Love Stiched Silhouette-SD GIVEAWAY!!!

Brittany, over at Love Stitched is hosting a Silhouette-SD GIVEAWAY!!! Totally awesome!! The Silhouette machine plugs into your computer and you can visit the online store and download all sorts of fun images and projects!!


I love the idea of the online store rather than having to search all over the internet for images like you have to with a cricut and the SCAL software :) Click HERE to check it out and enter!! HURRY because it ends tonight a

WYWW

Oh boy . . . I think, actually I know I'm getting super burned out on blogging!! SAD, right?? It use to be so much fun and lately it's just been such a chore :( I haven't had much time for crafting lately, other than ETSY orders (it's not as fun when you HAVE to do it). I just don't have any motivation!! This is the first time I've even looked at this blog since last week. And I can only imagine that it means that nobody else is looking at it either. Eh . . . I am hoping to have some umph in my umph soon . . . but there will be a party tonight!!!

50 FREE HOLIDAY CARDS FROM SHUTTERFLY!!!!

OH MY HECK!!! Shutterfly has some of the CUTEST Holiday cards and invitations!!!

*** AND THEY ARE GIVING AWAY 50 FREE CARDS TO BLOGGERS!!! ****

Read this post and then follow the instructions on the bottom to get your free cards!!!

Have you gone over there and checked out the awesome selection?? There are tons to choose from, and it's gonna be a tough one to pick just one!!


They have folded photo cards, flat photo cards, FABULOUS invitations, personalized mugs, etc!! The possibilities are endless!! Let me show you some of my fav's!!! Click on each picture to check out all the different choices they are offering!!

LOVE this Christmas party invitation!! If only we were cool enough to actual throw a party :)

I totally DIG the simplicity of this card, and it's folded so there is space inside for a personalized message.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the glittery joy!!!! This is my absolute favorite and I have the PERFECT picture in mind for it :)

Ok, and just because I can . . . here are some more for your viewing pleasure!!!



The blue, red and green is so cute!!!

How cute is this with the Santa belt??? OOOO and the toothless smile is DARLING!!!

ok, one more . . . I PROMISE!!!


*** CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE CARDS!!! ***

Christmas Table-Scape

So . . . I told you I would show you the Christmas tablescape today, and I worked hard to make sure that I held true to that :)

My husband really likes red and lime green for Christmas so I decided to use the colors for this years table setting.

Here is a view of the the entire table . . . LOVE IT!!!! I know it may seem like a lot to some people, but I guess that I have a disease and I say the more layers the better!!!

I used a basic white square table cloth and layered over that a square of green and white polka dot fabric. The green fabric wasn't as big as the table, so I put it on the diagonal. It looks cuter that way anyway :)


Closeup of the place settings. I still want to add a clear bowl on top of the salad plates, but I won't have them 'til Saturday. ;) I used the same green and white fabric to wrap some dollar store napkin rings. The silver chargers I've had for years, but you can get a set of 4 for $5 at Target. The white plates are just plain square plates from $Tree, I set them on the charger at an angle to mimic the layout of the polka dot fabric.

The round red piece beneath the silver charger is a felt decoration from $Tree. They have red and green. As soon as I saw them I bought up all 8 that they had left and knew that they would be perfect as placemats!! What do you think? Not too shabby for $1!! The red ones are made to look like a snowflake ornament and the green ones have a Christmas tree in the center. You will fall in love with them when you see them in the store!!! I actually had a lady stop me in the store and ask where they were . . . it broke my heart to tell her they were all in my cart :) oops!!

I always like the look of two glass at each setting. I used a water goblet from Pier 1 and then a wine-ish glass from $Tree. I like the chunkiness of the wine glass because it adds some weight.


"Aerial view" The large candy canes in the vase are also from $Tree and they are almost 3 feet tall. They also would look great in the top of the Christmas tree or even tied to the spindles of a stair railing!!!

I used a square mirror that I got from D.I. and spray painted the frame silver and used it as the base of the centerpiece. The little elves I got at Michael a few years ago. I used round mirror candle holders from $Tree and put my Pier 1 snowflake place card holders on top of them. The silver tinsel tree is also from $Tree, as well as the taper candles and the taper holders. The red tapers are in nutcracker taper holders that I got from the thrift store earlier this year. I also used some of my subway art luminaries for more layering!!


These large silver stars are ornaments from $Tree, so is the ribbon :) I just wrapped some ribbon around the chair and hot glued the star to the ribbon. I love the sparkle it adds to the chair!!

One last pic . . . I PROMISE!!!

