Sad day for Savannah

We got up early this morning and headed out to Savannah for a little day trip. It couldn’t have been any prettier… or hot… more accurately it was SWELTERING and OPPRESSIVELY hot. We had been about a year ago on the same sort of trip but hadn’t done any of the tours. So this time we went straight to the bus tours and jumped on a trolley. The tour was nice but I would have rather had a little more history and a little less humor, that is totally a personal preference though! Anyway I was really upset to see this within the first hour of being there as we drove by the Savannah Cotton Exchange.

It’s not my picture because I was so shocked that I didn’t pull out my camera as we drove by but let me tell you this picture doesn’t begin to show the whole picture of the scene. It was crazy and unreal!

This is a shot I took of the building last year. I can honestly say this was my favorite spot in Savannah. I LOVED the Griffin I loved the red building I took a ton of pictures of it last time we were there.

This is the shot I took this afternoon. The story we got is a lady was drunk and driving at 7am this morning and plowed through the fence, the fountain, the griffin, a light pool, across the footbridge and into the Building. The Griffins head was (supposedly) found on the roof and all the broken windows are from flying pieces of everything she plowed through. The lady is fine none of the news confirms she was drunk yet just that charges are pending. But this really bummed me out because I wanted to see this building again. And on all of the days for this to happen it had to be the weekend we went. Very sad.
The rest of the day was pretty chill we did A LOT of walking not as much as I had planned but more then we should have done! Unfortunately for Uber he couldn’t get me fed fast enough after the tour and I turned into this I can be scary when I am hungry!!!! I was so hungry and so hot that I was seriously considering laying down in the street and sobbing... no joke it was THAT hot... I am seriously jealous of the 2 year olds who can get away with that... even matt was grumpy after we ate and cooled down in a restraunt we laughed about it but he said he was ready to go get in our car and go home (which is his version of throwing a tantrum.

But that was fixed and we continued our walk through over half of the squares. I really liked the Iron work they had going on! I want this gate! Uber was like Umm... that isn't going to keep anyone out... haha... yeah that's not the point...

Here is us being posers out infront of the police station. We always forget to have someone take our pictures together so this is the closest we got (the cars are next to eachother)

This is the fountain I thought very seriously about jumping into...Uber wouldn't of stopped me though so I had to restrain myself...good thing I am learning about self control in the Bible class I am teaching!

Alright I am off to help uber... he is having some issues...

On My Walls

I thought I would show you some of the art around my house. I am not one of those people that have any problem putting my own art up on my walls. I know some people do and I understand why. I just don’t have that problem (don’t worry I have plenty of others issues to compensate for missing THAT one… haha…) There is quite a few reasons I think it’s a good idea. Art is expensive, it’s hard to find pieces in the correct size, if it is mine I can get bored with it and not feel bad about throwing it in a closet and I like seeing peoples reactions to it. Especially since people don’t expect it to be yours so they tend to say how they feel about it honestly. It’s totally cool if you don’t like it.
This look is a style I stole from my aunt I am not really sure where she got the idea from but I got it from her. This piece is HUGE (4.5'x3.5') I priced premade canvas and then headed to Joanns and picked up some cheap duck cloth and had matt build a frame then I stretched the fabric over it and painted on it (not at all the proper way to go about it but who cares it worked!) he also built the frame it is in. The background is different shades of Yellow Acrylic paint and then I sketched on top of it with artmarkers. I have other pieces like this that are my own sketching but thisis a rough study of a Van Dyck piece I found in the book The Light of Nature.

This piece is done in a style I originally saw on our family trip in Austria I am not sure who the artist was but his/her stuff was on display in a restaurant and I totally fell in love with it. The silhouette in this painting is my dad.

A lot of what is on my walls is pottery (I will show you some of mine at some other time) these pieces are from Poland, Czech, and Italy. I love it because it’s beautiful and useful. Not all of it is food safe but you will see the pieces that are missing because I will pull them off and use them when I feel like it.

This is by James Christensen and if you haven’t seen his art work then quick Google him because he is AMAZING this was a gift from my husband (and mom for the frame job actually pretty much anything in a frame in my house was done by her she has excellent taste and by the way Matt is an awesome gift giver!)

