dear crafting gods::

today i'm starting Christmas gifts. My sister has decided that we should all 'make' gifts rather that go out and buy them. At first I was on board.. and I must admit the phone calls back and forth have been great. I have taken 2 trips to Michael's in the last few days and rummaged the clearance isles and the $1 bins til my head hurts. I have changed my mind 3 times and have finally settled upon what I am going to do. Mr. Me is glad cause the 100 bucks I've spent on 'ideas' was beginning to wear on him. Not to mention #5 went with me both trips and demanded a craft all his own so I could shop.... anyways..

As I am sitting here sipping coffee .. I am starting to rethink my idea...but i think it's only because i am unsure how it will play out. i wonder if anyone else second guesses new things. the first should be pretty simple the other.. i dunno..

at the risk they read this (haha that even made me laugh) let's just say the gifts require me being outdoors getting dirty and the other has to do with cardboard.

exciting i know! not really.. but.. if .. and that is a huge if ..they turn out.. i'm so winning crafty christmas.. if they don't.. im in big trouble for spending so much to 'make' an xmas gift..

so today .. my prayer is to the crafty gods and powers that be..

PLEASE LET THIS TURN OUT.. amen and all that jazz.

<3 Carie.

SUPER CRAFTER TO THE RESCUE ..... or not.

Do you ever look at other people's things and feel inferior? I mean,I'm sure I can do somethings better than someone else, but in all honesty, I'm a 'half-asser' Excuse the language but really what else is there to call me? I simply .. am not an excellent crafter.. I get bored with it.. I get frustrated.. I see every flaw.. and sit and wonder how others do it..

If I'm in the moment of crafting and making things.. I forget all that and just do.. and the person I am making it for truly enjoys it.. and i know that's really all that matters.. but today .. is one of those days i wish.. i was super crafter.. that things would just turn out perfect.. that I could wear my cape and sit down and craft something that will fight crime and evil........ ok.. not really.. right now i just wish i could figure out how to free hand paint letters without shakey icky...

...I've not had my coffee yet.. maybe i'll go coffee it up first and then come back to blogging about sucktastic crafts...

Busy busy

So, I've been way busy... I started doing a thing for my mom that she asked for... and since I'd never really done one .. i did it and showed it to her rather than give it to her for Xmas like she requested. I don't love it. It all seems too shaky. I am so confused how people manage to paint and keep things all pretty and perfect. I think painting is just not my 'niche' but I try and to me that is most important. I have definitely thrown my share of crap out after realizing how bad i suck at it :)



I put this one up cause it definitely shows every flaw I made. Of course my mom said it was perfect (gotta love moms!) But since it's for her and she loves it.. She can have it.
Gonna start a new wreath today.. My sister came by last weekend and I gave her the one off my door! hehe.. #5 is thrilled.. because she wanted it and because we get to do a new one. Maybe I'll try a different thing or not.. who knows. I managed to snag rolls of ribbon at Wal-mart for 47 cents.. which made Mr. Me very happy :)

So.. another thing I've started doing thanks to my sister in Fla. is freebies. Basically you just go through and request samples and they send them to you. Being a mom of 5 and the oldest in the military we tend to just make it.. (which is why I make my stuff) So, this has become a game for us. We call each other.. send each other emails and notices when super freebies or great coupons are out there. Today we laughed that Christmas stockings will be fun .. cereal bars and shampoo hehe! I suggest anyone who is staying at home should definitely try it out. Blog a bit.. freebie a bit.. and .. AND.. today I got a free sample of coffee.. I was very excited with this of course .. I must thank my sister for this since she said .. Oh did you see the coffee one!! hehe! Thanks to her!!!

Go out have fun.. make stuff save money. It's a great weekend.

PS.. My daughter serves in the USAF. I miss her today. I am counting down til Nov.14th when she can come home! Love you #1

....whoa

So.. I never thought that I'd get stuff done. Yesterday and today has been very productive. Costume finished! #5 was pleased and .. honestly so was mom :). Also, we were able to make a wreath. And we've done all this without spending a dime so far so I'm even happier. Mr.Me seems to be much happier about the destruction I leave in my wake when I'm not stealing the debit card as well.

First is the costume completion! OMG I have never been so pleased to finish something. I can just imagine him with his make up (which happens to be my fav part .. doing the make up. I always beg my kids and nieces and nephews to do costumes which require paint .. this doesn't always work)
For now.. here it is sans make up...

Spray the hair black, cover that face in awesome green and we have FRANKENSTEIN .. I am happy :)

Now the wreath.. this was made from a lg. garbage bag and plastic shopping bags.. a few left over plain x-mas ornaments painted and some left over material from #5's treat bag... free .. and done and was a great project to do with him. I am ok with it. Not thrilled but after all the hard work he put in it.. I'd have hung it from my door if it was much much worse .. so here it is.. our redneck coat hanger freebie wreath!
And my stuff is semi organized.. so basically my list is complete with a few added things and so I think.. I will definitely work on making a new list. Even with the uncertainty of this blog.. not being sure if anyone cares or if I care to have my life tossed out there.. this is a good thing. It keeps me moving and keeps me busy. I like it. Who knows.. maybe I'll even get my unwillingness to do and hatred for laundry taken care of with blogging.....hahahaha ...... yeah right!

