Holy Cow!! It's been a while

Hello Blog land!! It has been a while since I have posted. I have been spending my time working with and talking to people all day and sometimes nights about crafts, so I have kind of been on craft overload so to speak. However I wanted to jump on today because I am feeling that my blogging blues are going away. So, with no further excuses. Here are a few projects that I have recently completed.

Spring Cardi Refashion

I bought one of those cropped white cardigans that were popular a few years ago, and I wanted to spruce it up a bit. I bought the pink ruffles at Michaels in the jewelry section. It was perfect for the job!! The project literally took ten minutes! All I did was tack the ruffles to the top and the bottom of the cardigan, and then on either side of the button holes. Now, the buttons are hidden. I really liked the effect!

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

This next project was something that was quite fun for me!! I was asked to make a cake for my father in laws 50th birthday party. Vegas was the theme, so I wanted to go big! Let me begin by saying that I have never used fondant before, and I don't recall why I was so nervous!! It was really fun!! To make the poker chips I used my little round cookie cutter. I found that it was the perfect size. Then I took white food coloring and painted the chip embellishments to get the effect that I wanted. Once that was done, I put them aside to dry. The cake itself was a red velvet cake with a vanilla mouse filling. I hand painted the Welcome to Vegas sign with food coloring, and I have to say, that I REALLY loved how it turned out. For someone who has little to no artistic skill when it comes to painting I was super happy. (By the way, Michaels offers cake decorating classes that are supper fun! If I can convince my mom we are going to start taking them!! Ok, sorry that was a shameless plug for my work, but the classes really are fun!) My only regret was that I had left my piping bags at home, so the borders on the cake look super sloppy. I was pretty upset at the time over it.

Spring Tote

I made this spring purse for a gal at work to give to her boyfriends little girl. It was a sort of off the cuff project. I really liked the fabric, and the fun nature of the purse. I realized that I need more practice with linings...

Hello Pillows

It is no secret that I love to make pillows, and when the opportunity arose to make three of them for a friend I was ecstatic!! ( Sorry about the picture quality. All I had on me was my phone...)

Well I hope that made up for my lack of posting. I do have one more post that I am nearly finished with. It will by my craft room reveal! I am quite excited about the post.

24 Days of Christmas: Day 3

What a busy day!! I had about a million and one errands to run today, and even more phone calls to make. It was nice to get out of the house after being cooped up since Tuesday Morning. I cashed my first check from Michaels today... I now have enough to pay for gas for the next two weeks. I am 100% thankful that my husband makes enough for me to work only part time. Especially in this economy. I am so much happier where I am right now.

While I was running errands today I stopped at the quilted bear and while perusing the isles I saw a simple cute vinyl saying that would go perfect on a board that I had waiting at home. I bought three of them, and now after this I am going to go back and get 7 more. At $2.75 a saying, they will be a great neighbor gift.

I linked up to the following:

Frou Frou Decor

Boost My Blog Friday

Southern In My Heart

24 Days of Christmas: Day 2

Ever have one of those days where you wake up in the morning, and you just have nothing in you creatively speaking?? Well guess what... That was my day today. I woke up to a phone call of bad news, and it was down hill from there. Yesterday I had all the ambition in the world. It was hard for me to just do one project. I wish now that I would have started on the second.

With all that said, I did want to show you a perfectly cute advent calendar, that I would very much like to make

It is found at Just Something I Made. It's vintage, it's creative, and I have not seen another advent Calendar like it. She took vintage spools and put clues on the paper that wraps around the spools. Each Calendar leads you to a gift that is $1.00 or less. It is such a cute idea!!

Let's hope that tomorrow goes a lot better.

24 Days of Chritsmas: Day One

I made a goal that I would blog about one Christmas decoration a day until Christmas day. So today I am starting with the wreath that I made this morning. I have to say, I kind of love it!

I feel accomplished for day one. The wreath came together really quick, and I am excited to hang it in my home.
Up next for tomorrow, I am making a special type of Advent calender for my Hubby. I can't wait!!

