Off for a Vacation!

I am going on a little vacation! I cannot wait! I am leaving Wednesday afternoon and will be gone until next Tuesday! I am off to reconnect with my favorite tool...

I have packed some of my favorite fabrics! 

The car is loaded and ready. I have thrown the guilt feeling out the door. Sometimes...just sometimes...a women needs a break. I need this next week to focus on me, and that is ok to do sometimes. There will be no little fingers touching my fabric and sewing machine while I am trying to sew. There will be no need to fix dinner for anyone. I don't have to answer my phone. I won't be able to run the kids back and forth from scouts, piano and whatever else. I will simply sew.

I do have some super ideas in my head that I have been so anxious to sew! Believe me, you, my blogging friends, will be the first to see them! Maybe, just maybe, I will bring my laptop with me so I can show them off as I go! We'll see.

So, don't go far away...I will be back soon!

P.S. I will so miss my family. I haven't even left, and I miss them!

Shamrock Love!

It is that time! Time to start thinking about St. Patrick's Day! In St. Patrick's Day honor, I thought I would do a giveaway for these little cuties~

This is a set of three wood shamrocks ranging in size of approximately 8 inches down to 4 inches. They look super cute as a table top decoration!

Here is the nitty gritty!

Each comment counts as 1 entry!

1. Follow my blog, and leave me a comment that you are a new follower! If you already follow my bog, then leave me a comment letting me know you are a follower.

2. Become a friend with LV Crafty Girls on Facebook and leave me a comment here that you are now one of my friends. (Facebook button is on my left sidebar)

3. Leave me a comment telling me about a time in your life when you got lucky! (that sounds funny, maybe I should clarify that this is a family friendly blog, so lets keep this comment clean!)

I will keep this giveaway open until Monday, February 28th, and will announce the winner on Tuesday, March 1st. The winner will have one week to get back in touch with me, I want to make sure I have time to mail them out to you before St. Patricks Day! Sorry, I can only ship to the United States!

Good Luck!

Fun Wall Display

Tonight I thought I would post about a wall hanging display that I have in my home. The display is in my stairway going from my kitchen to the upstairs. My last name starts with a "C", so I thought that the clock display would be a great idea. I have a girlfriend who's last name also starts with a "C" and she had a clock display on her wall, with a "C" in the middle of the clocks. Originally, I was going to copy her idea, but our two oldest children have a different last name, and I didn't want them to feel left out because their initial was not up on the wall. So, then I came across this idea on Etsy. Here is the store Wall Candy Vinyl. The store is on vacation, so I hope she opens back up soon if any of you want to do this idea!

I searched for the right clocks for about 6 months before I put the display up. In the end though, I love how it turned out!

Great Crafting Weekend!

Oh what a weekend! It was the February Crafty Girls Workshop, and we had a great time!

Check these Crafty Girls out!  

During the lunch break, I took a second to get a couple of pictures of the "organized mess" going on! That is a lot of crafting! 

Of course, at every crop, there is that one "die hard" that doesn't want to each their lunch until they finish their project! Way to hang in there Carole! 

I wanted to show you one of the crafts that was available at the workshop. Do you remember the hanging frame I made a couple of weeks ago?

Well, I wanted a companion piece to go with it. So, this is what I came up with...

This is a super cute HOME block set. A while back, I saw something similar to this in blogland, but it was made without the background papers and stand. I wanted it to match the hanging frame, so that is why I decided to add the papers.

We started the kit with the wood blocks and we painted them. Cut our background papers and letters. The "O" is made by taking one of the blocks and shaping it into a heart.

Then, we adhere the paper and letters with Mod Podge. 

Then, tied the black and white polka dot ribbon to the heart and set the blocks up on the stand. 

Once set up, it looks pretty cute, wouldn't you agree?

25 Random Things About Me!

I read a post over at Craft-O-Maniac and truly enjoyed reading it. Jen devoted a post to her. She told her readers some things about her that let us get to know her better. I thought it was such a clever idea. So, I decided that I do a post about me, and things that nobody (or very few people) knows about me. Probably to you, none of this will matter, but hey, it is me!  Meeting people through blogging has been great, but you really don't get to know that person. And, I want you to know me!

So....here we go:

25 Random Things About Me!

1. I LOVE salt. I put salt on everything...Doritos chips, buttered toast, you name it, I put salt on it.

2. I have self diagnosed myself with OCD. My mind never shuts off. I am always planning something new.

3. When I grow up, I want to be an ultrasound technician.

 

4. I love the smell of fresh cut grass. Nothing smells better!

5. I am my children's biggest fan. I was given 5 wonderful gifts that I will never be able to repay my Heavenly Father for.

6. I have to vacuum everyday, and there has to be straight vacuum lines in the carpet. (I really should have hard wood floors everywhere in my house)

7. I want to adopt a child.

8. I drink 8 to 12 Diet Dr. Peppers a day - really, I do.

9. I am the worst about clipping my children's fingernails! Sorry Ms. Miller! (piano teacher).

10. My favorite outfit is a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and a pair of flip flops.

11. I would give anything for a better self image and some self confidence. (should I chug on over to Mamby Pamby Land?) I second guess everything I do.

