National Craft Month Wrap Up

Can you believe that March has flown by so fast?  National Craft Month is just about over.  I've been busy most of my days this month doing something craft related...or tried to anyway. 

 I took on a project and have been playing with altered art (in a simple form).  Picture frames and clip boards have been my subjects mostly and I have really enjoyed making them and the finished product as well.  Paper has been flying, ripping and tearing and being sanded and glued to death.  Some are on my Etsy and Artfire sites...go purchase one please. ;o)

I've even broke down and bought some rhinstones to accent my picture frames.

So what did I do for National Craft Month?  I shared a crafting day with my friend Autumn and we painted the cutest chicken popping out of an egg.  Diane and I participated in a craft show early in the month.  In addition, I also attended the Las Vegas Crafters Guild meeting last week.  I was able to keep my space stocked at Goatfeathers. (By the way, all Easter product is now 30% off). I picked up a wholesale account.  Oh, I even spoke with the class coordinator at Joann about teaching some classes in the near future.  I did my share to keep craft stores afloat.  Please post a comment about what you've been up to for National Craft Month...I will even have a give away drawing for one of my picture frames on Saturday for all those crafty people who leave a comment on this post.  Good luck and keep crafting.

Show and Tell Friday

I know, I know...I'm a day late...again.  But I have to tell you I enjoyed my Friday.  It was my birthday!  Timm took the day off and we shared a wonderful day.  I didn't have to cook at all.  Breakfast was enjoyed at the Country Cafe, they have great biscuits and gravy.  My youngest sister and my brother also have March birthdays and this year our parents took us to lunch at Chili's.  It was a great time with all of them, we need to gather like that more often.  We were supposed to take a cruise on Lake Mead aboard the Desert Princess but it was canceled due to mechanical difficulties. That's okay, it was pretty windy...and now I have 4 free tickets coming to me.  We finished up the day with a late dinner at Billy Bob's in Sam's Town...they have delicious prime rib. It was a lovely day spent with my hubby and family...an way better than the last two years, which were spent having surgeries.  Next Friday, I promise pictures.

New Blog...Trailhound Smokers BBQ

What have we been up to lately...besides yard work?  Building a BBQ pit, well my hubby and youngest son have been building one.  It's awesome!  Timm came up with the idea and Chris did the welding on the project.  We've tried it once, but we are having a big BBQ with our families to really test it this weekend. 
Timm want to compete in BBQ competitions.  Looks like we may be out to our first one in a month or so.  I've got jitters but he doesn't.  I'm thinking it will be fun, hard work, and costly...but isn't anything that's worth a hoot.  I'm thinkin' we can cook a lot of pig on this monster of BBQ pit (Timm is 6'3") and make some money at some events too.
So anyway, you can check it all out and follow us at our new blog  http://trailhoundsmokersbbq.blogspot.com/. You can also follow us on Facebook.  Please become a fan of Trailhound Smokers BBQ. 

Show and Tell Friday

Well, it's been way to long since I had Show & Tell Friday.  Don't get me wrong, I've been busy and finally starting to get a bunch of stuff completed.  Last weekend I participated in a small craft show so that was a good push for me.  Why is it most of us crafty people work better under pressure or a deadline?  I do for some reason.  Anyway, here are a few pictures I'm sharing for Show & Tell during National Craft Month. 

Lots of picture frames recently on my work table.  This blue, baby boy frame sold at the craft show.   Lovin' the retro look dots on this other frame.  Both hold a 4x4 photo.

Made up a few sets of blocks this week.  They are two-sided, have a scrapbook paper base, and painted letters.  I wrote spring on one side and summer on the other.  Two sided fcrafty goodness was an after thought I have to admit.  Other sets have some blues and greens in them as well.

Oh, yeah, while in Houston a couple of weeks ago for my uncle's services I got to visit a Hobby Lobby store.  Totally awesome!  They have so much stuff, including some furniture I was trying to figure out how to get home.  Found these carrots there....love them.

