple. I am sharing this amazing recipe for applesauce. It is super easy (aside from cutting the apples)- just dump it all in a crock pot! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
12 large Granny Smith Apples (about 5 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Peel, core, and cut apples into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Toss with apple juice, sugar, and cinnamon. Put into a 5-quart slow cooker. Add butter. Cook on high for 4 hours. Stir until desired consistency. Makes 8 cups.

Just a little teasing...

2009-08-22T20:15:00.003-04:00

I can't tell you how excited about the 13 days of Halloween Swap! My swap partner is Harley over at Koala Fuzz; she is hosting the swap and I am thrilled to have her as a partner. Go check out her blog- she has lots of cute ideas!

I wanted to share a few of the goodies I have rounded up... So here's just a little taste of what may be...

13 Days of Halloween

2009-08-16T12:44:00.002-04:00

I am so excited to be participating in my first swap; a 13 days of Halloween swap hosted by Koala Fuzz!

Banner Tutorial

2009-08-02T12:23:00.009-04:00

Not much beadwork going on here lately; instead I have been doing lots of paper crafting. I finally got around to completing a project that has been an idea of mine for quite sometime. I decided it would be a good project for my first tutorial, so here it is:

You will need:
Cardboard (cereal boxes work well)
8X8 paper in colors of your choice
paper in a contrasting color
hole punch (I used the crop-a-dial)
scissors or paper cutter
ruler
glue
ribbon
A Cricket is helpful

1. Mark the center along the edge of your 8X8 paper.

2. Using the ruler, make a line from the center to the opposite outside corner on both sides, forming a triangle. Continue to do this for all papers needed (I used 18 pages, two per triangle, to create a 9 letter banner). Cut out triangles.

3. It is easiest if you use one of the paper triangles as a template to cut out the cardboard. Cut out one cardboard triangle for each letter in your banner.

4. Use the glue to adhere the paper triangles to both sides of the cardboard.

5. Decide where you want to punch holes (I punched at 3/4 of an inch from the top and 2 inches in on both sides). You will need 2 holes in each triangle.

6. Thread the ribbon through the holes in an "over-under" fashion.

7. Use your contrasting paper to cut letters (I used the Jasmine Cartridge on the Cricket at 4 1/2 inch font size).

8. Adhere letters to the triangles.
I cut out the word CELEBRATE for one side of the banner and CONGRATS! for the other side, allowing me to have 2 uses for the same banner. ;)

9. Tie of ends of ribbon (I made loops to make it easy to hang) and you are finished!

I hope I explained everything well. I would love some feedback on this tutorial, since it is my first. ;)

Crafty Cat

2009-07-26T23:01:00.003-04:00

Anytime I want to do any crafting this is what I have to deal with...

Tiger is my lap cat. He is such a lover. It is really hard to get anything done when he is in the room so I trained him to sit in the chair with me inside this bag (so I can move him when needed). Most of the time he is content there but sometimes he insists on being between me and whatever I am working on. I really can't complain because he is 12 years old and I know the time I have with him is limited. :( So I will enjoy every minute of it!

Why I have been MIA...

2009-06-19T23:47:00.003-04:00

Ok, so next week summer is officially over (for me at least) and I return to work. I am going to miss having time off but I am looking forward to 20 new faces. This has probably been one of the best summers I can remember. I went everywhere! Here are a few pics of my beginning summer adventure... A Caribbean cruise to Hati, Jamacia, Cayman Islands, and Mexico!

Giveaway Winner

2009-06-01T11:57:00.002-04:00

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments. I have had so much fun during the sew, mama, sew giveaway! I am very happy with the success of my first giveaway. Thanks for all of your support! Now for the winner...

Drum roll please...

Selected using the random number generator...

The lucky winner is... NUMBER 6, Hootie.

Congratulations Hootie! I will be e-mailing you this afternoon to get your shipping information.

May Giveaway!!!

