November 1st!

First off...happy birthday to our beautiful daughter! She is 18 years old today. Whew, that is hard to admit. Why do our kids get older, and yet, as parents, we stay the same age. Weird.



Happy Birthday!

Well, I was in the mood to work on something crafty tonight. I looked around my scrap room and spotted in the corner a white plastic bag. I looked in and found these plaques and remembered a craft I wanted to do months ago. I have seen these jewelry boards around and wanted to try my hand at it. So, this is how they turned out...

 I am so not a picture taker...hence, the dowel rods off center! Oh well, you get the idea. I thought that I would share a super easy, super fast and super inexpensive gift that you could make for any girlfriend, sister, mother - just about anyone. And with Christmas coming, who couldn't use another idea for a great gift?

Snow!

For those of us that live in the desert, we don't always get the joy of the changing of seasons. Summer is 9 months long in Vegas. Well, the last couple of weeks has been very cool, by Vegas standards, with our temps hitting mid 70's. Well, just a short 35 minute drive from my home is Mr. Charleston. Mt. Charleston is place that we go to escape the desert. We decided to take our youngest three up to Mr. Charleston to escape for a bit, and there was SNOW! Yes, you read that right, snow, 45 minutes from the strip of Las Vegas.

So, if you ever visit Vegas...be sure to check out Mt. Charleston!

One more week to sign up!

That's right! Just one more week until our next LV Crafty Girls workshop! To get all the information you need about the crop, just click on this link:

One More Week Left To Sign Up! via #constantcontact

There will be lots of fun, laughter, crafting & food! Come enjoy a day of doing what you love to do the most...CRAFTING!
If you have any questions, just email me at lvcraftygirls@gmail.com.

The (Not) Forgotten Holiday....Thanksgiving

I feel so bad for Thanksgiving. The holiday is so neglected. There is so much ado about Halloween with candy, goblins and costumes. And, Christmas, of course starts getting attention in August in some stores! Truth be told, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the three. I am so thankful for so many things, that I can't even tell you. The colors of the season (OK, not here in Vegas, but everywhere else!) are so beautiful. So, today, I decided it was time to take a break from the Halloween and Christmas kits and make something for Thanksgiving. This is what I came up with....

Sorry about the glare on the pictures...I am not so good with picture taking. The turkey is made from 3 pieces of 1 inch wood and he stands about 10 inches tall and 15 inches wide. I hate the fact that pictures do not do all of our craft projects justice, because this is stinking cute! I think that this is going to make a colorful addition to the Thanksgiving decor!

Good Night.

Towel Hook....

I decided tonight to step back from making kits for our upcoming crop and finish a project that I have been putting off for almost three months now. Have you ever had a project that you just didn't feel like doing after you bought the materials to make it? Well, I saw this great plant hook/ towel hook and I realized that this hook would be a great kitchen towel hook to have next to my kitchen sink for hand towels. This was the hook that I originally had on the cabinet next to my sink. It's cute. It's small. It only holds one towel. And, lastly, the birdie is cream.

This is the current hook.

I gathered the materials that I had bought three months ago...

I finished painting the back-board. 

I love this paper. I cut it down to the size of the back board and inked the edges black and used deco podge to attach the paper to the back-board. 

Time for the big gun...I had to attached the metal hook to the back-board. 

I went into the kitchen and removed the original hook. Yup, you are seeing right. When taking the old hook down, I created a hole in the side of the cabinet. This new hook has to work, if for nothing else, to cover this hole! 

OK, now it is up. This hook is so much more in line with my kitchen decor. I like roosters. So, this rooster hook should feel right at home! 

 

I have a few roosters in my kitchen.  

I love my new hook! I am glad I finished this project.

Have a great night!

Christmas Countdown!

I stayed up a bit late last night (all of you crafters with children can relate to this) to work on this years version of a Christmas countdown board. I think it turned out pretty dang cute. It is unique in size, 13x16 and it can either sit on an easel, or run ribbon through the holes and hang it on the wall.

I also like the not so Christmas greens and reds, but a shade or two off the traditional!

Happy Tuesday!

Hey there~ Today I am linking my Christmas blocks...

over at Embellishing Life Everyday

So click on over to Embellishing Life Everyday and check out all the great crafting ideas!

Candy Wrappers

I was surfing some of my favorite blogs tonight, and two of my friends have the cutest idea's for "dressing up" candy to give out on Halloween. Look at this great idea from Stampin Siblings

With a little bit of paper, you can create something with BIG impact!

Then, over at Worleybird Designs, Sharon shows off these great candy bar wrappers

I don't think I have ever been given such great looking candy in my pillowcase! Check these two blogs out for some great ideas!

The Mummy Tabernacle Choir!

So you all remember my girlfriend that is hosting her daughter's baby shower? The theme is "Mummy", and the shower is Oct. 30th...super cute idea. Well she needed  a mummy centerpiece, and we came up with this....

With a bit of candy spread around the base of the mummies, it will be great!

So, tonight I finished off the rest of the mummies needed for the shower. I set them upon a pony wall in my house until tomorrow when I take them to my friend. I turned the corner, and BOO, there they were! They kinda spooked me and the first thing I thought of was that they looked like a choir of mummies! Of course, thought number 2 was, The Mummy Tabernacle choir. I know, goofy, but I think it is funny!

Don't you agree....they look like a choir!

Christmas Blocks

Last month Crafty Girls offered the "Give Thanks" blocks...

They turned out so cute, so then I thought that we should have a monthly block kit. So, today, I worked on the "Merry Christmas" blocks that will be available at the November crop. Here they are...