This is a pic with everything lit, and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the way it all turned out. You know what's funny? I totally just realized that the curtains and the accent wall TOTALLY match the table!! The wall is more of a sage color but it looks brighter in the pics!!!

I think overall I spent a little more than $20 and everything else I already had on hand. Not too bad considering how much I was able to buy . . . I love $Tree!! They have some great deals right now!!

Anyway, what do you think? I was thinking it would be fun to have a link party where you could link up your holiday table-scapes. That would be fun, right? I think I will set it up right now and you can link up whenever you have yours ready. You can show us Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever else you like!!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With!!

I promised I would be here this week and here I am!! I don't have anything fun to show you . .. YET!!! But, I did bust out the Christmas Decorations today and I will post pics of the dining tablescape tomorrow!!!

I hope you all are well, and are getting into the Holiday spirit!! I sure am!! It's funny, one would think that this would be a year that I wouldn't be so excited for the holidays (due to all the financial and physical setbacks as of late). Yet, I think it's because of those setbacks that I'm stoked!!! I've realized that it's not about money and gifts but of charity of love. I was at the Dollar Store today and I could overhear the checkers asking each customer if they would be willing to buy a toy to donate to military families. I was shocked/apalled by how many people said "no"!!! I mean, come on . . .it's $1 and it's for the kids/families of the men and women that risk their lives for you on a daily basis!!! Maybe I'm extra sensitive about it because I'm part of a military family. But, it saddens me how we've got so caught up in ourselves and our own lives that we have forgotten what this time of year really is about . . .

Enough of the rant!!! let's see what you are workin' with!!!

Holiday Table Scape Extravaganza!!

UGH!!!

Holy Crap!! Today is Sunday, and I TOTALLY spaced this weeks party!! All I'm going to say about that is this: the hubs ruptured his ear drum, suffers from vertigo as a result and complete hearing loss. Dr. said he can't work until everything is back to normal, so now we have to figure out just exactly how we are going to pay the bills!! He spent 5 days in bed so it was like I had 2 babies to take care off, only the hubs was WAY more demanding than bucket!! needless to say, I am pooped and the lass thing on my mind was my blog . . . SORRY!! The party is on for tomorrow though, PROMISE!!

Round 2!!

So, I was asked to be a vendor at another boutique!!! It's on a Saturday this time, so I am hoping it will have a better turnout. I don't know details yet, but I will let you know (in case any of you dears wanna stop by).

It is Tuesday night though, which means it's party time!!!! Let's see what you have to share with us this week!! I still haven't been able to get a picture of Bucky in his pirate costume, little turkey!!!

Uhh . . . something is wrong with inlinkz, the site is too busy or something. I will keep trying!!!

*** It's up and running, sorry it took so long!!! ***

Boutique Pics!!

Hey all!! Hope you are doing GREAT and are getting excited for Halloween!! Bucket's costume is DARLING, but the little turkey doesn't like putting it on . . . uhhhh that could be a problem on Saturday HAHAHA I guess I'll just have to hurry up and force it on him then distract him and he'll be fine. It's weird, he doesn't mind wearing it, just doesn't like putting it on . . .weirdo!!

Anyway, I thought I would show you all the pics of my "booth" at the boutique. I'm still kinda bummed about the outcome, but the next one will be better!!

I was outside and it was one of the best spots, makes me wonder how the other girls did that were inside :(

You can see my subway art luminaries on the back of the table, I'm rather proud of them because I haven't seen anything like them out there YET. Maybe I actually have a semi-original idea ??!!! I'm going to get them on my ETSY store later today, but it's kinda hard to get a good picture of them . . .

I whipped these little blocks up last minute so I could have some more Halloween stuff on hand.

When I was little my mom made us a plate like this one, only it was before the days of cricuts and vinyl, so she used a paint pen . . . we put it out every year and LOVED it. I know Santa cookie plates aren't a new idea, but I have yet to see one that gives a treat to the reindeer. They are the ones doing all the work!!! ;) I'll be putting these in the ETSY store as well.

Super cute and simple Santa blocks.

I really like the way my table turned out so I can't call the boutique a total bummer and I met some fun ladies!!

*** If you make a plate like mine or the luminaries, please only make them for personal use and don't sell them. I spend a lot of time coming up with my ideas and I would like to keep them mine, THANKS!! ***

Shoe Dazzle

Umm . . . have you heard of Shoe Dazzle yet??!!! It's AWESOME!!! You sign up and create a profile, they show you pictures of shoes and bags and stuff and you choose which ones best suit you. Then, every month, they send you 5 choices of shoes, bags and jewelry, that best suit your profile. And you get each item for ONLY $39.95 and shipping is FREE!!! You don't have to make a purchase every month either, you can skip as many months as you like. And when you first sign up, they send you an email for 50% of your first purchase!!! KILLER!!! So, click HERE and check it out!!! Seriously, go now!!!

