show us your life : crafts

Ok so if you're looking for somewhere to buy cute things - wrong page! Haha. But I do absolutely love making things. I think I like the teaching-myself part more than anything. We are so lucky these days with the internet (Google!) you can find a tutorial for just about anything online. So fun!

Here are some of my favorite things to craft...

{1} PHOTOGRAPHY and PHOTOSHOP

I don't know if photography is exactly a craft, but it does intrigue me. I have a fairly descent camera. Aka: If I work hard enough with the perfect lighting/subjects I can sometimes get a good quality shot. Ha!

[One of those rare SOOC shots of my 2 year old that actually turns out good!]

But really - some day I'd like to learn more about it. Not so much for business purposes, just for fun. And maybe even get an upgraded camera too.

And Photoshop. James put Adobe CS4 on my computer about two years ago (He has a corporate license for it. Convenient.) and although it took me a while to figure it out, I love playing around in it now. Not just photography either - I create my blog layouts and all of our invites, announcements, etc. on there. And I've barely skimmed the surface of PS capabilites. The possiblities are endless. Love it!

{2} SEWING and EMBROIDERY
My mom taught me how to sew when I was younger, and when she asked me if I wanted a sewing machine for my graduation present I'm pretty sure I laughed at her. I thought it'd become a dying art. Until - that is - I had a baby and a house a realized how expensive all that cute boutique stuff and window treatments are!!! So - Thanks Mom :)

But anyway - I really got back in to it last year and even got a sewing/embroidery machine and that has been fun!







And now that I have a little girl on the way - I've also taken up an interest in smocking. My mom even sent me back home with her Pullen pleater after our last trip to Tennessee and I've been working on a little "Coming Home" bishop for our Hadley since then. REALLY greatful to her for that one. Have you priced smocked children's clothing lately? Yikes.

{3} HOME PROJECTS

Whether it be painting a room, refinishing a piece of furniture, or learning a new Do-It-Yourself type project with my husband, I love anything crafty-decorish. And with a new house - I have my hands full! My mile long list of things I'm wanting to tackle includes everything from built-in cabinetry, to crown moulding, to refinishing kitchen cabinets. These are more "family" projects though since they require the use of power tools, and well... I recently tried to install a bathroom TP holder and somehow ended up drilling a hole the size of a quarter for a screw. I don't do power tools :)

{4} BOWS

My most recent obsession! Again - why pay for something ($8-$12 a pop) when you can do it yourself, right? Or atleast make a good faith effort... But really - I have a thing for cutesy ribbon so this hobby is right up my ally. I just have a little more practice to get where I want with it. Here are my most recent efforts that under a less-critical eye didn't turn out too bad...


(The first one is to match the reversible Longhorn/Halloween dress, of course!)

I've been wanting to take the Bow Making class at Joann's but when I went to register for it last week and saw a board of examples they teach you, I decided it was kind of a joke/racket. The "bows" consisted of a loop of ribbon, folded and glued, and the $28 price did NOT include supplies.

Sooo... I opted out and once again turned to the internet. I found a very-homemade yet VERY helpful PDF "book" by a lady who owns a boutique bow shop for just $10 and it's been well worth it. She is so detailed in her explanations and provides pictures for every step... I've learned there's definitely a technique to it though, so I'm gonna keep up the practice.

.......................

So that's my "crafty side" in a nutshell. I somethimes get asked if I'd ever sell my stuff (mainly blog layouts and embroidery) and my answer is always Maybe someday... I'm a perfectionist and somewhat ADD. A very BAD combination because it takes me forever to finish a project! Haha... So I keep myself busy enough just with things for my family and friends. I can't ever imagine adding to that. Plus I think having to work under a dead line would take away a little of the fun for me.

But who knows. Maybe one of these days when I'm not having  to chase a toddler, set up a new house, or prepare for a new baby I may look in to crafting for profit. Although I doubt it will be anytime soon when I'm not doing at least one of those things!

Oh, and my last crafting secret...

{5} ETSY!

L-o-v-e it. Perfect solution for those projects I don't have the time/talent for ;)

And then there's the blog-network too, of course. In fact I'm looking forward to surfing through all the other posts to find some good boutique online/Etsy shops!