Carie... the dreamer.

Boot!

So, Yesterday I used this blog to motivate myself and it worked. In the rare chance that anyone might read this I managed to finish up 1.5 of my projects.. The witches boot is done. It's no where near the boots that she puts out. But it was my first. ( Let me just say this girl.. she hand paints her boots apparently. What patience! I just went to a freebie graphic site grabbed pumpkins cut them out and glued them.. Perhaps one day I'll attempt painting something on them.. I just didn't want to risk ruining my first mediocre boot.. )anyhoo.. I sent her a message when I found the boot and asked her how she did it. She said cereal boxes and I stared at it for a few days and stole the lucky charms box outta the cupboard and went to work. I didn't use newspaper because I don't read it.. I used excessive amounts of printer paper. At first I just used the ones that #5 had scribble scrabbled on.. but that soon wasn't enough. This was NOT the most environmentally friendly thing I could have done... but as anyone who knows me knows.. i take the easy way out .. :) Then with a bit of molding and a few choice words and then some paint.. i have a boot. It's not the best boot.. it's not the next awesome thing everyone will ask me to make but it's my boot and I'm pleased with it. I will call it the sad boot inspired by the awesome boot. Or maybe I'll make up a shorter name. The point being is.. a lucky charm box tape glue and paper made a boot! yay!

The .5 thing I did was the halloween costume. I managed to get the boots kinked out.. it must have been national boot day. But it was neat the way it turned out.. I had lost my good scissors ( i put them up so no one could use them on paper and such and hid them from myself.. ugh) so I went on a search. While searching I ran across #4's black tights. And it hit me. I need him to be able to walk while trick or treating.. so he will wear his skechers but over top I slipped on the tights and stuffed the top with hefty bags. Now when they are on him it looks like he has on these big oversized 'boot's' I was so happy. So far, I have managed to put together his entire costume for free. The make-up I found out will cost about 3 dollars last night.. but at the risk of bragging.. 3 bucks for this awesome costume .. I am quite happy.. Below are his neck bolts.. LOVE EM.. and he really thinks they are awesome. I did fill them in with some hot glue so they don't wobble about since this picture.. It's amazing what small things make a 4 year old think Mom is the best!

Motivation....

I have zero. So this is how I intend to get it back.
Perhaps it's easy for some but for me just keeping to what I hope to get done is a chore. I have a million craft ideas, a million things I could be doing yet lately, I am getting none of it done...
I'd much rather have coffee and search the internet and see what other people manage to accomplish while I sit back and say... I should do that.

Coffee is what I do. I drink tons of it, I love it. I am not such a coffee head that I experiment with different flavors.. I stick to what I like. Folgers.. strong 2 sweet n low's and a bit of milk. Sometimes I shake it up with a bit of Cafe' Mocha (venti please) and at home.. a splenda mocha pack.. rather than my 2 sweet n low's. With coffee I am creature of habit.. I like what I like. Even Mr. Me knows exactly how to order coffee for me .. it's a method.. 1 lg coffee 2 sweet lows and 3 pieces of ice... I've no patience to wait for it to cool... so 3 ices tend to cool it off just enough to drink straight away...
Ellipses.. I use/over use them.. it would be so much easier I suppose to just type one (.) and then capitalize a sentence but really to me ... sounds like too much work. I know some people really get annoyed by them... I on the other hand... use them. Love them and you pretty much know it's me emailing you or texting you when the majority of the message is filled with them.

Now.. time to get busy on a few projects I started about a month ago. I start things well in advance... because if I don't they don't get finished in time. Right now on my list to do...

1) Organize craft stuff (so i can make a list of things I need) .. this will without a doubt not get finished.. but I can hope.
2) Shoe.. finish it. yes a shoe.. I found this lovely blog about a girl who makes witches boots.. paper mache' and this girl .. is brilliant. *if* i get it done.. I'll post a picture.. this I kinda hafta get done since i promised to ship it to my sister.. Wonder if she'd like a witches boot for Xmas? .. lesigh
3) Halloween costume for #5. The only one I have to make this year and I am very proud to report that the only part left of super Frankenstein .. is the jacket.. which requires more work and is less fun.. so of course.. it's last.. This I must get done.. found a tutorial on how to do neck bolts .. altered it a bit to make it less work and lemme tell ya.. drinking diet pepsi paid off! Not that my bum is smaller or anything.. but silver tops are awesome to down the work on 'metal' neck bolts! He says they are nearly free.. mine were totally free since I just used glue I had around the house didn't paint the tops cause diet pepsi is silver.. I'll post picks when I'm done .. if I'm done..
Whew.. that list alone has worn me out.. I will get to work on it and if someone happens to ever read this.. you can ask me if I finished by my deadline .. which is before Halloween.. I only have 23 days or so left? ugh...

Carie.