I also have a drawing done by my little brother. I REALLY love it. This drawing is a few years old so his style has changed a lot but this continues to be my favorite. I try to have art from all of my family around the house and I have something from almost everyone.Well I just thought I would give you a hint of what I like to look at everyday. I would love to see what you have up in your home especially if it is your own work!

Matt is crafty too...

I thought I would show you all some projects Uber and I have done together. You see he is crafty too he likes to hide it but I know it is in there so I make up these insane projects and drag him to lowes. It's his favorite thing when ever I mention lowes he runs and hides in a closet and weeps...ahem... I mean he jumps in the truck and makes manly grunts.... ANYWAY.... there is nothing like quality project time together! I thought I would show you one of my favorite projects it is a window seat/bench for our study/craft room. Pottery barn sells something like this but theirs was too big for the space (not to mention to much) so I ripped out the pictures and gave matt the correct dimensions and asked politely (ordered him) and he went directly to the garage (dungeon) and came back with this a little while later.

I really like it fits perfectly into the little nook. I whipped up a cushion for the top and added some pillows my mom sent me to make it comfy it is a great spot to sit and read while waiting for uber to get home (you can see the driveway from the window) then I know the exact moment I need to run downstairs and act like I've been working all day long. I haven't found the right size/color baskets to fit in the slots yet which was fine because they were loaded with books for a while I was waiting for uber to build some bookshelves. Which brings me to his next project these are also something pottery barn carries also out of my spending buget and though I found them alot of other places I wanted very specific things like I wanted each back of the shelf to rest on the wall for added support and for larger shelf spaces and I didn't want them to look puny. So none of the cheaper ones filled those specifications so Uber was put to work on these too.

I would like to interject here that I get the lovely job of sanding and staining all of the projects which I feel is the most miserable part of wood working. The shelves fit all of my nic nacs perfectly with a little room to spare this is my Germany room one of the most comfortable rooms to me in the house... just need to get a chair for the corner so I have a comfortable place to sit other then the bed. Also see in picture the headboard that is our first project. Lots of fun.

Alright enough sharing I am off to do other things.... maybe later I will show you the art on the walls in this room... Oh and the stained glass in the picture is my moms.

I'm feeling Uber Boring...

Sorry I have been such a flaky blogger the last few days. I actually wrote a post but I thought it was boring and then I got busy and never got back to writing. Plus I have been in a funk from the storm and mainly from some sad news from my brother. Please keep the troops in your prayers no matter how you feel about them being over there.
On a brighter note I finished up the new pillow cases and THEY ARE UP IN THE SHOP! Last night I started a new project instead of cleaning up my house...should have just cleaned... I am trying to make a bible cover (without a pattern of course) and am wondering if it is just turning into a mess... we will see... I will show you what it becomes... even if it is just a pile of burnt fabric. Haha
I will try to get something more interesting up here tomorrow! For now here is a pic from a few weeks ago. Hopefully I will be doing more of this this weekend (four day weekend...YEAH)

SHHhhh.... it's a sneak peek...

So here is the promised sneak peek of the new pillow designs...

I've had this Octopus in my head for a while I LOVE him. I had been wanting to do some kid friendly designs and this is one of them. There will be a second sea themed pillow on the way... just as soon as I figure out which idea sounds like the most fun! He was fun to put together especially his little suction cups on his legs. I think he will be showing up more in the future.

Here is the second one... I think I may be more in love with this one then the butterfly designs in my last shop update... and that is saying ALOT because I REALLY loved the butterflies. When I drew this one last night I was a little worried about how the bee hive would come together...well and the bees...haha

Dont worry I am not going to leave you hanging here is them painted I haven't heat set the paint though and that is why it looks ripply (in case anyone is wondering). He has air bubbles around him .... he totally makes me laugh!

Ok I cant believe it - I think it turned out AWESOME I'm really excited to draw up another one for the set! It's just yummy!

I don't duplicate any of my pillows. You may see similar designs but I will always make them a little different. I am just wierd that way who wants to make the same thing twice?!? Alright I am off to do more crafting!

P.S. not sure where to answer all of your comments... can someone help me out with the etiquette on this?! Do I do it on your blog and if so where or do I do it in the post you commented on? Or can I do what ever I want?