I love how this set turned out!

I hope everyone has a crafty week!

**It is now Monday morning, and I am going to post these blocks here,

So skip on over to Skip to my Lou and check it out!

WINNER!!!!!

First, I apologize to those who entered the first LV Crafty Girls giveaway for taking so long to post this today. Earlier in the week when I set up the giveaway, I had no plans for today, so I knew it would be a good day to post. Well, how suddenly life can change. We left our home this morning at 9:30 for family pictures. How come getting family pictures is never a happy experience? When you have a large family, there is always some one that does not want to smile. UGH. Enough said about that. After the pictures, our middle son had TWO football games. We went to the game at 11:30, only to have the games run late and we left the ball field at 4:30. So, dinner, tubs and laying out church clothes is now done. Finally, my first chance of the day to sit down at the computer.

OK, now on the to fun stuff. (drum-roll is playing here, can't you hear it?) All the entries have been put into a hat, and the winner of the great DIY calendar kit is...

TRISTEN!!

Congrats to Tristen! I will be sending you a separate email so I can get your info!

Now, off to bed...I am beat.



November Crop $10.00 Craft

Look how cute this Christmas block set is! This block set would look great anywhere! This block set is the $10.00 class at the November Crafty Girls crop.

For those of you who don't know about the Crafty Girls crops, here is some quick information on the crops~

Next Crop: November 6th

10:00 a.m to 11:00 p.m.

Lunch

Dinner with Dessert
Soda, water & coffee 
2 Cricut machines, with lots of cartridges available
Sewing machine
Computer with printer for journaling
Table for cropping
Intimate setting 

Optional items:
$10.00 Craft class
Page kits available for purchase
Craft kits available for purchase
Card kits available for purchase

Basic scrap necessities available for purchase

If you are interested in more information on the LV Crafty Girls crops, you can email HERE and we will give you all the information that you need!

And don't forget about our Giveaway! Click HERE for the details!

Buttons, buttons & more buttons!

I love buttons. Not so long ago my dear mother gave me her button stash....

This picture does makes it appear as though the bucket is small, it is not small. I have a ton of buttons. So, I started thinking of what to do with some of these buttons. And, without further ado, this is what I came up with this...

Once again, the picture does not do this button tree justice! The frame is an 8x10 frame. I think that is will look great for the holiday season!

***DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE FREE GIVEAWAY HERE***

FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am so excited to host my first giveaway! And, I will admit, not too sure what the heck I am doing, as I am still so new to Blogland. I have stumbled through ok so far so I am sure that this will go great!

For my first giveaway, SHARON from Worleybird Designs is offering this...

Super Cute Packaging!

A great DIY calendar kit. This kit is so awesome. I have this same calendar on my desk and I smile every time I look at. The kit is super easy to put together, and comes with very detailed instructions. What a great gift for a mother, sister, grandmother or friend.

Great Instructions Included!

Here's how to enter to win:

(Please leave a separate comment for each entry and way for me to contact you)

1st entry (Mandatory)- So, click Worleybird Designs blog and then come back and leave me a comment telling me what type of calendar or note card set you like the best.

2nd entry- Follow my blog.
3rd entry- Follow Worleybird Designs blog
4th entry - Like LV Crafty Girls on FaceBook (Click button located on sidebar)
5th entry- Blog about this giveaway on your blog (Make sure you leave the name of your blog in your comment so I can give your blog hugs!) 

Giveaway on this calendar closes at midnight on October 22. And, I will announce the winner on Saturday October 23rd. GOOD LUCK!

Back to Halloween~

So with all the Christmas crafting that I have been doing, I thought I would go back to some Halloween crafting. I have a girlfriend whose daughter is having a baby. The baby shower is on Saturday, October 30th, and the theme is "Mummy". Very cute. Anyway, this friend was at the last Crafty Girls crop and we started talking about this shower. She said that she needed something for the table centerpieces. She wanted Mummy's. This is what I came up for her...

At first it started out as one mummy. That mummy looked lonely, so I added a mommy mummy. Hmmmm, not done yet, so I added daddy mummy. I would add some candy at the "feet" to complete the centerpiece. We'll see what she thinks!

While on the topic of Halloween, let me show you these totally cute pins~

These adorable pins are made using burlap, tulle and ribbon. Then the picture on the top of the pin is crackled. I wish I would have been the one to make these, but all the credit goes to my friend Susan. SUPER CUTE SUSAN!

Library Pocket Album

Several years ago, while working at a local scrapbook store, I had the great privilege of learning how to make a Library Pocket booklet. Basically, what a Library Pocket booklet is, is six library pockets attached together, with a cover and a back put on it. With Christmas approaching fast, I have always wanted to make a Library Pocket booklet and use it as a Christmas card for my siblings. Each tag would have a current picture of my children (I have 5 great kids) and the 6th tag would host a picture of my husband and myself. Then instead of the traditional "family brag" letter, I would write a little something about each child on the back of each tag. The daunting thought is this...I have 6 siblings, my husband has 5 siblings. Oh, and lets not forget each set of parents and grandparents. It really starts to add up.

Well I decided to start making the Library Pocket booklet. I love it! I haven't made one in a few years, and I had forgotten just how dang cute these are...

Library Pocket Booklet Front Cover

Library Pocket Number 1

Library Pocket Number 2

Library Pocket Number 3

Library Pocket Number 4

Library Pocket Number 5

Library Pocket Number 6

Library Pocket Back Cover

Library Pocket Expanded

Whew...now off to make 754 more! ;)