Well . . . I have good news and bad news

Let's start with the bad news . . . the craft fair yesterday didn't turn out the way I had hoped. The turnout wasn't that big and it seemed like most of the people that did come just wanted the free swag bag. I made two sales and one of them was to my mother in law. Kinda sad . .. I ended up buying something from another vendor so I ended up with a whopping $3!!! hahahaha can you believe it?? At least 3 bucks is better than no bucks!!! So that's kind of a bummer but I met some great new ladies!!

Now some good news . . I was thinking about putting together my own little Holiday boutique. I don't know how many of you live in the Salt Lake Valley area but I would LOVE for some of you to join me. It will be a great time!! Even if you don't have an ETSY store you could bring some of your crafts and trinkets!!

Let me know if you would be interested or if you know anyone else that would like to do it!!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With #32!!

Oh my heck!! Ive been so busy preparing for the boutique that I almost forgot about this week's party . . . SORRY. I am making this short and sweet but I do have some fun new things to show you . . . I will post this weekend!!

My First Boutique!!!

So, I was contacted last Friday and asked if I would like to be a vendor at a boutique, THIS FRIDAY!!! A weeks notice isn't much time, especially since I was asked if I could offer something for a raffle AND goodies for 50 swagbags. Obviously I was hesitant because that's A LOT of work in 7 short days. We've had received some rather devastating financial news earlier in the day and I felt like being asked to do this wasn't a coincidence, so I said yes.

So, I have to come up with something for the SWAG bags and I am kinda stressin about it because I don't want to have to buy any supplies . . . I was thinking about making some Christmas gift tags. What do you think? I've never actually made any, but I figure with the Cricut I can whip 'em up quickly. Oh, but what is your opinion on how many gift tags I should put in each bag? And how should I present them, I don't really want to just toss 'em in the bags. Maybe use those clear treat bags and tie a bow? This is my first boutique and I just want to be prepared and make a good impression. Obviously, I'm crafting away this week like a crazy woman and I still need to come up with some sort of Business card and price tag design. Holy Moly!! I was thinking I would just run the business cards off on the printer, not my first option but I don't really have time to send out for them.

Ummm . . . the more I think about and type about how much I have to do, I'm thinking that I may have been delirious when I said yes, hahaha!!! Ok, better get back to work!!! Oh wait, if ANY of you darlings are in Utah County or Salt Lake (and you don't mind a drive) PLEASE stop by and say hi, I would LOVE to meet you!!!

Check It!!

Meg, over at A Little Knick Knack, is giving away a $65 giftcard to CSNstores.com. Go over there and check it out so you can enter and win!! WOO-HOO!!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With #32!!

WELCOME EVERYONE!!! I've been busy this week making Bucket's Halloween costume and working on some ETSY orders, so I don't have anything to show you. Well, I was going to make the cute cookie pops in the picture below . . .

MAJOR FAIL!!! I'm not even going to show you the after pictures. I had a hard time getting the sticks to stay in the cookies and a hard time getting the whole thing covered in chocolate without getting it on the stick. So, that was it. The good thing about chocolate covered Oreos is that they are MIGHTY tasty without a stick in them :) Anyway, pop on over to How Does She to see how the gals over there made these little beauts!!

Now, let's get to gettin!!!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With #31

I've been M.I.A this last week, but I FINALLY got caught up on the orders/shipping with the ETSY store!! It felt like it would never end!! But I'm grateful for the extra money, it's helped out a lot around here lately!!

Anyway, I have a GREAT project to share with you. It's kind of a long one, but I PROMISE it's worth it!!

I saw a super cute porch sign on a blog a few weeks ago and I FELL IN LOVE!!! But, for the life of me, I can't remember which blog it was!! So, if it was you, or you know who is was PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know so I can give her proper credit. Anyway, I decided to make my own version of the sign and here she is!!

**** I FOUND THE BLOG!! THANKS MARIA FOR GUIDING ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!! SHE TOLD ME IT WAS SWAINSTON VINYL AND DEZIGN. I WENT OVER THERE AND SHE GOT THE IDEA FROM CURLY Q CRAFTS, WHICH IS THE PLACE I WAS LOOKING FOR!! YAY!!! ****

Pretty cute right? The lighting is totally weird because the porch doesn't get any direct sunlight but I did the best I could.