2009-05-25T22:00:00.009-04:00

Just a heads up... I am going to be participating in the Sew, Mama, Sew! Blog giveaway day. I thought it would be a great way to get my feet wet with my FIRST GIVEAWAY! I am so excited!

Here are the details:

I will leave the giveaway open until 5:00 pm EST May 31st. Check back after five to see if you are the winner (I will need your email to contact you)!

You can enter once by posting a comment about my blog or any of the items I have created.

You can enter a second time by becoming a follower of my blog.

You can enter a third time by posting about my giveaway on your blog (please leave me another comment linking back to your blog if you do this).

The winner will be selected randomly.

Since this is my very first giveaway I will not ship internationally (so sorry, maybe next time).

Now for the Prize!

I will be giving away one of my glittery chipboard albums. I have a special one in the works, pictures to come shortly. Please look at the previous post to see some examples.

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for all of your comments.

Scrappy Weekend!

2009-05-25T20:01:00.007-04:00

I had a great time scrappin' this weekend here with a great group of girls! Check out some of the great things I made! I am very excited about how these scrappy things turned out!

A round chipboard book...

A chipboard purse with some glittery paper...

A scrappy journal...

An Amy Butler mini-scrapbook... yum!

This is my recipe card for the recipe swap next month, it just needs a brad on the tag. ;)

A grunge urban journal...

I made some other things but they are gifts and I cannot post pictures yet! ;)

Backed Up on Blogging

2009-05-17T18:50:00.005-04:00

May has proven to be a very busy month! As I am writing this I am wondering where the month has gone... Perhaps I did not notice the month of May arriving with the nervousness of standardized testing, end of the year evaluations, research, completing graduate courses for the semester, celebration of my brother's graduation, and the excitement of the nearing of the end of the school year. Whatever the reasons, I have failed to be an active blogger lately.

The following pictures are an attempt to highlight some of the recent events.

My brother's graduation from Macon State College with his Associate's Degree.

We couldn't be more proud of him!

My mom and I have just recently found a wonderful group of women that get together to scrap the first Saturday of every month. If you live in Georgia, you should check them out: HOGS (Heart of Georgia Scrappers).

Here is a picture of my mom and I in action (don't tell but I actually worked on jewelry instead of scrapping). :)

We have elected to participate in a recipe swap they have each month. This month the theme was peaches. My recipe came from this amazing site!

Check out the peaches on my tags! I made the tags using Creative Memories Tag Punch. For the peaches, I printed a photo of of Microsoft Word to use as a template. Stuck it all down and secured it with a brad. Not too bad for a spare time scrapper. :)

New Jewelry

2009-04-10T21:31:00.004-04:00

Some pictures of my new pieces from last weekend...

Turquoise and pearl leaf pendant.

Swarovski crystal bracelet. I may keep this one.

Multi-strand tangled glass necklace.

Against the Wind...

2009-04-08T20:39:00.008-04:00

On Saturday I was able to attend an all day scrapbook, where I of course did a very logical thing- made jewelry. :) Although I do scrapbook some, I was in desprate need of some beading time... I was waiting on better weather to take pictures of my weekend creations and I hope to get some pics up soon.

In the meantime, I am off of work this week for spring break (woo hoo)! Went to Charleston, SC for a quick 3-day trip.

Spent a windy day down at the Battery.

And a slightly warmer day at the Magnolia Gardens.

And of course visited several bead and scrapbooking shops. :)

Introduction

2009-03-24T21:22:00.004-04:00

I just joined the Ultimate Blog Party 2009 hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms. I am excited about the opportunity to find some new bloggy friends since I am relatively new to the bloggy world (even though I am not a mom).

I guess a brief introduction is in order...