Mary~ I would move to Seattle in a heart beat... hopefully that heart beat will happen some day...while I am still breathing and I would totally hire you if I had a shop! Florida...ugh.. though I see why some people love it, it is really not my thing especially after this storm... do you know what happens when it non-stop torrental down pour rains for 2 straight days? (this is not an exageration) All the bugs try to get into my house thats what! (please note here that they have not succeed because I have no issues creating a moat around my house of deadly bug spray)but I have seen COCKROACHES outside all over! AGHHHH!!!! They are coming up out of the ground I am freaking out over here!

Adie~ I know who you are! Sorry for dissing on Florida... kind of ... I really promise to keep it to a minimum on the blog. I just love snow and mountains... and we are slightly lacking in those categories here. Any way... Congrats on the baby! You need to put pics up on the blog! (I read yours by the way) Thanks for the sweet comment!

I'll HUFF and PUFF and BLOW your house down...

.... no just kidding we are all good here. Lots of wind, lots of rain, but a lovely half day off work and tomorrow I already have the day off so Whoot! Unfortunately Matt does have to go back to work tomorrow he will be missed but I have lots to do around the house so he probably would rather be at work anyway!

I may give you a sneak peak of my newest pillow designs tomorrow so stay tuned cause I am pretty excited about them!

** Update ** Flash flood warnings and Tornado watch TONS OF RAIN AND WIND. Matt is now being sent home from work. Didn't sleep half the night because the storm was SO LOUD. Lost power and cable (thankfully it has come back on). I am crafting but thinking maybe I shouldn't be... cause I am tired... Some of my garden is blown over when matt brings the camera home I will take pictures it is raining in every direction have you ever seen that before??? Its scary! I will get back to a more interesting crafting post a little later today!

Ahhh... Florida

I am so excited summer is almost officially over in- what is it- one more day? Ahhhh… cool fall weather. Wait WHAT?!? I live in Florida and summer NEVER ends here... oh that's right. I must have been day dreaming...

I wish the weather forecasters would make up their mind are we having a tropical storm or a hurricane or a tornado or a tropical storm or wait is it going to be sunny... ok maybe not that last one but same difference...Matt’s work is canceled so he is sitting at home right now doing I am not quite sure what (homework supposedly) no such luck for me, we have stuff that needs to get out so unless the state orders us out...I am at work. Oh but church is canceled… Meanwhile feeling very good about buying flood insurance this year... haha

This is the present weather forecast for our area. I put a red dot where our house is. Hopefully it will stay on this track and not hit us but we are in the bands. Went to stock up on food after being scolded for not being prepared... lots of fun crowded stores and empty shelves... we went to walmart of all places because I needed fuel. If you know me you know walmart is not in my vocabulary but for stocking the house up on junk food it did the trick. Meanwhile Matt has tomorrow off too and I will probably once again be working... well I am off to watch more Dexter... which by the way is wierd but addictive.

Going Quilty

You guys are all so sweet thanks for your comments! Yes I have amazingly fast growing hair... haha... and if blogging makes my mom come back sooner then I wish I had thought of it sooner!!

I am teaching bible class at the moment for 5 year olds and choose the Fruits of the Spirit as my topic for the quarter. I was pretty excited about it and figured there would be plenty of curriculum out there. Unfortunately there was not, at least not at any of the places I went. I was actually told by a 'very experience teacher' that there was no way kids could understand the fruits until at LEAST high school and even then that was pushing it. I really felt bad for the guy I wanted to tell him that I am sorry he feels kids are stupid... but he probably wouldn't have taken that the right way. So I dragged Matt over to Joann’s to try and figure something out. At previous churches I have done paper murals and had them laminated. Then we tacked or taped them on walls but at this building the walls are painted concrete. I didn't want to hassle with trying to stick anything up figuring it would likely fall down within the three months of class. So I bought a bunch of the cheap solid cotton fabric and made a quilted wall hanging. It took about 2 full days to complete because I didn't have any plans to begin with (are we sensing a theme here?) I justwent piece by piece until it came together, the whole time I was having anxiety attacks because I only had 4 days notice I was teaching and I was sure it wasn't going to come together. All in all it turned out REALLY well it is about 5 feet tall and 3 and a half feet wide which is a little tall for the girls but the boys in the class all have fun reaching the top.