Clipboards with Style

I've had an itch to create some stylish and crafty clipboards so after I finished my blocks project today I pulled them out.  Sorting through a stack of scrapbook paper, I found two that I thought would be perfect.  This first one is a reprint of some lovely fabric...a simple but stylish pattern.  I embellished it with with some super cool stickers that are really interesting and complimentary.
Mod Podge has really been my friend lately and these are more mod podge projects.  The butterfly stripe is an embossed sticker.  Of course...I love the typewriter key stickers.  Here is a close up view for you.

This second clip board has an real altered art look to it.  I ripped some papers to go over the base paper (which I love)...again, Mod Podge rocks.  Just a few letter stickers were applied, they say "take note".  With both clipboards, I made sure to keep the details at the edges so there are lumps and bumps when you're writing on your paper.  After I photographed them, I brushed on a smooth coat of satin varnish to protect the project.    Look for them at my Esty shop soon.  These are a first for me and I think I am loving them, need to dig out some more clipboards.  Another National Craft Month project...woohoo!

Technical difficulties resolved

We now return to our previous scheduled programming.  My photo delema has been temporarily resolved.  My printer is still not speaking to my computer (I think the USB port died) but I did purchase a card reader so I could upload my photos off my camera.  I was suffering some major frustation over the whole thing.  I recently had my computer repaired but I've been told it's too old to do any major upgrades so I will need to look into purchasing a new one in the near future...bummer...I have a desktop so I just need a tower but it's still money I don't want/have to spend.

Anyway, on a craftier note...here are some of my latest finished pieces.  It is National Craft Month and I am doing my part to promote crafting to the world.  Enjoy...and get creative!

A small spring show

I participated in a small craft show in Mesquite on Saturday.  It's just a little over an hour's drive from home and sits on the Nevada/Arizona border.  I didn't know what to expect since I've never done a show there before.  Admittedly, I was apprehensive about the show....it was at one of the casinos in the old movie theatre.  Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised.  The attendance was good, the room was nice, it didn't smell of cigarette smoke and the set up was good...and we could access the room from the parking lot.  I think half of the vendors were selling jewelry but hey...no one else was selling what I did so better for me.   I'm glad I went...and I was invited back for the next one.  One great way to celebrate National Craft Month.  And on a good note, I purchased a card reader so I could down load my photos off my camera for your viewing pleasure.

Technical Difficulites

We apologize for the interuption of your blogging pleasure...we hope to have our technical difficulites resolved shortly. 
Does that sound professional or what?  hahaha....my printer isn't cooperating with my computer so I am unable to download my latest pictures.  I hope to have them "kiss and make up" today or tomorrow.

Craft Night...enjoy the benefits and pleasure of crafting all year long.

Starting this March the Craft & Hobby Association is challenging individuals, families and craft retailers to take the Craft Night Pledge of crafting one night a week with your friends and family. By participating in just one craft per week, people can enjoy the financial, social as well as the emotional and extrinsic benefits of crafting - including sense of accomplishment, memory keeping, relaxation, and spending time with friends and family.  (exerpt from craftandhobby.org)

Queen size rag quilt

I didn't finish this quilt during craft month but it's one of my most recent projects so I thought I'd still share.  I made it for my friend Vickie to use in her RV.  I made her one late last year as a throw and she decided she needed a bigger one for the bed. 

It barely was done in the nick of time and lucky to get even these horribly taken photos.  Notice Cassy and Shelby playing at the bottom of the picture. 

A bad representation of a beautiful piece...front and back.  Honest, it turned out to be a wonderful quilt and she loved it. 

It's National Craft Month!

That's right...it's National Craft Month!  I truly encourage each and every person to do something creative this month.  How 'bout redoing a furniture piece like an end table...sand it down, paint it a bright color and put it out on your porch by your favorite chair.  What about learning something new?  Take a class and learn to crochet, or sew, or paint, or scrapbook, or quilt, or knit, or bead, or ... the list could go on forever.  There are so many ways to craft and be creative...I've only listed a few.  I plan on being very crafty this month...I know, I'm always crafty you say, but I haven't accomplished much so far this year.  But my craft/paint room is clean so I can now get down to some cool, crafty stuff...and I promise to post pictures...really.  Now get out there and get crafting!