12. I don't like to read. But, I hoard magazines. 

13. My favorite tv shows are First 48, Forensic Files and Criminal Minds. (Boy, admitting that makes me feel like I am into gruesome murders)  

14. I love red and turquoise together.

15. I would marry my husband again. I love him.

16. One talent that I wish I had... the ability to sing. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket! I am always imagining me on stage somewhere...

17. I totally brown-nosed my way through high school. :) Go Cavemen!

18. I hate to cook, but I love to eat!

19. I have always been a bit jealous of my two sisters.

20. I love the feel of brand new fabric...the coolness and crispness.

21. I have crossed over to the other side, I now, for the first time in my life, have to wear glasses when I am sewing or reading. Ugh.

22. I wish I lived in a little cottage.

23. I don't move when I sleep. I can slither out of bed, and the bed is still made!

24. I have psoriasis - it drives me nuts!

25. I secretly wish I could do more.....

In George Michael's Words...

Ya Gotta Have Faith...

I know Easter if still 2 months away, but Easter is the only holiday where I don't have a lot of decorations for. I have been thinking a lot about that and I keep coming back to the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs. Well, let's face it, neither of those things have anything to do with the true meaning of Easter. And, while some cutesy Easter stuff is ok, I want to display something with a bit more meaning.

Easter is a time for FAITH. It does not matter what religious background you come from, or what you believe. You believe the way you do because you have FAITH that that is the truth.

So, tonight I came up with this...

a FAITH wall hanging. 

I started out with MDF board, cut to size. 

I painted the edges and in about an inch around all the edges. 

I cut the paper that I wanted to use to size. I used two different papers, a solid card stock and a patterned paper. I used Mod Podge to put the paper on the MDF. 

Cut out my letters and embellished the blocks. 

I drilled a hole in the top and bottom of each block and used twine to connect the blocks.  This can be tricky getting each side even! Be patient with this step! 

I now have FAITH in my house. :)

HELP! Blogging Question~

I need my blogging friends help! What is a blog hop? I know that sounds like a silly question to you experienced bloggers, but I am so new to this that I am not sure I understand what it is. I have put some of my posts on linky parties. But, then while surfing around blogs I saw my linky party stuff at a new blog and they are calling it a blog hop. I just want to be able to give credit where credit is due and post their button on my blog. So, any help here would be great! Thanks!

A riddle for you...

What is black & white and read (red) all over? The answer is not the same as when we were kids, Newspaper. The answer to this riddle is this....

My newest creation! A gal ordered this diaper bag and I finished it tonight. I love it! But, then again, I love all my bags - my bags are kinda like kids to me! :)  

This bag is super sturdy and is able to stand on its own.  

The back of the bag is my favorite! When I make a bag, I don't use a pattern, I just start cutting and putting together. So, the finished product is a surprise to me. I had the idea to put two pockets on the back of the bag. But, instead of going straight across, I made the pocket at an angle.  

There are 4 big pockets, as well as a zipper pocket, on the inside. You can't see it in the picture, but there is a key fob on the left side to hang car keys from.  

I think the bag is super fun! I hope you enjoy the bag Holly!

Oh so simple

Do you ever have an idea that seems too simple so you kinda blow off the idea, but the idea keeps coming back in your head? If not, it could just be my OCD acting up! Anyway, I have had an idea in my head for a week now and tonight I put it together.

The idea came when I picked up this stamp set from Stampin Up called "Have a Seat".

There was something about the bench stamp that just made me smile. How weird is that? A bench making me smile! 

I had a trio-frame set that I was not using. And I knew that I wanted to incorporate the stripe ribbon. 

On a piece of cream card stock I printed a saying that I really like from Sherry Dew..."If life were easy, it wouldn't be so hard." 

I then stamped the bench on the card stock. I cut the card stock to size and put it in the frame. Added the ribbon, and done. 5 minutes done. 

I think it is sweet. And you know what is funny? The bench and the saying have nothing to do with one another, but I love how it looks together! 

A nice little addition to my mantel.

Also, if you like this stamp set, you can head on over to Stampin Siblings and get the set for yourself!

Spring is in the air!

I know Valentines is here, and officially it is still winter. But, once I start making St. Patricks Day decorations, it is officially spring in my house! Plus, when you live in the desert and it is in the high 60's and 70's, it is easy to think it is spring.

For the past 5 months I have made "monthly block sets". Here is a recap of what I have done so far...

November:

December: 

January:

February: 

And now...March: 

I like the three clovers & how the brown, green, tan and yellow all work well together, it kinda breaks up all the green. 

Hahaha, this little guy makes me laugh! 

There you have it...now I gotta start thinking about April!

Have a great Monday!

I am linking these blocks here:

Someday Crafts