Scarves Round 6

Here are some more...

Puffy Pillows!

This year for Christmas we got, gave, made, and sold pillows!  

The First Day

Did you know that the Twelve Days of Christmas actually starts after Christmas???  So, let's keep the celebration going by counting down our 12 Days of Giftsmas.  First up is a package we sent out to a dear crafter, Chacoy.  Check out her fun blog Living in La La Land.  La La Land is one of our favorite places to go these days.  Anyway, we found her blog after participating in a craft swap and fell in love with her beautiful bobbies and journals.  We asked if she would swap with us and she said YES!!!  We love making new crafty friends and swapping art, so if you see something you like and want to trade just let us know.  We hope she loves the package we sent just as much as we loved hers. 

Keep CALM

A friend of mine once said, “Life is as tragic as you make it.”  Lately it has seemed pretty tragic to us, but we’re trying to keep a positive outlook and more forward.  We have been experiencing new things, going on adventures, crafting like crazy, and making new/remembering old memories.  Throughout all this, art has definitely remained one of our therapies.  My mom was given a challenge at one of her quilt meetings where she was given a card as inspiration.  She was then asked to create something quilted based on her card.  We decided to collaborate on this project.  The finished piece was displayed as part of the Beatitudes series at the Sacred Space.  Tomorrow we get to pick it up, so we can display it in our home as a reminder of what our ultimate future holds.  Pretty promising and not at all tragic if you ask us.  

Bunches of Binders!

As I’m sitting here catching up on this blog and watching Pawn Stars with my dad, I can’t help but to think… should I have pawned all my college/masters binders?  I had my whole education stored up in these binders and while I think they should all be worth millions, guess which one was the only one I kept?  It was my high school binder.  I feel like my best writing and learning was done in those four years.  And to think… next year will be our 10 year reunion!  It’s pretty surreal.

Shirt Pillow!

"Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not. "

- James Taylor

We made this pillow for my dear friend, Heather, and her lovely family.  The crosses were also included and were made by my aunt.   

   

For Ray!

After a good workout, sometimes you just need a good mint!  And I hear Altoids are pretty good! :)

 *** We miss our gym buddies!

Food for Friends

Awhile back we made our neighbors breakfast because they always have our back.  We need to do this again because they help us out a ton!  We are so lucky to have great people surrounding us. 

Fun Fact:  We love "brinner" (aka... breakfast for dinner).  So good!

Fun Fabric Fortune Cookies

Love Mollie Makes.  Love Whitney Sews.  Love Fabric Fortune Cookies!  Love how my coworker PUNCHES her fortune cookies and smashes them to pieces, so she can get to the fortune (I swear the first time I saw her do that, I laughed so hard I cried).  Love how my mom’s church birthday dinner group says “…between the sheets” after every fortune (don’t act shocked, it’s a tradition).  And last but not least… I love how you can use these premade circles as a short cut to making these super cute fabric fortune cookies.  This means you don’t have to trace the circles.  Also, if you do trace… just cut out a shape that is slightly larger than the circle and then put RST (right sides together) and then trace the circle.  Sew it and then use your pinking shears to cut.  This saves time tracing and matching up the circles because you can just do it all at once.  I hope that makes sense.  Anyway, these are so fun to make, but more fun to write cute little fortunes and give away.     

   

June Package Pals!

Remember this post awhile back???  Well, the time has finally come for the Package Pal reveal!  Like I mentioned before, Coley over at Coley’s Corner was the perfect match for us.  It has been so much fun getting to know her and her family.  We were introduced to her through Jamie’s Package Pals party over at C.R.A.F.T..  This was our first time participating and we will definitely be back again for more.  Below is the package we sent to her and the one she sent to us.  We sent her a hodgepodge of blue/teal things, 4^th of July Patriotic items, Donate Life goodies, and a couple of other crafty things.  She loves owls, so we also made a mini owl quilt.  We got an awesome box in return that was filled with so many green goodies!!!  She made the cutest owl tote, an initial water bottle, a cute notepad and bookmark set, motivating wall art, and a sweet owl frame.  We love it ALL!  The best part is that she handmade all these fun things.  Thank you so much, Coley!  We can’t wait to continue following your great blog to see all the wonderful things you are up to.  And thank you Jamie for such a fun way to meet other crafters. 