I am a daughter to two, a sister to one brother and two fur brothers (Tiger and Tupper), a teacher to 19 wonderful second graders, a graduate student, and a close friend to some.
I love all things crafty: beads and making jewelry, yarn and crocheting, scrapbooking, photography, sewing (although I am a beginner), and anything else I can get my hands on.
I love cats, chocolate, Mexican food, sweet tea, cool weather, traveling, sleeping in late on the weekends, reading, and spending time with loved ones.

Let the party begin!

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-22T21:05:00.004-04:00

My nose is burning and my throat is itchy and everything outside is covered in a yellow blanket, so that means one thing- spring is here!

To celebrate I did what every woman does... went shopping!

Check out some of my new yummy goodies. Olive and Jade beads. And some beautiful Robin's Egg Blue Fabric which is going to (hopefully) be a beautiful spring dress. I love this fabric!

Happy Spring!

Rainy Weekend

2009-03-16T06:39:00.003-04:00

It has rained all weekend and cloudy skies make poor lighting for pictures. I worked on repairing jewelry and filling requests yesterday. I thought I'd post pictures of some jewelry that previously made (since it was cloudy and my camera is sick). Enjoy.

This is one of my lovely tree pendants. I saw an idea similar to this in a magazine several years back and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately there is not a big appreciation for wire work in this area and I have subsequently quit creating these miniature delights. This one was made using copper wire and rose quartz chips with peridot seed beads.

Just a pair of black chandelier earrings...

ADD

2009-03-08T22:31:00.003-04:00

I ended up spending the weekend with a major case of cleaning ADD. I bounced around from room to room cleaning out the freezer, pantry, bedroom and beginning to organize the craft room. I even sorted through many of my undergraduate papers and was able to trash most of them.

On a side note, my camera is sick. It is draining the batteries while being used and when not in use. I am very sad and I am afraid that it is going to have to be replaced.

Snow Day Beadwork

2009-03-01T20:33:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the goodies that I made this weekend for the spring fling. What a great weekend to stay inside (with the wacky weather and all).

I'm calling these Japanese Lantern Earrings.

These are my favorite; hand-blown spiral glass teardrop earrings.
This is a cute chunky bead set in a beautiful spring green color.

Here's a close up of it.

This is a little girl's sweetheart bracelet.

This is also a girls bracelet. I'm calling it girls just wanna have fun.

I hope to have some time during the week to make more fun things for the spring fling. Since it did not snow enough, I have to go to work tomorrow. :( Have a great week!

Wacky Weather

2009-03-01T12:33:00.004-05:00

There's one thing you can always say about living in Georgia- the weather is unpredictable. Take this week for example- Thursday and Friday had temperatures in the mid 70s, Saturday was thunderstorms with tornadic weather, and today... SNOW! The high today is 39! Since snow is a scarcity around here, I snuck outside to the back yard to snap a few pictures. You can see from the pictures that it's not "real" snow, but instead more of a rainy/sleety mix, but nonetheless, it's snow in middle Georgia. ;)

Queen of the Couch

2009-02-28T23:02:00.002-05:00

I deemed myself "Queen of the Couch" for the weekend, after a somewhat stressful week. After spending most of the morning surfing the internet, I decided to spend the rest of the day beading.

The pictures below show the true purpose of the kitchen table, and my two beading buddies! :)

Halfway There Day

2009-02-25T22:07:00.002-05:00

Since last week was winter break, it has been a long beginning to the week. I am in desperate need of some quality craft time... I have a couple of projects in mind but more than likely it will have to wait until the weekend.

Spring Fling is next Friday and I have decided to purchase a table and sell my jewelry. Two good friends of mine (Amanda and Laura) are going to set up and sell things with me. Guess I have my work cut out for me this weekend. I'll be sure to post pictures!

Baby Gifts

2009-02-21T09:56:00.004-05:00

Since today is Laura's baby shower I can finally share what I've been working on without spoiling the surprise (I doubt she'll have time to read this today)! :)

I cut my own appliques from a matching flannel and stiched them on. Then I went back over the edges using a zig zag stitch.

