Better Late Than Never?

Yes, yes, I know, I have once again dropped the ball and let too much time pass before an update.  And this little post will attest to it, since I've been wanting to share the wonderful present my oldest sister made me for my birthday....last October.  Can you say procrastinator?
It's wonderful to have crafty sisters who understand the need to be creative and who give the MOST AWESOME handmade gifts.
This is just one example:

I love this for a ton of reasons, but mostly because my sister cared enough to make it for me.  It was one of the best birthday gifts I've ever received!  Now I just have to clean up my studio and get back to my crafty ways!

The weather is supposed to be in the high 60's tomorrow and I'm hoping to get some quality painting time in.  There is a small bookcase in my hallway that is just begging to be painted and distressed.  I wish I could share a pic with you now, but, honestly, I didn't realize just how dusty the darn thing was in the picture and I'm way too embarrassed to post it.  I'll make sure to take before and afters if I do get to work on it tomorrow though!

always,

K

Have you seen my mojo?

I took a bit of a break...okay, a bit more than a bit...let's face it, I dropped the ball.    But after much badgering from my sister's I'm trying to get back into being a crafty girl.  I'm starting small, like peeking at my favorites on Flikr to see what inspires me. 

Honestly, a lot inspires me, but I can't seem to find the motivation to get started.  I actually have worked on a few things here and there, mostly Christmas stuff (told you I was slacking!) that I hope to share later this week.

For today I thought I'd share some of what inspired me on Flickr then go from there, so here goes!

I'll start with my sister, for obvious reasons.  You may know her as Quilted Cupcake.  She inspires me on a daily basis.  She runs her own business, runs a house with two boys (nuff said), hosts a crafy podcast and makes time every single day to be creative.  Below is her candy display from this past Christmas.  I just love how she puts things together. (By the way, I have two other crafty sisters that I plan to post about in a separate post.  See, I'm planning ahead!)



Rick Cheadle inspires me too.  I know I've shared some of his whimsical painted furniture before, but he keeps coming out with more stuff I love.  I think this one is my favorite so far:


I love pillows as well.  This one by monaw2008 is right up my alley with the red and teal houses:



I have to admit, zipper flowers entrance me.  I can't figure out how they turn out so darn cute from just a zipper!  Love this one from The Queen of Re:


This quilt from lalasmom is a hoot!  I love applique and although these owls are probably meant for a childs's bed, I'd love to have this on my bed!


So that's it for now.  Just my way of dipping my feet back into the world of blog land.  I'm going to try my best to go back to posting more regularly.  I know once summer gets closer and I start going to yard sales  and pull out the spray paint I'll be back in the swing of things!

Always,
K

Halloween Wreath

I'm so excited to have finally finished my Halloween wreath!  I have a Scarlett O'Hara complex.  You kow, the whole "I'll think about it tomorrow" kinda gal.  I usually get in the mood to do Halloween crafts right about November 1st.  Seriously.

This year I was determined to complete my take on Piccadilly Peddler's Christmas themed wreath but for Halloween. 

I am so pleased with how it turned out that I may have to make another for Christmas.  It took a lot of time to cut the circles, but I think the final product was worth the effort!

Also, a few of you have asked me how my dog is doing after her eye injury last month.  Sadly, she ended up losing her eye due to a condition called a melting cornea.  Trust me, is just as gross as it sounds.  The good news is that she is 100% back to normal and is dealing well with the loss of her left eye.  I thought I'd share a before and after pic of her.

***WARNING: The after picture is not gross, but it is a little shocking, so stop right here if you are the slightest bit squemish***

Blair before:

And after:

By the way, her eye does not always bulge like that, but she hates having her picture taken and gets all wide-eyed when the camera comes out!  Our gal is a real trooper and it's so good to have her back to her playful, loving self.  (I know my sister will disagree with the loving part, but honestly, her son only had to have 2 or 3 stitches and that was years ago!) She just turned 11 on Sept. 11th, so to bounce back so well at this age is a huge relief to us.

We are thinking of dressing her as a pirate for Halloween...eye patch and all!

I still have a few projects in the works, so I'm planning to do some crafting today and hope to post them later this week!

Always,
K

Linking up to:

Sunday Sundry

It's been awhile since I took the time to sit down and browse through all the wonderfulness that is Flickr.  I found so many things that inspired me today that I thought I would share some. 

Rick Cheadle Art and Designs wowed me with this wall mural painted on paneling: 

I think I love it most of all because I rent a house that has the tacky 70's paneling and I dream of doing something like this to it.  Alas, my landlord is cool...but not that cool.