Here are the supplies I used:

1 - 4 x 4
1 - 2 x 4
1 - 1 x 8

wood glue
nail gun
compound miter saw

I had all the supplies on hand so this cost me NOTHING, but you can buy all the lumber for less than $20.

First thing I did was cut the 4 x 4 to the length that I wanted. I went with 4 feet, then I cut the 2 x 4 to 28 ". You can use whatever measurements you like, these worked best for me so it's what I went with!!


Now it's time to make the hole for the sign arm, the 2 x 4 will become the arm. I don't have an exact measurement, but just do what looks best to you. I marked the shape of the 2 x 4 and used a large drill bit to drill a hole in the center of the area. Then used a jig saw to cut out the rest of the wood. The blade wont be long enough, so you'll have to turn the 4 x 4 over and do the same thing.


Insert the 2 x 4 through the hole you just made, you'll want a snug fit. Don't worry about any gaps, you'll fill it with filler later.

The next thing to make was a base of some sort. It took some brainstorming to make sure that the base would be substantial enough to withstand the weight without toppling over, yet small enough to be proportional.



I used the 1 x 8 and cut four 12" inch pieces. Using my compound miter saw I cut 45 degree angles along both long sides of each 8 x 12" piece. If you don't have a compound miter saw, you could always just make a box without the mitered edges.

I used wood glue and the brad nailer to attach the 4 pieces together.



Now to add some supports to the bottom of the 4 x 4. You'll need these supports to fill in the space in the box. Measure the inside of the box opening and get your measurements from that. I just used 2 x 4 scraps. Attach to the 4 x 4 with the nail gun.


Once the supports are attached, slide the post into the box. Once again, you'll want a snug fit.


Use the nail gun to secure the box and post. Ignore the pic of the hubs' head :)


Now it's time to make a top for the box. I had some scrap thin wood (have no idea what the technical term is :) but you could use 1 x 8. Cut 2 pieces and attach them with the nail gun. Now you can fill all the holes and gaps with wood glue or caulk.


I used eye hooks and the open hooks to hang the sign from the arm. Isn't it awesome that I use the correct terminology? HAHAHA, I'm sure my dad would be appalled!!

She got a coat of primer then a nice sand over and then 2 coats of black paint. I sanded the edges for the distressed look then sprayed a high gloss clear coat, since she will be outside.

I will make a sign for each holiday and/or season and also a generic Welcome sign.


For now I just have the Halloween sign. I use green vinyl and my cricut to cut out the dots and the Trick or Treat is a glittered foam sign from $Tree.


I accessorized with some light up pumpkins and a big scary spider. What do you think? Pretty cute right??

I'm sharing here:



*** Oh, I should said that when I say "I" made this, I should really say that my dad and husband made it. I just stood by and told them what to cut and all that jazz. I totally could have made it though, don't be overwhelmed by it!! I know my directions may be rather vague at times, so if you have questions shoot me an email and I will be happy to answer any questions!! ***



Now that you've waited around for the party, let's get to it!!!

ETSY EXTRAVAGANZA!!

I was looking at some of the DARLING stores on ETSY and I realized that there are probably quite a few of you that have your own ETSY stores. I know there are other blogs that showcase ETSY stores, but I really want to know which of MY readers have stores. So, link up your store and I will help spread the word!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With #30!!

I'm on my way out the door to get my Gym on . . . I'll post a fun little project tomorrow morning!! I'm excited to see what you share with us!!

Let me know what you think!!

So, I have been fairly busy with the ETSY store this week and it got me thinking . . . As I've said before, I use ETSY for inspiration, as do others. How do you feel about copying an idea and selling it yourself? I feel like if I were to see someone selling the EXACT same thing as mine, down to the tiniest details then I may be irked by it. But, if they just take the idea and change it and then make it their own, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a problem with it. Is it wrong no matter what to use someone's idea? Because, let's face it . . . there are ZILLIONS of ETSY stores that sell tutus, hairbows, embroidered onesies, hand stamped silver jewelry, etc.

I would NEVER EVER want anyone to be upset by what I sell in my store and I would hope to never have to deal with that situation. so, what do you think?

Spooky Pals Trio

I turned some of my 2 x 4 scraps into this trio of spooky pals. I know that some of you had already made these, and you were my inspiration!! So thanks!! Of course they are in the ETSY store :)

I'm joining the revolution!!