The apples are felt with Velcro on the back and the words are done with Tulip fabric paint. The kids get to put the fruits on the tree as we talk about how they can use each of them in their lives and by the way they TOTALLY get it and love to describe how to accomplish each one love-hugs and kisses, patience-when mom is talking to someone, gentleness-to a puppy that they really REALLY want or that pesky younger sibling (definitely the 2nd choice to show gentleness to) and so on. No it’s not super technicalbut they are 5.

There are also necklaces that we are putting together as we cover each fruit in class so that by the end it will hold all of their fruits then they will be able to take it home with them to wear it and be God's tree.

As for the hanging it can be reused much longer then laminated paper and I could even make new apples to teach something different for another class (like Adam and Eve or Zacheus...now wouldn't that be funny! Sorry I can’t think of a lot of lessons with trees in them that could/should be taught to kids… but there are some very interesting ones running through my head see if you can think of any of them!!!). This will definitely be coming home with me when I am done. If I ever get around to it I am going to recreate the Noah’s ark one (I had done this in paper before) the front of the ark opens up and there is a song and the kids (preschoolers) get to put the animals in their stalls and make animal noises. It is a lot of fun and gets some of their energy out.

It's all in the bag

So today I thought I would share my über awesome bag making skills with you... I originally bought this fabric to make pillows with. It's a mixed linen and was a remnant from Joanns that was marked down ridiculously. Unfortunately there was not as much fabric as the tag claimed there was so I wasn't able to do the whole pillow thing... which probably isn't a bad thing since I was (am) supposed to be on a beige/brown restriction in the house (this is a self inflicted restriction). I had been planning to make some shopping bags because we have plastic ones coming out our ears and I feel guilty throwing them away... So I whipped these up, I didn't have a pattern I just measured the fabric and made the biggest bag I could get out of it and then lined them in some brown duck cloth. They definitely aren’t perfect but since I only pulled out half my hair I figured they’re a success. Anyway they work really well when I remember to grab them except for the fact that the baggers seem to think all bagging rules don’t apply when you bring you own bag… has anyone else had this issue? Just because I brought you two bags doesn’t mean I want my milk, bread, and fruit all squashed into the same bag … you can give me additional bags if there isn’t enough room for everything I bought…just saying…

Moving on my mother-in-law Sherrill saw them and said she had been looking for a bag to stick all of her work stuff in, so I took the dimensions down and went shopping for more fabric. I am not really sure linen is the best choice for a bag but I am kind of addicted to it so I picked a 100% linen purple stripped fabric for the outside and a solid purple cotton for the inside. I once again did it all without a pattern apparently not learning from my previous two bags, as well as adding in stripes to make my life even more difficult and proceeded to pull out the rest of the hair left on my head. Actually it really wasn’t that bad I just need to think about buying a pattern next time...HA! On this bag I included an inside pockets to put small things into… I also did some freezer paper stenciling on the front she loves hummingbirds and purple so I went with that and then one of my favorite flowers bleeding hearts… all around I think it turned out pretty well the one thing that wasn’t intentional was the paint being that sparkly, oops. So anyway it is very possibly hidden in one of her closets but that is ok because she is so wonderfully supportive about everything I do and hey I will never know it even if it is!

So I will stop babbling feel free to let me know if I am typing too much or just close your browser window and save me my feelings… just joking. I LOVE constructive criticism…as long as it is not about my grammar… I am a lost cause there as you can see.

my very first post

This weekend was the 25th Anniversary of some of our friends I thought I would share the invites and party favors I put together. They were alot of fun to do. Her mom put me on a strict keep everything a secret order so I couldn't have any input from 'the bride' I got to go through the album and pick out my own favorites. I hope you like them!

Her mom wanted to do wrapped hershey bars for the party favors... did you know it's impossible to find the silver wrapped bars?!? They are all in plastic! So they actually had to wrap all of the bars in silver paper and then put the wrappers on... lots of work... but if you ever decide to do these I would seriously suggest doing the graphics yourself and having them printed at office max onto the glossy paper it was alot of fun and saved alot of money!

Well I spent all day playing on here trying to figure out how to do things. So now I really need to go get to work on some half finished projects!