Linking up @:

Tea Rose Home

Some Day Crafts

The Trendy Tree House

First day on the Job

For the past eight years I have been stuck behind a desk working the days away. Subsequently for the past eight years I have felt like there was something else I wanted to do. I started college at 19 and studied information systems. That didn't last. I went to study the culinary arts last year, and a $52,000 that didn't even start. So my desk job was all I had to fall back on. That job, and era of my life is over now. Last Friday was the last day I would sit in a cubicle.
Let me rewind a little though... This past June was a big month for me. It had many very low down in the dumps days, days that I thought I just wanted to walk away from a lot of things. Then one night, I decided that I didn't want to stay at my work anymore, and I needed something else to do. I created DaisyCakes! I had the name rolling around in my head for some time before then, but now I really had an idea of what I wanted DaisyCakes to be. I want to make simple but beautiful items for the home. I also wanted to make simple but delicious treats for the tummy. So far things have been going well. I had a couples of months of planning and trial and error. The month of September I work my fingers off to put together enough items for a craft fair I did in October. I am happy to report that it was a very successful day! Not only did I sell most of the pillows I made, but I had a TON of great feedback on all my items.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. I had been talking to my husband and sharing my feelings about wanting more for myself other than a desk job. I prayed about it, and told him I was going to find another job, one that would make me happy. I went online, and ended up at the Michael's craft store website. They were hiring. I applied, and I got the job! Everyone, ok well most everyone has been really supportive about the move. Even though it's like a 6.oo pay cut, and I am working part time. I could not be happier! My husband has been right there beside me this whole way, and is my biggest support in this decision. He wants me to find myself again, and to take the time I need as a part time employee, and build my DaisyCakes. I totally love him for that!!
Friday was my first night. Half way through my shift, I started to wonder what in the world I had gotten myself into. It was hard!! A lot harder than I had imagined. My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my back hurt, and I felt so lost. I had been in the store about a million times, but every time a customer asked where something was I felt like a fool, and a failure. But, by the end of the night I felt accomplished. I was doing what I wanted. Yesterday was my second shift, and I found that I loved it even more. I had a little more direction, and my feet didn't hurt as much thank you to Dr Schols!
I am so grateful that I can take a step back from a desk and get to experience the wonderful world of retail, so that I can gain further knowledge, and push DaisyCakes out into the world.

I sit here this afternoon, and I wonder to myself, what do I do with my first day off? We are headed out of town for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I think I will make cookies!! Simple enough.

Let's bake!!
(By the way, I am making my full proof chocolate chip cookie recipe, and going a step further, I am dipping them in chocolate!!)

Coasters

Saturday I needed to make a quick run to Home Depot for some molding to make a quick fall project. When we got there, I fully intended on buying only the molding. (BTW this never happens! I am a bad impulse buyer...)

First of all, I just have to say that one of my most favorite smells is the lumber section of Home Depot. If I could bottle that smell, I would! My husband thinks I am crazy! When we arrive, I parked on the opposite side of the store than I needed. This is where I went wrong. When we first walked in we were greeted by the tile department in all it's glorious splendor! I "just wanted to look." Down the isle we went, and I saw these little 4 inch marble cuties. Some were tan, some were taupe, they came in packages of 9. I bought three packages. I looked at my husband and said, Ok now besides these and the molding, I am not buying anything else.

Rushing to the lumber section so that I could not get distracted by further crafting possibilities, I got my one piece of molding, and then headed to the register. I was so proud that I only wavered from my plan a little.

Let me just add this, My husband is very understanding when it comes to my impulse buying. He just tells me that as long as I am happy he does not care. Plus, he knows that I never buy at full price!

When I got home I totally set aside the molding, and got to work making some coasters that I had been eyeing on other blogs for a while now. I wanted a set of my own!

Here they are!

Cherry Blossom Pillow

Can you tell what has been going on in my craft room lately?

PILLOWS! I am swimming in a sea of throw pillows and I love them! Here is a sneak peek at my newest pillow. I made the flowers from felt, and I cut the circles out of light brown, then i cut each petal from both a cream felt, and a crimson felt. Then I glued them together with hot glue, and sewed them to the "tree branch." I really enjoy the simplicity of the pillow. (I realize this is totally out of season, but I just started cutting and this is what came out!)

I linked up to the following parties:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Sew Can Do

Mad in Crafts

C.R.A.F.T.

It's so very Cheri

Skip to my Lou

Until Wednesday Calls