So . . . I finally created a Facebook Fan page!! Crazy right?? hahaha. I have a twitter account and I've NEVER used it and I most likely NEVER will. So I figure, I use FB every day so it would be easier than twitter. I just started it and there aren't any pictures or details, but I wanted to let you all know about it so you can scoot on over there and be a fan!! I bet you can guess the name of the page? Click here to go there :) or you can look it up the old fashioned way, "me and my bucket"

Show Us What You're Workin' With #

OH MY HECK!!! I just realized that it's Wednesday morning and I haven't posted this yet!! AHHH!! I am on the Relief Society Committee and we had a dinner last night, so I didn't get home 'til late. Soo . . . I kinda spaced this and the day and everything else. So, without further ado, let's get to it!!!

Wild Wild West Memory Match Game

I know this isn't a new idea in the crafting/creating world, but I was looking at some scrap wood and decided to make a memory match game out of it!!


I made this super simple drawstring bag to hold all the pieces. I used that iron-on printable paper cotton stuff you can buy at the craft store . . . I know that isn't the technical term :)


I cut 20 approximately 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" pieces and painted them a light tan color. Then I cut up a 12 x 12 piece of cowboy themed scrapbook paper and mod-podged them to each square. Once they first coat was dry I inked all the edges with brown ink and let the ink dry. Then I applied another coat or 2 of mod podge over the top to give me a nice shiny finish.


I chose 10 wild west inspired images and converted them to SVG files and cut them out with my Cricut and SCAL software. I mod podged the images to cream colored paper and then mod-podged them to the wood. Inked the edges, then mod-podged again. SUPER EASY!!!

And, one last picture of the bag and the pieces. I LOVE how it turned out and it was super duper easy and it's going on the ETSY store!!!!

Features from last week's WYWW!!

I know I said that I was going to do this post last night after I folded the laundry, but . . . I fell asleep on the bed in the middle of the folding!! hahaha :) So, after a long day of zoo-ing and clean-ing and Home Depot-ing . . . I'm finally sitting down to my laptop to get this show on the road!!!

I'm diggin' this mason jar chandy that Kat over at "Measuring My Life in Love" made!! I know that these are quite popular right now and I've seen some of the price tags . . . YIKES!!! She didn't give the total price, but I have a feeling that it wasn't very much. Hop on over there and check it out!!

Ummm . . . I have no idea why this picture is sideways!! Oh well :) Mandy, from Mandy's Creative Corner, made these stuffed mushrooms that look TO-DIE-FOR!!! The hubs HATES mushrooms, but I love 'em, so I'm definitely going to be making some of these little beauties for myself!!

Check these out!! These little beauties are made out of masking tape!!!! Jessica, over at "Frenzied Mutterings of an Odd Duck" made these and stuck 'em to a canvas!!! Seriously, fabulous!!

As always, thank you so much for joining me every week!! You all inspire me and I LOVE IT!!!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With Wednesday #28!!

WELCOME!! WELCOME!! I hope you all are having a FABULOUS week!! I've been busy getting new things ready for the little ole ETSY store, but its been fun!! And tomorrow we are taking Bucket to the zoo, it should be a blast!! I made a fun memory game and I'll post pics first thing tomorrow or later this evening, I have to wait for the last coat of mod podge to dry :)

So, I love what you all linked up last week and I am going to post some of my favorites after I fold and put away some laundry ;) So, let's see what you have for us this week!!

What I made this weekend!!

I was showing my dad the cute blocks I made for my ETSY store and we got to talking about coming up with a new and original idea. I would LOVE to take full credit for this one, but it was all him!! THANKS DAD!! Anyway, he said "wouldn't it be cool if you could make flashcards?" Well . . . it would be cool!! and it is cool!! And here they are!!!

I made 26, one for each letter of the alphabet!! This is the crate I made for them, don't judge the nail holes, I haven't quite finished :)

This is the what the front of each card looks like!!

And here is what the back looks like. Don't you just flippin' love 'em??!!! I love that I never have to worry about them getting ripped, soggy or bent. I would guess that it would be rather difficult to lose one too, since they aren't just a thin card that can fall behind a couch or dresser or whatever. And, since they are wood, they can be treated like blocks and stacked and knocked down . . . I was going to give them to Bucket for Christmas, but he got soooo excited when he saw them, that I just couldn't wait. He loved playing with them and they kept him entertained for quite a while. Now, I just have to work with him to learn the words and the letters!!

Of course I put these on ETSY, I love 'em too much not to!! Also, I think it's too fabulous of a thing to not share with the world!! So, if you would like some, check out my store or shoot me an email: meandmybucket @ gmail . com