One Fun Run!

The Color Me Rad 5K Run was... well, RAD ("An abbreviation of 'radical'--a term made popular by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Still primarily used by people on the West Coast who find words like 'cool', 'awesome', and 'tight' to be tired and overused; 'rad' is generally considered to be a much higher praise than the aforementioned superlatives. Also used as a general expression of awe.").  I love art and I love running, so this was pretty much the ultimate event for me!  Getting covered in bright colors and getting to run with friends was just what I needed.  The "after run fun" was great as well.  If you have never experienced a Color Me Rad Run... do it!!!  I just can't put into words how much fun it was, so I'll channel my inner Garey Busey and use this acronym instead.  The Color M e Rad Run is so fun because Colorful Outfits Look Obviously Rad, Making Everything Really Awesome, Duh!  So, go here and register for one already, duh! 

Baby Art!

Recently my mom and I helped my cousin make Father’s Day gifts for all the special men in her life.  Father’s Day is special in general, but it was extra special this year because my cousin has a new man in her life and that’s my sweet baby cousin.  This was his first Father’s Day experience and we of course had to wake him from his peaceful nap, so we could have him stomp all over plaster in order to help him make the ever popular footprint keepsake.  It turned out so cute!!!  Just grab some Plaster of Paris from the craft store and add some water as directed by the instructions on the box.  Pour them into molds.  We just used plates and sprayed them with a little nonstick cooking spray use to help release the final product, but it’s not necessary.  While the product is still wet, pour it into the mold and let it set up just a bit (be careful here because sometimes it can set quickly).  When the plaster dries up a little, gently press a hand or foot or any object into the plaster.  You can smooth out any rough spots with water and your finger or carefully rub some sandpaper over the finished dried product.  Wrap them up and you’re ready to gift away!  I predict more baby art projects in the future.  

Second Anniversary!

Today is a special day because it's the second anniversary of my dad's double lung transplant.  Last year we made him blow up a balloon to celebrate one year, but this year we gave him a break.  He has been through a lot these past few months and most of our time has been spent in the hospital.  Last year we had a difficult time with his one year anniversary and this year was no different.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed with different emotions, but I think one emotion we can all agree on is gratitude.  He has been through so much and we are so grateful to get to celebrate this day with him and to think of all the people that are in our lives.  Over the past five years, we have become friends with so many wonderful people that we would have never met and we are truly thankful for all of them.  That’s why we’ve been making so many scarves… they are being distributed to all the doctors, nurses, staff, and team who have helped care for my dad and us over the past few months.  My dad wouldn’t be moving forward with his rehab if it wasn’t for all the amazing people we have been surrounded by in the hospital for the last few months.  I know I have said this many times, but this whole journey has made us really appreciate the small things… like watching my dad take a sip of an ice cold Pepsi that he has been waiting to enjoy for over three months.  Since we went easy on him this year, next year he owes us.  So, maybe I’ll have him cross the finish line at one of my races.  We'll see.  Anyway, today, along with his ice cold Pepsi, I was also able to deliver 2 great pieces of news…  Donate Life agreed to sponsor 30 technical Donate Life running shirts for next year’s LA Marathon, so we will be able to run, raise awareness, and collect donations in support of inspiring the community to register to become organ, eye, and tissue donors.  Also, one of my dad’s nurses won the KONAinspired contest and she will be competing this October!!!  Although it was a simple celebration, it was perfect.  Today was a good day!  Here’s to many more anniversaries, dad… we love you!