I love these adorable pincushions from mamacjt:

And this sweet wall hanging was also made by mamacjt:

I am amazed by this life-sized quilted Pink Panther shared by King Kong 911:

Big B always inspires me with her sweet embroidery work.  I already bought both her "Merry Christmas" set and the "Gingerbread" set from her etsy shop!

And last, but definately not least is this wonderful softy created by Kell Ingram from the Melly & Me pattern "Magoo".

I absolutely adore Melly & Me patterns and vow to one day attempt one.  I'm afraid that my limited sewing skills wouldn't do it justice.  Magoo is my favorite, but the mushroom backpack runs a close second!

So you can see my mind is mostly on sewing right now.  My sister's and I are headed to Lancaster on Monday to shop for fabric and donuts.  We cannot go to Lancaster without going to Shady Maple Farm Market for their awesome donuts!

Always,

K

We Will Never Forget

Three days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 I wrote this poem. Every year, I post it and I still light a candle.

Tonight I Lit A Candle

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those that died

I left the candle burning bright, to celebrate their lives.
We lost some treasured loved ones, their faces near and dear
We never had to know them to miss their presence here.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those we lost
To let them know we love them, are sorry they paid the cost.
We won’t forget your bravery, in the face of trying times
We vow to hold your memory close engraved upon our minds.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those we mourn
For it took your needless passing, for unity to form
Our nation vows its vengeance; your deaths were not in vain
Our flag still flies, our bells ring loud, freedom will still reign.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls for whom we pray,
Remembering your sacrifice with each and every day.
God Bless your souls and those of all the ones you left behind
And I pray that one day all will rest in any peace that they can find.

Tonight please light a candle, and add your prayers to mine
Let our silent blessings shout beyond the boundaries of this time.
Do not forget in months to come of how we feel today
Let September 11, 2001 become an Unsung Heroes day.

KAH 9-14-2001 (In memory of the many victims of the terrorist attack on the United States 9-11-2001)
(This is my original work, please do not duplicate it unless credit is given. Thank You.)

Pretty Painted Jars

A quick and simple idea I saw on another blog a few weeks ago inspired me to try these painted jars. 

What I love about them is that instead of the mess of painting the outside, you just pour some paint on the inside and shake, shake, shake it (with the lid on, of course!) to spread the paint around.  After shaking, I added a little more paint and then kinda of turned the jars to cover the places I missed.

I will warn you that the jars take several days to completely dry, at least mine did. They probably would have dried quicker if I had set them outside, but I didn't.

I'm not sure what I will do with them yet, but the blogger I borrowed the idea from added vinyl letters to the outside to label the jars and it was adorable!  (If you are that blogger or know that blogger, please let me know and I will definately give you credit for inspiring me and link up your blog!)

I'm linking this post to the Power of Paint Party over at Domestically Speaking.  I love all the inspiration found there!

Please check back soon, I've just finished my first Halloween decoration and I can't wait to share it with you!  Here's a peek to tease you a bit:

Always,
K

P.S. I'm still collecting donations for my walk to raise money for Alzheimer's research.  Click on the donation graphic on the side bar if you can spare a dollar or two.  It will take you to my fundraising page and you will be able to dedicate your donation to a loved one if you'd like.  Your donation is made directly to the Alzheimer's Association when you use a credit card.  I do not see your card, your name or any of your personal information!

Framed Door

My sister, Jean, told me about the way cool frame that Blue Cricket Design used as a wreath on her front door and we both decided we needed one!

Jean, being a much more motivated craftster than me, finished hers a lot quicker than I did.  Here is a peek at hers, but you must go check out her before shot at Quilted Cupcake because I would have never seen such cuteness in this frame as it was before.

While you are there, take some time to check out her other crafty goodness.  She hosts a free podcast on quilting, sewing, knitting and general craftiness that rocks! (And I'm not just saying that because she mentions me often!)

Anyway, the frame for my door came from the local Good Will.  Here is the before:

  Not as bad as Jean's before, but when I went to pull it apart and found it was all foam core and it still had the original price tag of $29.99, I knew someone got ripped off.  Luckily, it wasn't me, I only paid $2!

After some much needed scrubbing, painting, sanding and staining, here it is on my door. 

I used a Martha Stewart paint sample from home depot for the paint and the bow is a strip of white  scrap fabric.  
The thing is, it's kind of bigger than I pictured it (no pun intended) but I'm hoping to replace it with a fall wreath next month, so it's staying as is. (I still have hopes of duplicating the Piccadilly Peddler's fabric wreath in fall colors, but it's slow going!)

I am working on a new project today that I hope to share in the next couple of days.  Hopefully it turns out as good as I'm imagning it in my head!
Always,
K