What a wonderful personalized gift for baby Emma Rose!

Incase you could not figure out what the picture below was, here it is! A pair of watermelon pink booties with pink ribbon. You can find the pattern I used at
http://www.crochetnmore.com/babybooties.htm

Crocheting...

2009-02-19T22:34:00.002-05:00

So here's what I've been up to the last couple of days...

The first is a surprise for a friend of mine. Can you guess what it is?

The second picture is a mitten that I am working on for myself. This is the second mitten that I crocheted. The first was large enough for a giant. I started over using a child's pattern and it fits well. Now I just have one more to make...

New Hair!

2009-02-17T22:07:00.003-05:00

Every few months or so I feel the need to change my hair; I guess I just get tired of it. So today I saw Whitney and she worked her magic and dyed my hair a lovely deep wine color and gave me a rough, thin cut. It is very different from anything else I have had...

I will post pictures soon!

Birthday Brunch

2009-02-16T12:16:00.005-05:00

In a fit of frustration on Saturday, I called Melissa and confessed that I misplaced her address and needed it to mail her birthday card. To my surprise I learned that she was just getting to her mom's in Georgia. We made plans to get together over the short weekend that she was here. So at a not-so-early hour this morning I met her in Macon for brunch at one of my favorite down town places: Market City Cafe. They make the BEST breakfast sundae (yogart, fresh fruit, and home made granola); we both had one and shared an order of french toast... So yummy!!!

Happy Birthday Melissa! I am so glad we were able to spend some time together.

Blogging

2009-02-15T17:33:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the things I made yesterday... (sorry about the pictures- it started getting dark when I was taking them).

A close up...

Double strand blue cloisonne necklace

Turquoise and black chunky necklace

This is my "Laura Necklace," it's very long and meant to be doubled over and worn. I named it my Laura Necklace because she was my inspiration for this one (she always wears ones like this).

Simple, yet elegant.

So this week is winter break and I have the week off from work. Originally I was supposed to be somewhere up north skiing, I will get there one day, but instead I ended up buying a new car. A week at home is needed from time to time as well. In the weeks leading up to this break I began to think and write a to do list of all the things I would like to accomplish... Today was the second day of my 9 days off and how many of those things have I accomplished??? Yes- none. I have a paper to write, a survey to create, and a research application to complete by Tuesday. What can I say, I work better under pressure.

Instead, I have spent much of the afternoon web surfing. I spent some time on esty and really have developed an appreciation for those crafters. I wish I had the time to create so many things instead of starting about 30 and never finishing them. I shouldn't say never, eventually I do go back and finish most of them. Maybe I will be motivated to finish somethings now...

Valentine's

2009-02-14T09:17:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day. Even though I don't have a sweetheart I have lots of people who love me!

A special thank you to my 18 sweethearts!

Searching for Research

2009-02-04T22:03:00.003-05:00

So...
2009 is full speed ahead and what a busy start! I started back to grad school the second week in January. I am one semester away from graduation (this summer). That being said, I am currently taking a research class where I have to develop a topic, submit a proposal to the International Review Board, implement the research, and synthesize the results. Blah!!!

Work is also equally as hectic. Here's a glimpse of all the bodies in my classroom: Me (general education teacher), Special ed teacher, two student teachers, sometimes a para-pro, sometimes an autism specialist, and sometimes a parent volunteer. Most days I feel like I am a belhop standing infront of a revolving door at a hotel. It is amazing to me that I get any teaching done with the constant interruptions.

Inspired

2009-01-20T00:03:00.004-05:00

Hello and welcome to my new blogspot! After hours of searching through random blogs I have become inspired to create a blog of my own. However, maintaining it will prove to be a challenge (but I will do my best). I hope to use this space to showcase some of my work, share my thoughts on random subjects, and post ideas. Thanks to all of you crafters who have inspired me to create a space where I can share my projects (photos to come soon)!